I don’t remember my first trip to the beach. My mom’s yellowed photos of our visit to Hampton Beach were taken years before the memories of my childhood kick in.
Like many families, the annual beach trip was arguably the best part of summer. We’d start packing a week or more in advance. Before dawn, we’d pull out of the driveway in the Bobcat station wagon, which was loaded down with camping gear and pointed due east with conviction. The excitement would build as we neared the Sagamore Bridge and the smell of the Cape’s sea air washed over the car. Building sandcastles, comparing tans, playing putt-putt, stopping at the homemade ice cream stand…
This summer routine was comforting as a child. Even as my interests changed as a teenager (Why lay on the beach when you can go shopping?), the beach became an indelible part of me.
And somehow – in the last few years – I’ve grown to appreciate the beach more than ever before. Maybe it’s the 180 miles that separate me from the nearest beach. (Absence makes the heart grow fonder. Don’t know what you’ve got ‘til it’s gone. Insert other appropriate adage here.) Maybe it’s the appreciation for nature that only comes with age. Maybe I just like the feeling of sand between my toes.
Regardless, it seems fitting to dedicate this blog to the pursuit of beaches near and far. I hope you enjoy it and get the chance to share your own beach stories and recommendations with me.
May fate guide you to the nearest beach without haste!