beachy keen
this past sunday, rotten and i fulfilled a summer desire and headed to the beach. hanna the hurricane (ok, tropical storm, but it is way more fun to say hanna the hurricane) lumbered through the area on saturday, treating us to the perfect excuse to (1) sit around the kitchen table eating delicious pancakes for breakfast (2) sit around the coffee shop reading and snacking on sweets and (3) sit around the living room watching penn state and for me, getting squashed at monopoly. when sunday dawned sunny we knew our day had finally come. we loaded the subi with all the necessary beach paraphernalia and headed to cape henlopen state park.
rotten grew up in maine and earlier in the week when we had talked about going to the beach i named the beaches i had gone to as a kid because they're the ones i'm familiar with. "yes, but are they good for swimming?" was rotten's reply. i wasn't sure what he meant by "good for swimming". the lifeguards have gone home for the season, so maybe not if you're planning on getting in over your head... and some beaches have turned up some medical waste lately, so that might not be nice... and there is going to be a tropical storm so it surf might be pretty rough... you see, i was coming up with all sorts of answers to his question. turns out, he was just concerned about showing up at a rocky beach, of which he's more familiar thanks to the new england coast. i should have known. the beaches in rhode island that are "good for swimming" are often private beaches and sometimes you can't swim there until after the season. i guess up in maine most of the good swimming beaches are state parks. in any event, i assured him i don't know of any rocky beaches south of connecticut, and decided upon cape henlopen because it was closest to newark.
the day did not disappoint. there were some clouds threatening through the morning but by early afternoon they had cleared out and a breeze had settled in, keeping it cool and comfortable - and maybe even a little chilly when you came out of the water. the waves broke quickly because of the quick drop-off and the ocean was rough from the passing storm. with waves coming one right after the other, i took a couple of short stints in the water, only getting beat up a couple of times. i am a lake girl at heart and the quickness of the waves without a chance to catch my breath made me happy to stand on shore and watch rotten, part dolphin, playing in the water.
our real estate ended up being right next to a tidal pool that formed, which became the equivalent of the neighborhood hangout for the kids. they liked the warmer water, and i'm sure their parents liked the fact they wouldn't get swept out to sea while playing there. a horseshoe crab turned up at one point, and the kids began investigating it, some poking it with plastic shovels and others throwing sand. a couple were brave enough to touch the shell, but no one would pick it up. rotten couldn't contain his excitement and went over, picked it up, and freaked the kids out with the prehistoric-looking creature's legs crawling around. it wasn't in good shape, but the kids set about trying to rescue it, putting it in a bucket and releasing it back to the ocean, where moments later it once again washed up on shore.
i haven't spent too much time at the beach in the past few years. it was three years ago that i was in chile and made an attempt at surfing in maitencello. donning a complete wetsuit, including hood and feet, to try surfing in the rain, wasn't exactly how i was used to spending my days at the beach, but it was an awesome time i won't ever forget. besides that, i think the only time i have been in the water was up on block island last summer, at the end of a day of exploring the island and eating tasty food. i miss having the ocean in my life. i was spoiled when i lived in rhode island and could be at the beach in 20-30 minutes after a long day of work or on the weekend when people came to visit. as much as i love a hot, sunny day at the beach sometimes my favorite days are the rainy or cold ones, keeping most people inside. you have the place to yourself and it really can feel like you're on the edge of the world.
something about the beach has always made me feel hopeful. i think it is the fact that it is the edge of something so familiar, next to the vast unknown of the sea. it makes me feel tiny when i think about the ocean stretching on for miles and miles. i watched the edge of france appear as we flew overhead on our way to italy; it was still night and the lights appeared out of nowhere. thousands of miles from home, there was something familiar again. the other edge of the atlantic. wave after wave crashing on the shore, just as they have done for billions of years and will continue to do so long after i'm gone. there's also the salt air, the salt water, and i think it has a way of healing the soul just as it can help heal the wounds on our skin. as soon as we drove over the bridge and smelled the sea air i felt more relaxed than i have in a long time; in the water some of the cuts and scrapes i've acquired in the last month but haven't healed finally made some headway toward fixing themselves. the salt water evaporates from my hair and in the wind it reminds me to kick back and not worry so much. relax. enjoy. it was a really good day.
