Vacation

Vacation - not a staycation, but an actual beach vacation, where the ocean roars and calms at the same time. This year is unique, as this is our second vacation to our favorite place, Stone Harbor, New Jersey. Our first was in June, with the extended family, as is our tradition. This vacation belongs to us, my husband Mark and myself. We celebrated our 30th anniversary this year and decided to come back to the shore in September to celebrate our anniversary with a special trip. We've had a couple weekend trips, but haven't really had a trip to ourselves since our honeymoon in 1978. Our excursions always included family, mostly because the trips were more economical.

How novel it will be to have the house we rent completely to ourselves. All our attention can be focused on one another. The beach belongs to us alone (I can ignore all those other people there). The town is there simply to entertain us and amuse us during this week of rejuvenation. The importance of rejuvenation cannot be underestimated. A need to refill the soul and believe that life is good keeps us going, sometimes for an entire year, until the next vacation. Our spirits drink in the calmness of the ocean and we are always awed by it's beauty. The scenes are familiar, yet welcome. Babies are playing in the sand, and toddling toward the water. Children are rushing to dance in the waves. Adults are hovering, holding their hands, introducing their children to the ocean. The same scene plays out again and again at the seashore.

I'm taking my new camera and experimenting on this trip. Hopefully I'll bring back something beautiful to share with you next week. Maybe a sunrise over the ocean or a sunset over the bay. Maybe a heron flying over the wetlands or the surfer race on the Nun's Beach. Whatever it is, I'm going to the sea again (isn't there a poem about that?) and I'm thrilled.

Have a good week.
mjs 9.5.08 11:28 pm