On the Beach

Many nights when I wake up and can’t immediately get back to sleep, I don’t count sheep, but think about sitting or walking along the beach.  Blue sky, horizon line, ocean, waves against the shore, a few gulls, shells, driftwood, seaweed, depending on the beach, maybe dunes, grasses, boats in a harbor.    Frequently the beach is Island Beach State Park in New Jersey.  It’s ten miles, a barrier island with two life guarded swimming areas and many small parking lots with a short dune walk to a typical NJ sandy beach.  A walk to the northern end and you can see Barnegat Inlet and lighthouse on Long Beach Island.  We go to IBSP quite frequently.  It’s also dog friendly.    Growing up we went to Long Beach Island — usually Beach Haven, then my Aunt and Uncle’s house at Harvey Cedars.  Very low dunes with some planted grass.  Flat fairly wide sandy beaches.  Benches at some access points.  Occasionally Diane and I still go to Beach Haven, maybe staying at a Bed and Breakfast. Also several good restaurants now.    Some nights I think about one of the beaches at Nantucket.  We vacationed there for ten years.  We often went to Quidnet Beach on Sesachacha Pond near Sankaty Lighthouse and a bike ride from our rental.  You could sit on the flat Pond shore or ocean.  A walk and you began to reach some cliffs.  Occasionally we’d go to other beaches, each with their own characteristics.  There was Sconset (near the village); Madequecham, Nobadeer, Surfside and Cisco on the ocean.  Dionis, Steps and Jetties on the Bay.  Brant Point Lighthouse in town was a nice bay walk.    Beaches in Maine, the Chesapeake, Delaware or the Outer Banks are usually not part of my night dreams.  I do have many good memories; maybe I should include them in the rotation.  There are many nights when I daydream Cape Cod.   I settle frequently into the Arey’s Pond porch seat, where I sit now writing this blog.  It’s probably my favorite spot on Cape Cod.  Home; waterfront.  Diane and I frequently go to the Tonset Road Town landing.  It’s a small access area on the town cove, looking out toward Nauset Beach, the large Orleans ocean beach.  Up the coast is Snow Shore town landing and further on Primrose.  All are free parking for under a dozen cars.  On the bay we go to First Encounter (Pilgrims and Native Americans), Rock Harbor and Skaket.  All three are in Orleans area. South is a nice free beach on Pleasant Bay.  In the National Seashore Ocean side we go to Coast Guard, Nauset Light, Marconi, Cahoon Hollow — all have steep cliffs; some are National Seashore; others town controlled.  Closer to Provincetown in the dune area there is Head of the Meadows and Race Point. There are other bay beaches Corn Hill, Great Hollow, at Wellfleet that we sometimes visit.  These are just a small number of beaches on the Cape but some that my end up in my night daydreams.  Discovered a few new ones this year.   A walk at Tonset Road Landing                                               Sunset at Rock Harbor                                                   Snow Shore Town Landing.  The lobsterman invited me out but three hours.                                      Marconi Beach, National Seashore                                                     Race Point Beach, Provincetown                                                                                     Mayo Beach, Wellfleet                                                                 Forest Beach, Chatham                                         Oyster Pond Beach and other Chatham beaches                                                     On Arey’s Pond, Orleans