5.19.2009

Loving the Beach

Our cute little beach house rental

Walkway to the Port Aransas beach

"It's hard for me to put into words why I like the beach so much. Everything about it is renewing for me, almost like therapy. . . beach therapy!" ~Amy Dykens

I love the beach. Always have, always will. Which is a little strange, considering I was brought up on the Canadian prairie, only an hour from the mountains. Beach? Me? But there is something about it that really does something for me, maybe to me. It calms me, it speaks peace to me, it is a restful place for me. I love to just sit in the sand and watch the waves and listen to them crashing on the shore. I love to walk down the beach, looking for a beautiful sea shell that once was part of the sea. I love digging my toes into the hot sand, wet or dry, and I love the feeling of it on my feet. I don't even mind it in my clothes, in my car, and in the house. And my hair. The only answer for me at the beach is a hat. With my hair being fairly curly, fine and hard to deal with normally, you can only imagine what it looks like at the beach, with the damp air and the wind. Crazy hair, that's for sure. But I don't mind, as long as I"m there at the beach.

I love to run into the waves, letting them carry me back to the shore. I love the tangy smell of the saltwater and I love the feeling of joy and freedom that it gives me. I don't know why it is that way with me. I just know it is.

With this past week being a little bit hard [long story - but having one expensive, painful dental implant fail is a big part of it], the beach was the perfect place for me to sit and contemplate. It was the right time for me to breathe in the salty air, to watch the kids play and see them enjoy it as much as I do, to take in some sun and sand, and to push the cares of everyday life away.

And now I want to go back. I think we need our own beach house!

Photo via flickr [but this is the very walkway we took every day to get to the beach]

21 comments:

Maren said...

What a cute rental! :) I Love and MISS the beach too! I get to go to Wilmington, NC this weekend! I'm so excited to see the beach and the Atlantic Ocean for the first time ever! I'm RIGHT there with ya on the beach though! :)

Suzanne said...

I need my own beach house too. Notice I said "need", not want. ;o) I grew up 1/2 hour from Santa Cruz in California. Some people love the mountains, some the prairie, some lakes -- I'm with you -- I love the beach. It rejuvenates me and calms my soul all at the same time. I could use a little beach right now. I'm sorry you had a difficult week - hope things are better now.

Jill said...

That looks like such a fun trip! I'm too scared of the ocean because I once got stung by a dead jellyfish. Yuck.

Cammie said...

I love the beach too! Maybe everyone does regardless of where they were raised. Castle Dale Utah is states away from ANY water, but I feel the same way.

You guys should all pitch in and get a beach house, you're close enough and have enough family that would use it!!

Emily said...

That's exactly why I love the beach too. It'll always be one of my favorite places! I'm glad you had a good/relxing time... and I'm slightly jealous I wasn't there too :)

SweetmamaK said...

I loved going to the beach as a kid, but I really love the warm Gulf waters more than anything. It is so nice to swim in the warm ocean. I'm so GREATFUL to be only an hour from the beach! Even still, renting beach houses is the best, it's so relaxing to go to sleep watching the waves and waking up to the sounds of the beach. I havn't been to "my" beaches in Galveston and Surfside since the hurricane, but I'm anxious to get back. One time I asked Robert why the beach is so calming to me and he said that when in stress or danger animals always seek refuge at their watering hole. I think its one of the best gifts from our Heavenly Father!

Carrie and Nathan said...

I love the beach, too! I'm glad you got to get away.

Ashley said...

i'm sorry you had a tough week. but, i'm glad that the beach can be a soothing refuge for you. i wish i had a beach nearby!

Unknown said...

we had such a fun time! can't wait to get my pics up, if i ever get them off chris' computer.

hoLLy said...

i love the beach too-i grew up in corpus and could smell the salt air every morning(actually we were near the gulf of mexico which actually can be quite stinky, but oh well:) haha. sorry to hear of your dental problems. no fun! but glad you were able to get away. what a fabulous beach house!

Andrea said...

Sorry you've had such a frustrating time lately. But glad you had such a good, refreshing trip. And I love Port Aransas, brown water and all. It is such a fun place to visit and relax.

Natalie Scott said...

I'm with you. Grew up with mountains (beautiful ones that I love), but I'd take the beach over the mountains any day!

Glad you had such a wonderful time. You needed it! Not to mention deserve it. ;)

tiburon said...

When I was growing up we had a beach house on the Oregon coast - some of my best memories happened there!

I am glad you were able to get away and relax :)

Grandma and Grandpa said...

I am a beach lover,too. There is nothing quite like it. If you get your beach house, let me know!!

Jori said...

That is a fabulous beach house!! Just seeing it lifted my mood. I can't imagine what going there would do for me.:)

Unknown said...

We would love a beach house too. Love your blog!
Lurkers from Las Vegas--Eliane & Natalie

Darleen said...

you describe the beach so perfectly!! Oh how we all need our own beach house. Luckily I live right near the beach, so I get my fix quite often.

Chris and Tara Mason said...

Glad you guys had a fun, relaxing weekend! :)

Marilee said...

A beach house.....what could be better? I love laying on my beach towel with a light blanket on top of me and falling asleep with the sound of the waves rushing to the shore. Love it love it love it!

Kristi said...

Jan, I am so so so with you on the whole loving the beach. LOVE it. Let's all move there! :) It sounds like you guys had a great trip to Port A and I am so glad for you that you got to take a nice vacation to the beach. You deserve it, woman!!! I miss you ;)

BrookieT said...

Wow- lots of people read your blog! I enjoy the beach as well. I hope you are feeling a bit better...