Oh, how I love beach days or any day that gets me to the water. In summer, though, I prefer beach days. There is nothing like setting your chair in the sand and parking your beach bag next to it. Picking a spot is crucial. Some sun, some shade, not too crowded, with a perfect ocean view. Most importantly, warm sand for digging your toes in…park your butt. You are here. Within minutes, everything slows down. You feel your body letting go, your mind clears, and your breathing slows. It’s the magic of the ocean. There is nothing else quite like it. Recently, we took a few days to go to the beach. Our first trip this summer. Next week, we return to the beach. The last week we were in Belfast, Maine. A coastal town we had never been to. Next week, it will be Provincetown, Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Here’s the thing about the ocean, though: no matter where your chair hits the sand, magic is there. The view might be a little different, but that’s good. The tide could be in or out. Doesn’t matter. For sure, though, you can count on the sand, the sky, the sea, the peace, and room to breathe. Pull up a chair; grab a cup of tea, I have a story to tell you.
Dane Street Beach, Beverly, Mass.
The photo above is one of my first memories of our family time at the beach. That is my dad on the left with my younger brother, Bob. The other beach blanket holds me and my brother, Dick, along with my aunt and uncle. I’m assuming my mother was taking the photo. My other brother, Jack had not yet been born. When my father was home on leave from the Army, we would all pack up on a Sunday and go to the beach. I learned to love the warmth of the sun and the feel of the sand at a very young age. It was also a place of joy for me. The beach meant good times. My family was together. We would have packed a lunch and that was always special. In those days on a military budget, we didn’t get very many extra treats so for us, a beach day was like a vacation or holiday. We swam, we played in the sand and we were each other’s best friends. This particular beach was one town over from where we lived and even though we had a beach right at the end of our street in Salem, going across the bridge to Beverly, to this very large beach was special. It was one of those beaches where you could walk the sand bars when the tide was out. I loved those days as a family, they were special and short-lived. Military life is hard and families don’t get much time together so I think early on we made the most of it. This was the beginning of my love affair with the beach. Warm air, salty water, sunshine, and sand. And if you are lucky, the tide might be out and you can spend some time looking for seashells to take home and decorate.
Those early days were the cement for the rest of my life as a beach bum. As often as possible we still travel to the beach. My kids are beach bums also. Both Jenna and Chris live on the ocean, which I love because I get to visit. We are only fifteen minutes in any direction to the beach ourselves. Also, in our little town of Wenham, we have Pleasant Pond, and now that we don’t have the Maine house anymore Jim and I can easily hop over to the pond and play with the swans or just relax and read. Jim likes it there because of the shaded trees. I like it there because it’s close enough that we can just go for an hour if that is all the time we have. So there are many ways to find the sand and sun. So today I want to share some of my favorite beaches here. That way I’ll always have a record of my adult life spent at the beach.
Wingaersheek Beach, Gloucester Mass, at the end of Cape Ann. Look at that luscious sand. One of my favorite beaches for many reasons. I love to photograph the many moods of this beach. It goes for miles and is open year-round. It also borders the marsh. It's not a beach I come and hang out on but it is one I come and walk and enjoy whatever gifts arrive while I'm there. The sand is perfect and the sky is so blue. And on a good day, you can see the lighthouse way out there protecting the boats from those rocks. On any given day the boats are coming and going, big and small and people-watching is always fun. Birds, duck and fish also entertain us with their antics and yes, I do take a few snaps also.
Another view of Plum Island beach...almost to the end of land. Boat jetty and more secluded. I love the fence and all the beach grass. This summer was perfect beach weather.
Provincetown, Massachusetts...at the tip of Cape Cod. This is it. If you love collecting seashells this is the place to do it. All of the beaches are public but sometimes the residents put out signs that would make you think otherwise. Another beach that you can walk for miles when the tide is out but you better keep track of the time or you will be swimming into shore. Provincetown is a great spot for the beach, restaurants, unique shops, and a cast of characters to enjoy on Main Street. You can even take the fast ferry over from Boston if you want to come just for the day. I highly recommend it. We enjoyed our time here this year.
How inviting does this look? Taken last year in Nova Scotia, Canada. The fog was in but the weather was warm and the sand was free. Anywhere along the coastline, just pick a spot and plop. I love that this person is alone, taking up a small bit of space, and is untethered from the world of business. Just the ocean at low tide and a good book. Time seems to stand still in Nova Scotia. This area is where my grandfather was from. Close to Lunenburg. Bonus: laundry on the line.
Awe, Maine, how I love Maine. We sold our Maine house this year after spending 32 wonderful years there, not on a beach but on a lake that provided the same relaxation that I'm always looking for in the summer. What to do, rent a place on the coast in the lovely little town of Ogunquit. This was the view from our deck. The beach just follows the coastline of Maine for miles and miles. Ogunquit Beach is spectacular any time of the day. Tidal pools for kids to play in deep swimming when the tide comes in and if you are a senior like me it's great just to sit on the deck and watch the world go by. Then when I get tired of that I head down to the beach and visit the lobster pound or a great summer restaurant and enjoy a fresh from the ocean meal. Usually lobster right off the boat. You can't beat Maine for beaches.
