White dusty sand squishes between my toes as I plop my lounge chair down close to the surf yet just beyond the frothy waves. Viewing the sea with hopes of seeing a shark fin or maybe a dolphin is more important today then letting the powerful UV rays cook my skin. Really need the tan but didn’t come here for that purpose today.
Next comes the umbrella base which has to be put down into the sand at an angle so the umbrella will shelter me from the sun. It is a bright greenish blue umbrella meant to blend into the colors of the sea – beach camouflage.
I slip off my shorts and tank top to reveal the Kmart special of the day, a solid black one piece with brown trim. It isn’t an attention riveting swimming suit, but then, neither is the body wearing it so what does it matter?
Slouching comfortably in the chair, I pop the cork on a bottle of champagne that I brought to commemorate this auspicious occasion. As no glass is allowed on the beach, I pour the sparkling liquid into a plastic wine glass I grabbed from home at the last moment.
The mega-strawberries I picked up on the way to the beach are chilled ever so slightly from the ice in the chest I also brought. They are dripping with sweet as I bite into one before sipping on the glass of champagne. What a delicious treat that goes perfectly with the day.
Overhead a few seagulls are calling out to the fish, trying to entice them to come just a little bit closer to the surface for a chat. Almost out to the buoy, a lone pelican rests from his dive bombing attacks on the water’s surface. He cocks his head every now and then as if he can hear something only Pelecanidae are privy to.
Mesmerized I watch the tide ebb and flow, gently caressing the sand as only a long time lover can. Shells rush up to have their 15 minutes of fame in the sun before the tide carries them back out. Normally, people would be all about trying to snatch the prettiest ones from the ocean’s everlasting grasp but not today. Today I am alone on the beach.
Today isn’t a day for photos of the vast beauty before me for I won’t need them to remind of this occasion ~ it will stay with me forever. As I bit into another strawberry and sip another gulp of champagne, I marvel at how long it took me to get to this place. Why didn’t I believe in myself a long time ago?
Looking down at the book in my bag, I smile. It has a nice cover with a happy little, non-descript scene painted in muted watercolor hues. What does catch my eye is the name of the author – my name – splashed across the front with crisp authority. Sighing contentedly, I survey my little, private section of the beach that stretches right up to the stairs of my newly purchased beach house.
What a beautiful, beach dreamin dream that is.
I want to go too!!!!!