Bob’s Search for the Perfect Root Beer Float in Southampton

When Bob goes camping, there are a few things he expects: fresh air, a camera close at hand, a good walk through town—and, apparently, a root beer float.

While camping near Southampton, Ontario, Bob decided to head into town for a little exploring. It was one of those beautiful summer days with a deep blue sky, perfect for wandering around with a camera and seeing what Southampton had to offer.

Of course, Bob being Bob, the trip quickly turned into a photo walk.

He photographed the old brick buildings downtown, including the Walker House, people crossing the street, an old classic car cruising through town, and some of Southampton's beautiful older homes. One house even had a pair of bright blue decorative bicycles sitting under the trees. That is exactly the sort of little detail Bob likes finding when he's walking with his camera.

Eventually the walk took him toward the beach and the blue waters of Lake Huron. Southampton certainly wasn't making it difficult to find photographs.

But there was still one important mission.

Bob wanted a root beer float.

After walking around town in the summer sunshine, a big cold glass of root beer with a scoop of vanilla ice cream floating on top sounded pretty good. Bob started looking around, convinced that somewhere in a summer beach town there had to be a root beer float waiting for him.

Apparently not.

Bob searched, but the great Southampton root beer float remained elusive.

So Bob did what every experienced camper and photographer eventually learns to do: adapt to the situation.

He settled for a lemonade.

It wasn't the root beer float he had imagined, but on a warm summer day after walking around Southampton taking photographs, a cold lemonade wasn't exactly a hardship.

And maybe that is what these little camping trips are really about. You head out looking for one thing and discover a bunch of other things along the way. Bob didn't find his root beer float, but he found old buildings, interesting streets, a classic car, beautiful houses, a quiet beach and another collection of photographs to bring home.

The lemonade disappeared pretty quickly.

But the search for the root beer float?

That mission isn't over yet.

There is always the next camping trip.