This was special. Hilton Head, South Carolina...last year. Next week we will be going back there. It's a good off-season place to visit because it stays warm and the beach life is still around. Jim is ordering up our beach chairs and Daisy is just being her cute self. We love that they are so pet-friendly and Daisy gets to come to the beach also. The sand is just so smooth and clean. There is always an ocean breeze and the days just melt away like cotton candy...Close your eyes and breathe.
This was one of my favorite beaches for eight years so I didn't want to leave it out. It was taken on the Island of St. Maarten. I just love this Island and this beach. Where you could see to infinity. I truly took some of my best naps here. No phones, no people looking for us, and no schedule. Pure relaxation. We didn't even have the pup to worry about. Life changes and we adapt and move on but St. Maarten is forever etched in my heart as one of my "happy places." The color of the Caribbean sea is amazing.
Summer is always nice at the beach but other seasons bring their beauty and a different vibe. In the Fall we are free to bring Daisy to the beach and she loves being there. The air is crisp and you never know what kind of weather you will run into...You switch out of your flip-flops and transfer to boots. You walk instead of sitting in a chair or laying on a blanket...but when you are done, you feel so good mentally and physically for having been out there in the beauty that only nature can provide. Even an angry sky doesn't keep us away.
Some days are a challenge though as we head into the heart of winter but you just have to dress for it and hopefully, you don't mind getting blown around a bit. This day was windy and It took all I had to hold that camera with the 400mm lens. I took a couple of quick shots and got out of there before my camera filled up with sand. Still, it was a great day at the beach.
Even in the snow, especially in the snow, the beach is a favorite…The winter light is bright as it reflects off the ocean and on a sunny day it can create a welcome warmth to to your face as you sit for a minute and enjoy the beauty. The reflections are sharp if it is a calm day and the contrast in colors is amazing. Everything feels clean and you can convince yourself all is well with the world when you visit the beach in winter. There is a peacefulness that is hard to describe. One has to feel it.
So there you have it or at least most of it. I have been very fortunate to live all my life less than fifteen minutes from the ocean and for 32 years we had a house on a lake. One time when Chris was a year and a half old we moved to New Hampshire in a small town with no beach access close. I lasted two and a half years and then headed home to Massachusetts and Maine. I’m still here.
There is something else though that we need to keep an eye on and work very hard to fix and control. Global warming. It is real. I can measure it and I know nothing about statistics. I do, however, know what my eyes tell me.
Collins Cove, Salem, Massachusetts
Above is a recent photo of my very first beach. It was down the street, a five-minute walk from my house, in Salem, Massachusetts. Up those steps was a playground that we would go to in the morning and the afternoon was spent at the beach. It was a beautiful, sandy beach, big enough for everyone to enjoy and spread out. My mom worked and my grandmother took care of us kids but she never came to the beach. All the kids in the neighborhood would gather at the beach. No parents, no lifeguards. There were other adults there but we were free to swim and enjoy the sun and play. I would bring my towel, my doll, and my lunch. When I got older I traded the doll for my transistor radio. No headphones in those days. This is also the beach, my brothers, my mom and I would go clamming for our dinner when the tide was out. The point of this is: that my beach is no longer there. You can see the water line at high tide would be inches from the seawall. The seagrass is abundant and the lower steps are cracked. If I had to guess those steps have gotten beaten up by the pounding of the sea as it now fills the entire beach on one side. There is a smaller beach further down but even that will disappear soon if something isn’t done. This was one of the cleanest beaches and it had so much sand to play in when I was young. Even when I moved away in 1968…it was still a beautiful beach. This is what global warming looks like in my hometown. It is sad. We can help though by electing people who believe in global warming and are willing to fight for it. There is no hope for my beach here but maybe we fight to keep the other beaches in New England beautiful so other “littles” can create wonderful memories of their days spent on the beach. They were magical days for me. It was my peaceful escape when my world at home got a bit crazy. It’s up to us and our kids now. Let’s hope they rise to the occasion.
This was the beginning of my beach bum days. I'm still a beach bum. The sea wall still stands at Dane Street beach but for how much longer? We need the beaches and the sand. I don't think I needed those pigtails but I didn't have any more say in that than we did in global warming when it began but we do now. And the wall here. Yup, this was a much bigger beach than my little Collins Cove beach. This beach had lots of sand and back then when it was time to leave, my Dad would take me and my brothers to the water, wash us off, and then carry us to the wall. God forbid, we should get sand in his car. So go to the beach. Drink in the sunshine and the ocean. Dig your toes into the sand and if you are able, bring a good book. It's the best place to read and nap.
Since I wrote this post I have been to another of my favorite beaches. We just got back from Hilton Head, So. Caroline and this is the beach we walked every morning at sunrise. This beach is the best of the best with its clean ocean water and beautiful sand. Everyday was a bit of mental medicine for us this trip…enjoy the sunrise. I hope it lifts your spirits also.
“A day at the beach is never lost time. When the warm grains of sand touch our hearts, we know we’re in the right place.”
