“Life’s a beach. Just roll with it.”
Today is a glorious day. The sun is bright, the sky so blue it looks painted and the air warm and smelling of the ocean. It is a day to be outside to feel the sun on my face, to get drowsy in the warmth and maybe fall asleep.
The Sundays of my childhood were quiet days. First we had to go to church. Sometimes we’d go with my dad while other times we’d walk, my brother and I. In the summer the early masses were crowded so people could have the whole day. Those were my favorite masses. Often there were no open seats in the pews so we had to stand in the back and even outside on the steps where I was so far away from the altar at the front of the church I never heard any part of the mass. I’d get tired and sit on the steps. The adults standing in the back used to crane their necks to see what was going inside. I was never that curious.
Most Sundays were family days. In the summer that often meant the beach for the whole day. We never tired of the beach and the ocean no matter how often we went. My favorite ocean time was low tide when there would be pools of warm water. We’d check out the starfish and toss empty crab shells at each other. We’d try to catch the small darting fish we called minnows even though they weren’t. We’d take our pails and walk along the water’s edge looking for shells, but not just random shells, we were picky. We’d pass by the clam shells and look for spirals with different colors inside and out. It was rare to find a complete spiral. Often one side was missing or chipped. We’d nearly fill our pails, wash out the sand in the water then put the pail near the blanket so we could bring home all our treasures. Mine usually went on my bureau for a while.
Eating at the beach was mostly when we were hungry. We had our choice of sandwiches, usually cold cuts but sometimes egg salad. There were always chips to go with the sandwiches and my mother always packed a bag of Oreos, the easiest of all desserts.
My dad would make sure our feet were cleaned so we wouldn’t bring sand into his car. He’d open the car door, we’d sit and he’d dunk our feet into a pail of water then we’d scramble our way to our seats without touching the parking lot sand. I think it a bit ironic that we ended up living on the Cape where sand is almost part of the car floor.
I remember falling into an exhaustive sleep after a day in the sun and water. Sometimes, when my head was on the pillow, warm water would drain from my ears. It was a strange sensation.
Explore posts in the same categories: MusingsTags: Beach, beach food, bright sun, crab shells, glorious day, low tide, Mass, ocean, oreos, quiet Sundays, sandy feet, shell collecting, small fish, smelling of the ocean, starfish
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May 17, 2015 at 12:25 pm
Hi Kat,
I’ve never had the experience of warm beach water draining out of my ears onto my pillow after a day at the beach. What I usually got was the vision of endless waves rolling on the sea every time I closed my eyes. Water, water everywhere but only if my eyes were closed. 🙂
We used to go to Nahant beach. My mother would make sandwiches and bring the big green thermos with the spigot and the metal cap that had a dent in it. I still remember it. It would have Kool-aid or sometimes lemonade. We did the sandy foot thing, too. I think it’s a universal parental law. 🙂
Yesterday was graduation at U Mass Dartmouth. My niece was getting her BA so we went to watch her walk. It was very well organized. They said 10 to 12 and it was 10 to 12 on the nose. It sprinkled rain now and then. The school was dispensing disposable sheer plastic rain ponchos. Yellow. The audience was a mass of see-through yellow plastic poncho clad people as background for the black or bright blue graduates’ gowns and all the other academical colors. My tiny camera got some decent shots.
Peapod comes later this afternoon but there is nothing on the dance card for me today. And that’s just fine.
Enjoy the day.
May 17, 2015 at 2:11 pm
Hi Caryn,
I think it was from swimming under water. Some of the tide pools were deep, and we would swim there in the warm water. We always went to Glouchester. We had the plaid jug for our Zarex.
Good thing it only sprinkled rain. That, at least, was sit-through able. It was good of the school to have the ponchos.
I have to do Peapod this week. I am nearly out of toilet paper, a sign.
I have a friend coming to do some electrical work-that’s it for the week.
Enjoy this glorious day!
May 17, 2015 at 12:50 pm
Hi Kat!
We don’t have tide here in Sweden so I don’t know what it’s like. I’ve only seen it in photos, strangely enough I missed it when I was in Portugal. We usually had cheese sandwiches, they lasted the longest when the cooling bad started to become a bit warm 🙂
Between being in the ocean we sat down by the bridges and fished tiny crabs, they are edible but one nedd lots of them to get anything to eat really. We could also go to one of the two kiosks to buy ice cream. I always fell asleep in the car on the way home.
We’ve had much better weather than predicted, lots of sunshine between the clouds and rather warm as well.
Have a great day!
Christer.
May 17, 2015 at 3:24 pm
Hi Christer,
On certain mornings the air is filled with the smell of the ocean. It is an unmistakable smell and one I love.
The tiny crab sound like our crayfish of which you also need a lot to make a meal. They are from the South.
We were forecasted to have this gorgeous day. It is a beauty!!
Enjoy your evening!
May 18, 2015 at 1:16 pm
Crayfish is big here in Sweden, by tradition is August the month when we eat them and we have both the ones living in fresh water and the ones living in salt water, I think You call them Norway lobster.
May 18, 2015 at 3:22 pm
Christer,
They are difficult to find here in the north as they are mostly a southern dish. Right now the soft shell crabs are in-they will be here only a small while so I’ll have to get a few.
May 17, 2015 at 1:52 pm
The house exploded, relatives arrived, gifts piled up, the Prince ran wild and the first wedding shower was held at Wyngate,
I waited for a text , arrived at the back end of the event and loaded the cars. The second shower is at the end of the month.
