Beaches

‘So that the monotonous fall of the waves on the beach, which for the most part beat a measured and soothing tattoo to her thoughts seemed consolingly to repeat over and over again… “Virginia Woolf

I know the beach. I grew up on one. I knew the color of the sand, the coldness of the water, how the waves break and the distance between the jutting rocks. I found this photo on the internet. I lived right behind the left side of that  photo. I also learned to ride my bike at the beginning of the boardwalk. The houses weren’t there yet. It was all beach. but that red brick wall was. When we mastered the two wheeler, we would come careening down that incline with the dangerous thrill of wondering if we would turn the wheel before smashing into the wall. I ended up riding right on the beach a lot.  (Brighton Beach, Brooklyn, New York)

I liked how the sand felt on my toes and how the sun warmed my back. (Okinawa,Japan)

I knew where to find clam shells, crabs and snails. In the winter I built snowmen on the beach. In the spring, I chased birds. When I got older, I dated a lot of the lifeguards in the summer. I was happiest in a bikini on the beach getting a tan. (Bondi Beach, Sydney, Australia)

I remember sad moments, scary moments and wonderful moments in an ocean. (Santa Barbara,California)

I’ve seen the power of hurricanes, felt the waves knocking me down or the undertow pulling me further out and almost drowned. There was always at least one drowning per summer. (Cartagena,Colombia)

We rented beach houses in Malibu when our kids were young. (Malibu, California)

One summer, I decided to make a table out of sea glass. I needed thirty pounds of sea glass and I was determined to get it. I enlisted the help of family and friends. When a big pile of rocks came up, I was out there for hours, with my feet cut up. It was a job. Everyone on the beach wanted sea glass. I have the table. (Shell from Eluthera, Bahams)

I still always look for sea glass on a beach.

I bring bags of shells or stones home from any beach in the world. I can not walk on a beach without looking for treasures. (Panama)

I turn to water for a sense of calm and clarity. (Hvar, Croatia)

The ocean gives my brain a rest and heals what is broken. (Marajo, Brazil)

It connects me to something beyond myself. (Great Barrier Reef, Australia)

My life and my problems always seem very small compared to the vastness of the ocean. (Varadero, Cuba)

When I walk onto a beach in any country, it invokes the memories of my childhood and I am at home. (Paraty, Brazil)

Fly safe,

JAZ