Running.
Jumping.
Skipping.
Twirling
on tippy toes.
Ponytails. Gilligan hats. Ruffles on bathing suits.
Plastic
watering cans.
Pails in
primary colors – bright red, yellow, royal blue.
Rocks,
seaweed.
Pail
shaped sand castles.
Mud
dripped sand castles.
Sandcastles
with moats.
And
watching enthusiastically to see if the tide will rise all the way along the
canal that will fill the moat.
Shimmering
blond hair blowing in the sea breeze.
Frisbies,
bocci, 4-square, football toss, tennis balls and mitts.
Jumping
waves, shivering shoulders, sandy wet towels balled up on the sand.
Bologna
sandwiches on white bread with orange Kraft singles and the red Coleman jug
filled with Kool-Aid to share have been replaced with individual juice boxes,
yogurts, cheese stix individually wrapped in plastic sleeves.
They’ll
feel the pull of the waves when they lie down to sleep tonight – back and forth in the tide as though they are still at the shore. And then sleep will come deeply after a day
of fresh air.
I’d be
freckled with a peeling nose and bleached bangs. Our little kids are more
carefully sunscreened, although still free and alive at the beach…and loving
it just like we…still do.
Photos: Scarborough Beach, Maine
