June 13, 2005

Walking with my son on the beach


Another photo. Because it is still too hot to think.

Beaches along the coast are the most crowded during the day, when the hot sun is bright and glaring. But I love the beach most in the early morning before anyone else is there. If we are camping in sand dunes, I sneak out of the tent just as it is getting light.

I love the coolness of the early morning and the grey, soft quality of the light. The sea and sky blend so that I cannot tell where one begins and the other ends. The waves come out of nowhere, just appearing in the mist, spreading their white foam across the sand, leaving it wet and glistening. I can sit for hours, just losing myself in that rhythm.

When I was a little kid, we spent a week every August on the Jersey shore. My Dad loved to get up early in the morning and head to the beach. Sometimes he would take me with him. Since I am one of five kids, this time alone with my Dad was special and rare. We didn't talk much, but we rambled along the beach, taking our shoes off to get our feet wet, and I collected shells. The boardwalk and beaches were deserted and peaceful, except for the occasional fisherman.

In this hot weather, I think longingly of the ocean, and how wonderful it would be to swim in the cold salt water, enjoy the breeze along the shore. And take an early morning walk in the cool misty light.

10 comments:

Yankee, Transferred said...

I miss the ocean. I don't like being land-locked. This is a beautiful photo.

Scrivener said...

Nice picture.

I took Ella out walking on the beach early in the morning, when we were at St George, looking for ghost crabs and she had the most wonderful time. By the time I'd gotten her up and out, most of them had returned to their holes, but she got to see a couple of them--but mostly I think she was just excited to be out on an adventure with me in the morning.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I miss the ocean too. This is a lovely photo! Wish I coudl stick my feet into the waves! I too like the beach best early in the morning--or late at night. Keith and I discovered that the beach at the Pinery is virtually abandoned after dark and a wonderful spot to view the stars.

Unknown said...

I don't like to lie around on a beach (too fair-skinned), but I love to know I can get to the ocean easily.
The weather broke here over night, thank heavens. It's cool this morning, delightfully cool. For you, too?

Rob Helpy-Chalk said...

Is that With a Why? I'm learning to identify your children by the backs of their heads.

jo(e) said...

Songbird: It's still pretty humid here ... but getting cooler.

Rob: Yes, that is With-a-Why. But if I showed the photo to anyone in my family and told them it was Boy in Black when he was younger, they would believe me. They look very much alike, only age separates them.

Rana said...

Beautiful. I'm looking out at a misty morning here, though not along the coast.

I love walking along coasts that are fog-bound and grey -- never much of a beach person -- and used to do it a lot when I was in grad school and lived a block away from the ocean.

I was never tempted to swim in it though, at least not after I hit my teens. The water here is too cold, even in Southern California. (Something they never tell you about on all those Baywatchy type shows.) In the Bay Area, or in Oregon, you're risking hypothermia if you do.

(Do any of these chilly stories help with the heat? Even a little bit?)

jo(e) said...

RAna: Yes, the chilly stories help! And we had a thunderstorm so it is finally cooling down here.

Phantom Scribbler said...

We're still waiting for the heat to break here. I love the cool ocean thought, jo(e)!

I once got hypothermia in the ocean, on the coast of Maine. In August!

Mona Buonanotte said...

I can feel the spray and the chill and the tickling waves in your photo, just lovely, jo(e). Thank you for the daydream!