Gulls in the cloudless sky circle the bright sun that’s almost blinding even behind my polarized Merona sunglasses. I trudge along the beach, the cream colored sand shifting beneath my black and pink Nikes.
The wind plays with my hair as the sound of my camera clicking joins those of the voices and laughter surrounding me. Seashells speckle the sand and the thin reeds move gracefully in their dance with the wind.
Sunlight glitters on the surface of the dark blue-green water as the waves reach out to touch the feet of those who stand close. Shadows of people turn the sand dark where they fall as the sun’s rays stay and warm my face until the wind’s cold hand sweeps them away.
Before I return to the warmth of the bus, I take in the beauty: the blue of the cloudless sky, the green of the water, and the beige of the branches of driftwood, all slightly darker behind my sunglasses. As I turn away, one last thought passes through my mind:
How I love the beach.
The beach
The beach
The beach