A Walk at the Beach

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July 15, 2017 – A sunny Saturday, a slow start, seemed like a good day for a lazy stroll on the beach. We live in such a fabulous place, close the the forest, close to the river, close to the beach. Just a few minutes to any of these and it’s good to enjoy them to remind ourselves of the amazing natural, and man-made, delights that are so close at hand.

Today was a good day for few words and many images.

As Kirk and I were walking I was commenting on how more people need to bring their kids to places like this to explore, imagine, and be kids. Away from digital devices, and allowed to make their own adventures.

A few minutes later we crossed a trickle of fresh water making its way down the beach at low tide and heard a girl calling out “I’m going on an adventure!”.

Then, to her friend, “Would you like to come on an adventure with me?”

It’s heartening to know that, if parents give their children an opportunity, kids will still be kids. I may not have kids, but I think it’s important to give children unstructured, unsupervised, access to what may seem like nothing, but can be everything.

On that beach were piles of rocks, forts made of driftwood, a boy flipping rocks looking for marine creatures hiding underneath….possible future engineers, architects, and biologists.

Also along this stretch of waterfront are numerous art installations. Some formal, like the fish weather vane and the interesting beachfront seating. Some informal, like the little mosaics that can be found glued to some of the larger boulders among the beach grasses, designed by some local person wanting to add some unobtrusive yet appropriate decoration.

At the beach, the most mundane thing can be a small treasure, if you look at it in a different light and from a different perspective. And there is always significant value in slowing down and just spending a few hours wandering the seashore, with a camera in hand, to remind yourself that there are more important things in life than work.

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