rotten grew up in maine and earlier in the week when we had talked about going to the beach i named the beaches i had gone to as a kid because they're the ones i'm familiar with. "yes, but are they good for swimming?" was rotten's reply. i wasn't sure what he meant by "good for swimming". the lifeguards have gone home for the season, so maybe not if you're planning on getting in over your head... and some beaches have turned up some medical waste lately, so that might not be nice... and there is going to be a tropical storm so it surf might be pretty rough... you see, i was coming up with all sorts of answers to his question. turns out, he was just concerned about showing up at a rocky beach, of which he's more familiar thanks to the new england coast. i should have known. the beaches in rhode island that are "good for swimming" are often private beaches and sometimes you can't swim there until after the season. i guess up in maine most of the good swimming beaches are state parks. in any event, i assured him i don't know of any rocky beaches south of connecticut, and decided upon cape henlopen because it was closest to newark.
the day did not disappoint. there were some clouds threatening through the morning but by early afternoon they had cleared out and a breeze had settled in, keeping it cool and comfortable - and maybe even a little chilly when you came out of the water. the waves broke quickly because of the quick drop-off and the ocean was rough from the passing storm. with waves coming one right after the other, i took a couple of short stints in the water, only getting beat up a couple of times. i am a lake girl at heart and the quickness of the waves without a chance to catch my breath made me happy to stand on shore and watch rotten, part dolphin, playing in the water. 
our real estate ended up being right next to a tidal pool that formed, which became the equivalent of the neighborhood hangout for the kids. they liked the warmer water, and i'm sure their parents liked the fact they wouldn't get swept out to sea while playing there. a horseshoe crab turned up at one point, and the kids began investigating it, some poking it with plastic shovels and others throwing sand. a couple were brave enough to touch the shell, but no one would pick it up. rotten couldn't contain his excitement and went over, picked it up, and freaked the kids out with the prehistoric-looking creature's legs crawling around. it wasn't in good shape, but the kids set about trying to rescue it, putting it in a bucket and releasing it back to the ocean, where moments later it once again washed up on shore.
i haven't spent too much time at the beach in the past few years. it was three years ago that i was in chile and made an attempt at surfing in maitencello. donning a complete wetsuit, including hood and feet, to try surfing in the rain, wasn't exactly how i was used to spending my days at the beach, but it was an awesome time i won't ever forget. besides that, i think the only time i have been in the water was up on block island last summer, at the end of a day of exploring the island and eating tasty food. i miss having the ocean in my life. i was spoiled when i lived in rhode island and could be at the beach in 20-30 minutes after a long day of work or on the weekend when people came to visit. as much as i love a hot, sunny day at the beach sometimes my favorite days are the rainy or cold ones, keeping most people inside. you have the place to yourself and it really can feel like you're on the edge of the world. 
something about the beach has always made me feel hopeful. i think it is the fact that it is the edge of something so familiar, next to the vast unknown of the sea. it makes me feel tiny when i think about the ocean stretching on for miles and miles. i watched the edge of france appear as we flew overhead on our way to italy; it was still night and the lights appeared out of nowhere. thousands of miles from home, there was something familiar again. the other edge of the atlantic. wave after wave crashing on the shore, just as they have done for billions of years and will continue to do so long after i'm gone. there's also the salt air, the salt water, and i think it has a way of healing the soul just as it can help heal the wounds on our skin. as soon as we drove over the bridge and smelled the sea air i felt more relaxed than i have in a long time; in the water some of the cuts and scrapes i've acquired in the last month but haven't healed finally made some headway toward fixing themselves. the salt water evaporates from my hair and in the wind it reminds me to kick back and not worry so much. relax. enjoy. it was a really good day.
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XOXO
PL
I love you. Mom xxxooo