Photo Essay | Beach
My Happy Place
Imprinted on our hearts is the exact moment we fell in love with the beach. ~Judith Frenette
I remember that moment.
I was four years old and can’t recall much from those days.
But I remember my first glimpse of the ocean.
We were driving south on State Route A1A, the highway along the Atlantic Ocean from Fernandina Beach, north of Jacksonville, to the southern tip of Key West.
Mom and Dad were in the front seat, and my older brother and I were in the back. Scattered around us were toys and games to pass the long hours of a three-day car ride. Travel bingo, puzzles, a magnetic checkerboard, coloring books, and crayons, to mention a few. Sadly, a brand new Etch-a-Sketch left in the rear window suffered an early demise when it melted in the Florida sun.
Dad told us to look out the left side of the car and that we would soon be able to see the ocean. Every so often, between buildings, I spotted sandy dunes with clusters of tall sea grass that seemed to wave at us gently.
Suddenly, the road rose just enough, the buildings fell away, and there it was!
I had only heard about the Atlantic Ocean in stories from my parents. It opened up and sparkled like diamonds in the bright sunshine. The waves looked powerful as they crashed, white foam rolling up on the shore.
But it was the vast expanse that amazed me most.
The water went to the horizon with no land in sight. I had never seen a body of water where you couldn’t see to the other side.
Over the years, we made many more trips to the Florida coast, as well as other beaches in Maryland and the Carolinas. All these years later, the magic of the ocean and beaches has never wavered for me. I still delight in all that it offers, and when I return, it feels like I’m going home.
These photos have many happy memories attached, and I’m pleased to share them with you.
To rise at daybreak and feel the sunshine as it warms my skin, the soothing sounds of waves as they kiss the shore, and sand between my toes: a gentle reminder that life is good. ~ Unknown
The ocean stirs the heart, inspires the imagination, and brings eternal joy to the soul. ~ Robert Wyland
My sense of direction leads me one way: to the beach.
A beach is not only a sweep of sand but shells of sea creatures, the sea glass, the seaweed, the incongruous objects washed up by the ocean. ~ Henry Grunwald
Seashells were money before coin, jewelry before gems, art before canvas. ~ Cynthia Barnet
Pier vibes and good times!
Taking a break from everything except the waves.
Let the sea set you free.
If we could see the miracle of a single flower clearly your whole life would change. ~ Buddha
Our memories of the ocean will linger on, long after our footprints in the sand are gone. ~ Unknown
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Love the images, great piece... brought back memories of my own. I was 4 when I first saw the Gulf of Mexico... and I'll never forget that precious body of water.
That was everything I could ask for - I was a mermaid in another life.