Sun toasty, water temp 46!

Spent most of the day at my favorite beach: read, walked, had a picnic lunch. No ocean immersion for me, though - I only got in up to my ankles. This time of year only the kids are in very deep or very long.

Watching children is one of the great pleasures of time at the shore. The kids remind me of how it is to be totally focused on pleasure, the joys of the moment, playing withwhatever is at hand and how it is to be totally at home in an agile, energetic body whose function is never given a thought.
If your 4, and you want to hunker down with your knees bent and your butt hovering inches above the sand - it just happens. I can hunker down, it's the getting up that is usually the challenge!

As I returned from a walk to my blanket on the beach I noticed a couple walking along, probably in their very early 20's, heads close together in deep conversation. Each of them had a physical challenge. She'd apparently had a stroke, affecting her left side - her arm stayed at a 90 degree angle close to her side and didn't seem to have much function. Her left leg had a bit of heaviness and a slight action delay.

He ambulated with supporting assistance from a walking stick, both knees wrapped and one leg with virtually no flexibility. His slow walk was focused, determined and joyful.

They work together in a seemingly effortless manner, two people whose combined parts probably add up to 3/4s of the physical mobility that I have and many days take for granted. When she dropped something, he leaned over to pick it up with his free hand while she held the camera with her best hand. He helped hoist the loaded beach bag onto her shouder to be carried to the parking lot.

Watching them go, I hoped that the day's sand walking, beach gear toting efforts wouldn't leave them with aches and pains tomorrow - just slightly wind reddened cheeks, a restful night's sleep from the salty air and good memories of early summer '05.

As I was leaving, they returned and were headed up the beach for another walk. Good for them I thought. As we approached a common area, I noticed he wore a watch and I'd been wondering what time it was. I asked him, he replied and asked me if I knew what time the park closed. On the surface, it was a mundane, brief interaction. Yet the energy they carried about them and his sincere 'have a nice evening' salutation was for me the sparkle on top of the wave of a nearly perfect beach day.

Before I left the beach, I decided to walk a little bit past the path to the parking lot to inspect how the sands had shifted on another part of the beach. I dropped my gear by a log, and continued on with my camera in hand as I passed a couple college age guys pretending to be helicopters! They twirled very long pieces of drift wood around their heads as their feet spun their bodies in circles. Their friends watched and laughed. The wind carried their voices along behind me, and one of the young women started noodling on a wood flute. What joyous music - laughter, flute notes floating on the breeze and all accompanied by the crash and purr of the ocean.

Thank you all you beachgoers, for the decoration and enrichment you brough to my glorious afternoon!