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| Photo Courtesy: Tony Ray-Jones |
When I was growing up, to go to the seaside was a major
adventure.
Although it was only about 40
miles or so, it would seem to take hours to get there.
We would pack sandwiches and a flask of
coffee for the journey.
And on a Bank
Holiday, forget it - it would feel like days of sitting in traffic. When you got there, it was cold!!
We always had to look for that one particular
parking space which was close to the beach, close to the shops and of course
close to the funfair or the pier.
We
were so excited to get onto the beach.
The wonderful beach – ahh those perfectly formed round pebbles in every
size, some big enough to stand on, while others were just the right size to get
into your shoe or between your toes to create the most pain.
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| Get to the Water Dance! |
Children learn to run to the water and into the waves to find
that illusive bit of sand so you can actually stand still for a while.
Everyone else does the “Get to the Water
Dance”… arms out to the side, elbows pumping, knees jerking up and down, eeks
and ahhs squealed.
Hilarious to watch,
but we all do it! You get to the water and stand for just a moment before your
legs go numb from the cold… and then the dance begins again, back to your
spot (if you can find it).
And you shiver, wrapped in a
towel behind your windbreak, on your rented deck chair, eating cheese
sandwiches which somehow manage to have sand in – although you couldn’t find
any sand on the beach if you tried.
Where does it come from?
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| IF you can find your spot! |
Every trip ends with a walk along the pier and a stick of rock – or my favourite, a seashell full of sweets in the shape of pebbles.
Oh those were the days…..
And now, here I am living in sunny California.
To go to the beach is a spur of the moment thing.
Grab a towel, jump in the car and head west for about 40 minutes (or less).
When you get there you sink your feet into the golden sand and “walk” to the water, which is warm!
Pure bliss!!
I just wish I could find a
stick of rock!
