The Beach Again

Brenda and I are at the beach again.  We love the beach. There’s something relaxing about the beach. There is no agenda, no schedule, no list of things to see and do.  The beach is sun and sand, and salt water.

For the first time ever, by an accident of the calendar, we had 3 weeks here.  The first week we had kids, spouses and grandkids.  This week and next it is just us.

Being here this long, we have noticed the constant remodeling that the beach undergoes. When we first arrived, the beach was one long gentle slope to the water.  A couple of days later, there was a 3-foot embankment cut by the current and high tide. Most recently the bank had shrunk to 18-20 inches and a more manageable slope.  Further down the beach the changes were noteworthy as well.

The wildlife is also something to see.  Our grandson Isaac loved hunting ghost crabs with a flashlight at night.  Naturally he named one crabby.  Sunday afternoon, after a severe thunderstorm, the ocean was dead flat.  Then, right in front of our balcony a whole pod of dolphins were chasing fish. I had seen them about 3 times before, the show this time was special.  We also saw a brown pelican, once endangered but now plentiful, diving for fish.  Of course the gulls are ever present and ever entertaining with their aerial acrobatics.

The most interesting wildlife, of course, are the humans. Let me tell you, we have gotten out of hand with the tattoos!  They are abundant and some people have a super abundance of them. Of course we are #2 in the world on obesity, and the beach verifies that data too.

One thing I like about the beach, is the simplicity of clothing. I get up in the AM, put on my swimsuit/running shorts, get my running shoes on and a visor to try to mitigate the sweat in my eyes, and take off for a run.  I take off my shoes and visor, and I am ready for the entire day in the ocean, or a shower and dip in the pool.  Sand is no problem, it is just part of the beach.

The beach, as always is relaxation.  Everyone has the same goal- sun, sand, saltwater.  It’s simple, it’s natural, it pleasurable.

And that’s hard to beat.