The Summer of Kristin: The Beach

I love the beach.

So, this morning, when my head popped up at…6:53 a.m., I was happy to see that it was because of all the glorious natural light illuminating my little seaside abode. This is the source…

I know, right? And, as I sat here this morning, reading e-mail, this was the view that was almost blinding me. OK, it wasn’t really “blinding” me, but it sure was beckoning me to head outdoors.

That’s the view from my chair. And this is the view from the doorway…

As you can see, I have a cushion on only one chair…that’s because we’re expecting rain sometime today, so why make more work for myself? This way I only have to rescue one cushion if storms hit. Anywho, I decided to take advantage of the sunshine and at 9:06, I headed to the beach, which from the end of my walkway, is this far away (I should probably say “this close.”)

It’s about a two minute walk to the sand. Seriously. And, it’s so quiet, so peaceful, so relaxing here. There aren’t throngs of people, there’s no noise…seriously. The only sound is sea gulls. Period. Yes, it’s as close to heaven as I’m gonna get. Anywho, after approximately two minutes, this is my view…

This morning, there was no one on the beach. I think in the half hour that I walked along the water’s edge, I saw about five people. That will probably change once Memorial Day hits, at which time, I will probably have to go a little earlier if I want this kind of solitude.

See all the baby gulls searching for crabs and other sea creatures they can devour? This type of sea gull behavior, I don’t mind. After all, just being in the water up to your knees can turn you into a snack for these bastards:

Oh, yeah. That’s fun, when you have a crab hanging off your toe. Been there, done that. One year, I was so freaked out over the crabs crawling along the ocean floor that I wore those aqua shoe things. Seriously. Don’t judge me! Let a crab nip at your feet a few times and we’ll see how you handle it. While I have been known to spend days — long, long days — on the beach, with nothing but a chair, sunglasses, a book, and some sunscreen (OK, OK, tanning oil…don’t look at me like that), I should mention that I have this weird issue with sand. I loathe it.

My father always loved to tell this story about how I reacted to sand once I was old enough to know what was going on. I think I was 4 or 5, and my parents took me to the beach. I did NOT get off the blanket all day. I refused to touch sand, period. Not only did I not play in it (I was a weird kid, I suppose), but I had to be carried from the street to the blanket, and then back to the street at the end of the day. I would not even step on sand. The next day (this was my father’s favorite part of the story), we walked up the few steps at the end of the street, to where the beach began, and I stopped and said, “Oh no. Not again.”

Now, I walk through the sand, I plant myself in a low beach chair and I have sand halfway to my knees. I have not embraced it, I do not enjoy it…I simply have resigned myself to the fact that, well, there will be sand. It is what it is. But, I won’t let it get in the way of my summer. No, sir. Not when this is what I’m looking at on my morning walk…

Who knows what tomorrow will bring? Stop by and see!