Life's a beach.......

Last weekend I took a ride to the beach. Yes, it was cold and windy but I just needed to breath the salt air. So off  I went ipod and down vest in hand. I stopped at the chocolatier on the way to see if they had any chocolate bunnies from antique molds , no luck. ( I am working on an Easter vignette !) I drove by my favorite fried clam place but did not pull in. What good was the walk going to do me if I ate fried foods? So on I went and pulled down the street with the beach lot on it. As I got closer I noticed the lot was packed with cars. I had to creep around looking for a spot and I am wondering what the heck is going. It is cold & windy and although the sun was out , it was definitely not a beach day. I walked down the path and saw that it was low tide, plenty of beach to hunt for treasures. A kite surfer flew by on the sand, no doubt a beginner trying to get his "sea-legs". As I got past the dunes, I saw all the people down by the water. Some in waders out in the water, some on the beach with rakes and buckets..what were they up to? Clamming? Yes, hen clamming !! They were digging up buckets full of those big, juicy clams. There were all kinds of people , men and women  with  kids and dogs. What fun ! I walked along , looking for treasures and listening to all the jabbering and laughing. Newbies asking others for advice,  dogs barking and chasing balls, kids running and collecting shells. I found a large peice of quartz and thought it would make a great paperweight. Unfortunately one of the dogs there thought it would make an even better ball to chase and was not going to leave me alone until I threw it . So no treasures, no luck finding sand dollars. I sat down for a bit and closed my eyes and took deep breaths and listened to all the wind-whipped voices. Almost felt like a summer day. (Almost, it was like 30 degrees with the wind) I stayed until my ears were numb and then headed for the car. There were plenty of people still walking from the lot with buckets and rakes, blankets and kids & dogs in tow. Headed for a fun afternoon at the beach and then home to make a hearty clam chowdah, no doubt. A just reward for braving the cold & wind. I headed home to settle in and have a nap..dreaming of a warm June day that is just around the corner.
Peace.