Vacation - Part I

Here are some long overdue photos from our vacation a few weeks ago. I think this time around I might post one photo (or a few related) at a time to spread it out a bit. I like to think, that way, that each memory might be savored just a little at a time.

I snapped the above picture just as the sun was starting to set in Narragansett, Rhode Island. We had spent the afternoon at a beach in Galilee, wading in knee-deep waves and watching the boats speed by. As you'll soon see, Thomas really enjoyed his first time at the beach since he was too young to recall.

After some photos and a quick stop to wash our feet on the short walk back, we enjoyed a fresh seafood dinner at a local favorite and then stopped at a couple of beaches on the way home, simply to enjoy the view. We took a leisurely stroll along a long wooden walkway bordering the second beach and watched the waves roll in. The weather was beautifully clear but for a few pink clouds hovering low over the horizon.

With the exception of the whale watch in July it had been a long time since I had enjoyed a chance to pause and appreciate that familiar salty air and soothing sound of the tide rolling in. It reminded me of family trips to the ocean when I was growing up in New Hampshire. I always loved the rich grainy feeling of the wet sand washing away underneath my toes and how the tall yellow-green grass swayed effortlessly from atop the dunes. Walking along a rocky pier or gazing out at windswept clouds and soaring seagulls, who lived in it all every day, brought a sense of quiet peace I could only associate with the sea. The imprint in my mind today is so clear that I swear I can still smell it, still hear it, still feel the breeze on my legs.