Place: the Beach - Essay Example

It was always a struggle, but by mid-week, generally, she would agree. I remember sitting in class thinking about the activities that I would be able to participate in that weekend. No more sitting at home and watching television, instead, we’d be out under the sun with water and great freedom. Finally, Saturday would arrive and we would be ready to leave. While Christmas was the most exciting day of my childhood, going to the beach engendered a very similar feeling. I would wake-up anxious Saturday morning and wait ready until my mother was ready to leave.

I think adding to the mystique of the experience was the drive there. In order to get to the specific beach we visited, it was necessary to drive through a street where old sycamore trees over-hanged the road. This created a tunnel-like effect that I still remember to this day. It was also significant as it indicated that it was only another few minutes before we arrived. Arriving at the beach was an exciting experience. As an adult, I recognize that if I desire to go somewhere, I can simply get in my car and drive there.

However, as a child, finally getting to a desired destination was oftentimes a major accomplishment. This was certainly true with the beach. I still remember stepping out of car onto the pavement. It was impossible to see the water at that point but the swooshing sound of the waves was readily apparent. Slowly, we’d make our way up the stairs. As the water came into view, we’d run towards it and jump in leaving our poor mother to carry the towels and lunch. Looking back, I recognize that there were no elaborate plans involved in our activities, but filling the hours was never very difficult.

As a child, I didn’t have regular access to a poor so simply the act of swimming in the water was a major joy. Many hours would simply be spent going out into the ocean and then allowing the waves to drive me back. There was something magical in the experience of the natural force of these waves that would somehow suck all the water into a great force that would then come crashing back down again. Time after time, this power would amaze me. As the years went by, our activities grew increasingly more complex.

One year, I remember buying a metal detector for $5 at the local flea market. I remember seeing seniors walk along the beach with them in the past and this process filled me with imaginative thoughts of buried treasure right under the surface. Once all the day long, I walked along the beach in search of gold. At the end of the day, realizing I had only found 30 cents and a small metal broken toy car, I gave up the search and went to swim with my friends. While the metal detector day I remember distinctly, generally, we would spend the time throwing around a football in the water, or experimenting with boogie boards.

The boogie boards mark a great time in my youth as learning this experience was, perhaps, one of the last periods of my true childhood, after which I would go through rebellious phases and become concerned with girls and the like. Looking back now, I think my enjoyment of the beach was, ultimately, in the simplicity of the experience. That is, the fun did not depend on elaborate video games systems, alcohol, or even money. It simply involved a group of friends enjoying the wonders of nature for its pure beauty and freedom. Today, I