For years I kept journals -- in composition, spiral bound, and French graph paper books. This blog is an attempt to get back to writing and documenting the world around me using photos, newspaper headlines, and other articles.

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Beach!

Today was a beach day.  We lingered in the morning, waiting to hear from Nedim, if he needed a ride from the bus.  He had taken the midnight bus from NY to home.  Good thing we waited because the call came at 7:45.  We picked him up and then he put my bike and the tandem bike piece on the back of my car.

By 8:30, Selim and I were headed to Rye.  We got to Jenness Beach at 9:00 and the parking lot was full already.  A surfing contingent from Quebec had taken many of the spaces in the lot and big RV's along side the road.  Luckily, there was a space on the road, in the first section after the beach parking lot.  The bonus of finding a road spot is that you don't have to keep an eye on the time due to the metered parking in the lot.

First up for us, biking.  The extra wide edges of the road fill up with cars as the morning wears on.  I wanted to bike for about a 1/2 hour.  Selim thought that was way too long.  We biked about three miles, past the Rye Harbor State Park picnic area, Washington Street that leads the way to our old apartment building, the angel sculpture to Pete's Lobster place.  We turned around in that parking lot.  Then we biked back.  Totaldistance, 6 miles and time, 34.23.  Not bad for our first tandem of the season. 



Selim was pulled the pout routine when we got off the bike.  He got in his car seat and said that he never wanted to bike and he just wanted to go home.  I guess he wasn't as thrilled with the length of the ride as I was.  I cajoled him to walking the short distance to the beach.  The bathrooms were open, so we were able to change into our bathing suits.  That was the main reason we didn't go to Wallis Sands -- the open bathrooms.

We spent most of our time in the water.  Selim had so much fun.  Both of us did.  He has gained so much confidence in the water.  The waves were as high as I remember seeing in our local beaches.  There must have been over 50 surfers.  I enjoyed watching them on their boards.  Some day, in warmer water, I want to try surfing.





At first, Selim ran in the water up to his knees.  The water was cold.  So cold that after a while, my feet cramped.  But he was so joyful, that I didn't want to get out and make him get out He frolicked. Splashed. Yelled. Pointed at all the big waves.  Sometimes, he would get a running start and jump in to the small wave breaks.








Then it was time for the wet suit.  So glad I brought that.  Wearing it enabled him to swim and get in the bigger breaks.  I wish all of the pictures were in better focus, but I find it hard to see the image when I'm wearing sunglasses and the sun is bright.








After a while I put the camera away and got my hair wet.  I think this is the earliest that I have ever been swimming in the ocean.  Selim is so fun when he gets in the water.  As soon as he gets in, he screams -- from the power of the waves, the cold, excitement.  I'm amazed he has a voice tonight at all.  At one point, he started yelling, "Oh no, my perfect hair.  My perfect hair!" Huh?  Once he put on his wet suit, he told me that he was happy that his bad attitude earlier hadn't ruined this perfect day.  "What was I thinking, not wanting to come to the beach?  I LOVE THE BEACH!"

Before we left we took the obligatory mother and son photo.  I love our collection of pictures that we have taken at the beach over the years.  We have had perfect days at the beach, my Lovey Lamb and I.

No comments:

Post a Comment