First week of July, 1991, Indian Wells Beach, Amagansett, New York
I don’t remember much because I was still in my mother’s stomach, but it was the week before I was due to hightail my way out of there and apparently I was being fussy, kicking around a lot and being an overall nuisance. To try and stay calm my mother decided to go down to the ocean and go swimming, instead of staying at home in bed. She enjoyed the soothing motion of the constant up and down of the water as the waves passed under her. I did too, because I stopped all the ruckus, or so I’m told.
Labor Day Weekend, 1991, Nauset Light Beach, Eastham, Massachusetts
At almost two-months old I was still tiny enough to fit into the crook of my father’s arm. He carried me this way as the whole family meandered down the road to go to the beach. Once they got there, they all carefully braved the steep stairs that led to the water. When my dad finally got down to the sand, before anyone could object, he ran with me to the water’s edge and proceeded to gently dip my little baby feet into the ice cold New England sea.
“I’m just warming her up to it. You can never start too young,” was his explanation.
Apparently I didn’t cry, I crinkled my face up for a second and then went back to being content.
Fourth of July Weekend 1994, Atlantic Avenue Beach, Amagansett, New York
Heavy handed, because they were carrying all the supplies needed to set up our little camp, the adults trudged up the dune, separating the parking lot from the ocean beach. My three-year-old self happily skipped beside them, until we reached the top of the sandy hill.
It was then that I got my first glimpse of the crisp, light blue, sparkling and rolling mass of water. Within seconds I was off. I started running straight towards the shoreline, leaving the rest of the family far behind. Once at the water’s edge, I jumped head first into the waves, even though I didn’t really know how to swim yet. I was fearless.
The water felt different than I had expected; it was salty, rough and refreshing. Miraculously I popped up after my plunge and was snatched out of the water by a pair of big hands. I was carried up to the dry sand and the adults scolded me. They sternly reminded me that I should never go in the water by myself, but my toddler brain wasn’t really paying attention, it was still focused on the water and this warning didn’t stop me.
Later on that same day, when people weren’t paying attention to me, I made another break for it. I just couldn’t stay away. The constant crashing of the waves and the way the water came rushing up the sand, then just as quickly rushed back down the sand, and then disappeared into the big mass of ocean thrilled and fascinated me.
Here are the other sections headings, there was way too much to put on a blog, hence the excerpt:
August 1997, Taking off from the Town Cove and ending up at the very tip of Coast Guard Beach, Orleans, Massachusetts
August 1999, Sheepscot Lake, Palermo, Maine
Thanksgiving Weekend 1999, Bahia Honda State Park Beach, Bahia Honda Key, Florida
July 2000, Marconi Beach, Wellfleet, Massachusetts
August 2000, Santa Monica Beach, Santa Monica, California
July 2002, Three Mile Harbor, East Hampton, New York
Fourth of July Weekend 2003, Waterhole under a little bridge down the road from my cousins house, Putney, Vermont
July 2005, Random Creek at the side of the road in Upstate, New York
September 2006, Immaculate Conception Swimming Pool, Douglaston, New York
Easter Break 2007, Aegean Sea, Santorini, Greece
Early August 2009,A Creek in Zion National Park, Utah
Last Week of August 2009, Fort Pickens Beach, Pensacola, Florida
June 2011, Blue Grotto, Capri Island, Italy
Later on that day- June 2011, Beach on Capri Island, Italy
August 2011, Friday Harbor, San Juan Island, Washington
Thanksgiving Day 2011, Pensacola Beach, Pensacola, Florida
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