Sunny Seashores

Lauren age 2.5 with Little Reid.

With my sweet dog Sammy.

Grandma, Lauren, Erin, Aunt Debi

 Note: The memory below prompted me to go to the old photo albums and take pictures of the old photos. They really don't have anything to do with the story itself.


Today is a perfect day: 80 degrees, sunny, blue sky with fluffy white clouds and a cool breeze.  I decided to go running around a nearby outdoor track instead of heading to the gym and it was definitely the right call!  The track, however, was a little wet from the torrential downpour last night, and since the track is made out of dirt and sand, it was slightly messy.

So, there I am, running along, when all of a sudden the breeze picks up and a smell fills my nose and I am transported back nearly 20 years.

I'm climbing over large breaker rocks that separate the enclosed beach area from the ocean.  The Miami horizon line gleams orange across the bay as the sun begins to set.  The wind whips my short tangled hair about my head and fills my nose with its salty smell.  My Keds work to find stability on the uneven rocks and sometimes my hands aid in the endeavor.  Grandma stands along the path warning me to be careful and not to get too close to the water, but she smiles as the breeze blows her curly white hair and the park around us quiets down with families departing for dinner.  Seagulls squawk overhead, but their screech is almost like a harmony - they are the backdrop of my childhood.

This was how I spent many a late afternoon growing up.  It was my favorite place - Matheson Hammock park.  It was free after five, so that's when Grandma and I would go.  I climbed the mangrove trees, played in the sand, splashed in the water - but my favorite part, was climbing on the rocks and looking out over that vast ocean knowing one day, I'd go beyond it.  At the time, I don't believe that was a conscious thought. It was just a feeling, standing tall on those giant rocks, looking out at the water and the skyline - for some reason, it held more magic to me than all the sandcastles in the world.

So today, as I ran around that track, the breeze picked up and filled my nose was that same smell, the wind feeling the same way and the same temperature.  I could almost feel the rocks under my toes.  I don't know what kind of sand and rock the track is made out of, but it must contain salt somewhere, because the air picked it up just as the ocean breeze did on the Miami shore, and the smell brought a smile to my lips as my brain surged with memories of a simpler time, full of light and love and careless joy.

Family Reunion at Lake Gaston: Erin, Me, Reid III, Kelly, Megan, Chris, Gma and Gpa in back.