A Perfect Day at the Beach

If you would have asked me when I was 20, would you like to visit the beach in winter? I probably would have answered, "Yeah, if we can fly to the Caribbean." My idea of a perfect beach day was a cooler full of drinks, a good book, and some Hawaiian Tropic suntan oil.

Now 20 years later, that still sounds pretty good as long as we can exchange the oil for sunblock! But, even while not in the Caribbean, a day at the beach in winter is a pretty perfect day - yes, even while having to wear jeans and a fleece! When you hear that first crash of waves, you can just feel the stress start to melt away!



I loaded up my best beach pal (Dixie - the dog) and headed to Grandview Nature Park. It is a short drive from the apartment here in Hampton, Virginia. The temps were in the 50s but it was sunny and not very windy.

Grandview Nature Park is on the Chesapeake Bay but you can see the bridge/tunnel that marks the exit into the Atlantic Ocean. You have to take a short walk thru the marsh to reach the beach. It is great to be the only person on the beach.

Dixie loves the beach, too. There are all kinds of new smells to investigate!! But I've seen her get excited over the dog walk at rest stops so I don't think her opinion counts. She has learned not to drink the salty water. If you don't know, dogs and salt water don't mix. If they drink a lot, it has some, uh, undesireable results.

I love to beachcomb - I am always on the lookout for that piece of eight that I am sure I will one day find! On this particular beach, I noticed pieces of what looked like glass but the edges were all smooth and rounded over. So thinking they were pretty, I picked them up.

Since then, I have learned that they are pieces of glass but they are called sea glass or beach glass. They come from bottles or other glass containers that have been discarded into the ocean. Over the years, the glass was broken. The waves and sand succeeded in smoothing the edges and giving each piece a frosted look. Apparently, beaches along the Chesapeake Bay are great for collecting sea glass. So far, I have collected quite a bit - mostly green and brown, with the occasional white or light blue.


Random thoughts while on the beach:

I wonder if any pirates ever walked on this beach.

How much poop can one 60 lb dog produce in a day?!?

If someone were to abduct me, how would they ever find me? No one knows I'm here. Vol Fan doesn't know what I'm wearing to be able to give the police a description. Would they think he did it?

If I drew a straight line across this ocean, would there be someone on that side, standing, looking out to sea so that I am, in essence, looking eye to eye with this person? Nah, probably not - it's like 10 at night there.

I wonder what the natives thought if they were standing here when the first ships that settled Jamestown sailed by.

I just love water-proof shoes!

Woo-Hoo! I can't wait to pick up my new bicycle!

Do you think anyone would walk up if I were to pop a squat?

I wish I had my earmuffs.

I would just love to be able to rewind time. Not change anything (well, yeah, changing some things would be great, too!) but just pick a spot, hit the Rewind button, and sit there to see who went by.

I just love jets, especially when they fly in formation.

PS - I did not purchase that pack of Chewy Sweettarts at Walgreens. And I really love Chewy Sweettarts.

PSS - Weight this morning: 178.6