Emergent Need Resolved

So on my recent trip to Cape Cod, I rented a car from Thrifty https://www.thrifty.com/.  The car was fine.  I was doing a lot of sightseeing in the area, driving from place to place, beach to beach, park to park.  It is really too early for the seasonal places to be open, which means many of the public restrooms were closed, too. 

At Sandy Neck State Beach, I was wishing the restrooms were open.  After I wandered around, I started the car and a light in the shape of a wrench came on the dashboard.  I looked in the owner's manual, but could not identify the reason for the light.  I called Thrifty, and the representative was not really sure at first about the reason for the light, but eventually said it was just a reminder they need to do an oil change. The representative said I could go to Warwick, RI or Cambridge, MA to the nearest Thrifty dealer.  Both were a couple of hours away from where I was.  The representative said that as long as the light was not flashing, it would be okay, if I was okay with it.  I was.  Later, there was a message on the console about needing to get the oil changed.

I called the emergency number for Thrifty, it was the only number I had.  The first question from the representative was "Are you okay."  I told him that I was, that I was parked in a parking lot, and not driving while I was talking.  I like the fact that safety and well being came first.

So, while I was talking to the Thrifty representative, I was facing into an additional parking lot.  In the parking lot, there was a Porta-Potty. Several people used it while I was talking on the phone to Thrifty.  So, with one phone call, two emergent needs were resolved!  I wondered then, how many other locations had Porta-Potties that I did not notice.  Hmmm.

Sandy Neck State Beach

I was at Sandy Neck State Beach MA earlier this week.  There was sand, many inches of it, on the walkways to the beach.  One of the locals said the walkways are usually clear, and will be cleared before the beach opens up later this year. She explained there was a lot of beach erosion due to the weather this year.  It was kind of nice to speak to someone who took a proprietary interest in the beach. 

Old Coast Guard Beach

I was at Old Coast Guard Beach, MA earlier this week.  It was cold, windy and grey.  Two men went down to the beach in wet suits, carrying boards.  The boards looked short, so I have to wonder if they were body boards vs. surf boards.  I could not see down to the beach where they were.  I had to think that they were sort of crazy.  But some people do go into the cold water, to surf or swim.  Mostly as a stunt, which is what I was seeing the beginnings of.