Sandy daze

Today's TRDC topic was to write about sand.

I have not been able to draft the perfect story. I have so many memories of sand I couldn't decide which one to focus on. It literally fogged my brain. Good thing I'm not in school because I would have failed this assignment.

I started writing about Matheson Hammock beach, one of my favorite places as a kid. We would hang out with my family, grandmother and cousins on our spring break vacation. It was perfect for little kids to play in the sand and splash around in the calm waters of the lagoon. You were safe from the open ocean with its big waves and jellyfish. We played all day making elaborate sand structures decorated with palm fronds and flowers.

If we were really good my mom would treat us to a Slushee at the concession stand, which invariably ended up with a fine layer of sand lining the bottom of the cup when we were finally done.

I thought about the amazing and huge sand castles I've seen in San Diego and in Hawaii. How they create those structures out of sand boggles my mind. I'm sure they used something different than a used Slushee cup.

And then there's 4th of July in Norwalk. We would stake out the perfect spot early in the day. Then each one of us would make a sand chaise by digging and wiggling around so the sand formed to your body. You'd gaze at the sky waiting for the show to begin. There is nothing more spectacular than fireworks launched from a barge. They shoot up right over your head and spray into a burst of twinkling color.

Just like the stars from the summer between my senior year in high school and college. We would hang out at Compo beach almost every night. We would stroll up and down the beach talking about what college was going to be like, dragging our toes slowly through the sand trying to get the boys attention. The night air was cool, the breeze gently blowing our hair, and the black sky filled with a million stars. It was the end of a chapter and the beginning of the rest of our lives.

It was our last summer together.....

Ah, I'm back. I was lost there for a minute.

I currently live near some of the most gorgeous beaches you've ever seen. They are rocky and rustic with giant cliffs and sandy army bunkers hiding in the hills. Whales spout in the distance, seals play in the surf, and starfish cling to the sandy rocks.

See? How was I going to pick just one.

2010 Thanksgiving morning- group hike to Tennessee Valley Beach