Now we are debulking, folks are going to the airport, the mega bus, and pointing south.
The Father of the Bride to be, I am.
May 17, 2015 at 3:29 pm
My Dear Hedley,
Congratulations to the father of the bride!
You had the traditional father’s role: to stay away but appear when it is time to load the gifts. Now that you’ve been through one, the second will be a breeze.
My sisters had two very different weddings. Moe, the first married, chose my parents’ back yard for the wedding and the catered meal after the wedding. My dad had a dance floor put down, hired music and even had a late supper catered. My other sister chose the Old North Church for her wedding and the Tea Party Ship for the reception. I liked the yard wedding more-it was fun.
You will be the perfect father of the bride!
May 17, 2015 at 2:39 pm
When I was a teen we would go to the Rockaway beach in Queens. I was never a fan of the beach because of the sand and the cold sea weed filled water. I’m more of a swimming pool guy. I imagine swimming on the Cape must take a hardy soul since the water would be even colder a couple hundred miles further north. The only ocean water I liked is in the Caribbean where the water is warm and clear. I’m up for trying Hawaii or the South Pacific waters. I laughed at your story of attending mass from the church steps. I never understood why people in Catholic Churches and synagogues want to get up close to the alter and the pulpit. I assume the Lord is everywhere. 🙂 Baptists fill their churches from the rear according to my students who avoid sitting in the first row of my nine sest three row classroom. Today it really doesn’t matter where you sit in class since you can surf the web on an iPad from any row.
This morning we had another line of thunderstorms roll through before dawn. The noise woke me up but I didn’t bother to look at the clock and just rolled over and went back to sleep. Rain is predicted every day this coming week. Some areas that were in severe draught in March are now flooding. With rain it seems like it’s either feast or famine.
May 17, 2015 at 3:37 pm
Bob,
I have heard of Rockaway Beach.
The Cape water isn’t cold though it is right now as it hasn’t yet warmed for the summer. The coast north of Boston is where the cold water starts. That is why when we were kids we liked the tide pools for swimming-the water was warm.
The Caribbean is pretty water. I was surprised at how clear it is. The seaweed here only appears after a big storm. Other than that the water is clean of stuff.
Most people chose middle of the church seats for mass. They fill up first. Mostly old people sit in the front. I figure they can see and hear better there.
We are still waiting for a good rainstorm. It has been a long time since the last one. Quit hogging all the rain!
May 17, 2015 at 4:39 pm
I would love to send some wet weather in your direction. If you will send me the E-mail address of the appropriate deity I can put in a request. Obviously, it took four years of prayer to end the drought in this part of Texas and maybe an E-mail will speed things along in New England. Didn’t all that snow last winter soak into the ground? When August rolls around we will be left hot and dry.
I wonder why people want to sit up close in church or synagogue because the service isn’t going to change since the last time they attended. Most modern houses of worship have a PA system. Maybe, they want to make sure the clergy person sees them and will put in an extra word with the deity.
May 17, 2015 at 4:42 pm
Bob,
We here did not get the same amount of snow as Boston, maybe only half as much, but we had little rain last summer so the snow sort of made up for that.
I remember a summer when it rained every weekend. It was financially disastrous.
I never sat close so I can’t answer why other people do.
May 17, 2015 at 6:42 pm
Wonderful music selections today — all of them. And I’ll just ignore Mr. Snarky of the Bride.
My beach memories are a mix of emotions. I love the beach and the waves and the water, but had my hopes dashed when I sadly discovered I was never going to be a surfer. I’d always dreamed of living the life of beach bum, woodies, Gidget and jams. Even went so far as to write a term paper in high school about surfing (you can imagine the type of reception that got in land-locked, dry-as-a-bone, a-days-drive-away-from-The-Gulf Texas!). Oh well.
Hang Ten!
May 17, 2015 at 9:50 pm
Thanks, im6
I figured you’d ignore “Mr. Snarky of the Bride.”
There is one beach here where there are surfers, Nauset Beach. I sometimes go there just to watch them surf. It brings all the images you mention: Gidget, woodies and beach bums in thatched surf side bungalows.
May 17, 2015 at 10:21 pm
Kat,
We filled our pockets with shells. And our buckets. Whole sand dollars were the prize. Also Japanese floats. (The glass balls used to weigh fishing nets down). The tidepools were full of anemones and starfish. Seaweed and kelp came in with the tide. Small crabs roamed the shore. As did the Seagulls and Sandpipers. We spent hours trying to dam up the eddies with driftwood. At night we would have bonfires on the beach. (Not allowed in Oregon anymore). Marshmallows were roasted on sticks we carved with sharp points.
The fog would roll in and out. The sea would roar. And Coastal mist would cover us all. No matter how many times Mom rinsed our feet before heading home—sand ended up in our beds and on the floor.
For sure—-my sleep after days at the coast—was sweet!
May 17, 2015 at 10:31 pm
t.
No Japanese floats on this coast but lots of sand dollars, whole sand dollars. Seagulls flew overhead with their raucous cries. My mother yelled at my brother and me and told us to stop throwing stones. We did, but she yelled we had hit her in the head. Impossible we cried. We checked, and it was a seagull who had left a deposit on her head from high above us. She gagged all the way to the water.
I think those days were what drew me to the Cape.
May 17, 2015 at 10:54 pm
Seagull poop! Too funny!
May 17, 2015 at 11:09 pm
T,
We laughed, but my mother was not amused. It became family lore.