Laura Holian
Beach Musings
We lucked out that the beach was still open yesterday. The weather was a perfect eighty degrees, sunny, without a cloud in the sky. Not much social distancing happening near the access point, but as we continued our walk, the bikini’s and trunks thinned out considerably. Walking past the masses, I couldn’t help but notice a trio of very cheeky swim bottoms getting some late afternoon sun. Wonder if my mid-forty body could get away with that? Was cellu-cheeky a thing?
Beaches seem equal opportunity for both the taut and the wiggly. A nearby fisherman caught a nurse shark just as we were making our approach. Its intimidating body was muscular and firm. We had been collecting shark’s teeth, little did we know the live stuff had been only a few feet away from us. That made me stay out of the water’s edge, but only for a little while. My son almost walked straight onto a jellyfish. Good thing he didn’t. Peeing on him in public would have been weird. It would have been weird in private, too.
Millionaire’s homes lined the sunset side of the shore. Beautiful ocean blue on the other. In the distance a fish leapt out of the water catching the sun’s brilliance on its silver body. Large birds bobbed on the water while others came onto the shore with a fish caught in their beaks. I’d need better vision and an ornithology book to better identify them. Large, mostly white birds, will have to do.
Walking with our feet in the water felt amazing. That’s my favorite part. Well, second favorite, boogie boarding is the first. The water is still a little too chilly for full immersion right now. Humanity is weird. We spend so much time and money ridding our homes of every spec of dirt, yet, beach goers have no issue getting covered in sand. Not to mention how much we love getting in the water despite the knowledge that every sea creature does all its business in it.
Regardless, a set of gills and amazingly tight beautiful shimmery skin would be fabulous right now. Imagine, never having to clean a house, no need for any toilet paper, no chance of getting the flu, ever, and you get to swim around naked all the time. Come on adaptive genetic mutations!