Walking the Beach

When I was a kid I learned that a day at the beach was one of the most enjoyable ways to spend a day. Back then it was all about playing in the waves, building sandcastles and investigating the tide pools and seaweed-covered rocks. When the tide was low my sisters and I would spend hours lifting up slippery seaweed to see what might be living under there. We would be thrilled if we discovered a crab and would fearlessly collect it into a plastic bucket in which we had created what we thought was a crab's 'perfect world'. Sand, seaweed and seawater, hmmm...at the end of the day we would return our captives back to the rocks and head back to our grandmother's house, a bit sunburned and tired, but happy.

These days I wouldn't think of terrorizing the poor crabs, I know that the best place for them is undisturbed under that seaweed. But I love knowing that they are there... and I feel so grateful that I had the chance to roam and meet nature first hand when I was a child. I'm still fascinated with the natural world, it is truly an inspiration and comfort to me.

This past week I drove south to spend a week with family. How lucky I am that they are still living close to the beautiful beaches of southern Maine. We had a great time walking the beach.