It was a hot, one mile walk from our rented house to the spot just south of Bethany’s short boardwalk, to the beach spot we had just claimed as ours for the day. I had pulled the wagon full of beach games and other necessities all the way, which is a pretty easy job until you hit the sand, were it gets instantly miserable.
As the others began erecting umbrellas, I took a look out at the water and saw the familiar dark speck of a dolphin fin as it bobbed in and out of the navy blue sea. Then, another speck doing the same. Then another.
When I widened my gaze, about two dozen similar dolphin specks came into view, and as they swam southward in a long, sometimes single, sometimes double, sometimes triple file line, they made themselves known to just about everybody on the beach who was paying attention.
How could you not stop and stare? That unmistakable arc their diving makes, their bottlenose faces, even the occasional full body breach; it was all on full display.
My daughter and I went down to the water to get a better look, and were soon joined by my wife, my other daughter and both of the son-in-laws (one is technically a fiance). I asked my youngest if she remembered that beach trip many years ago, when a bunch of dolphins corralled a school of fish and had a feeding frenzy on them. It happened when she was very young, and she didn’t remember, but I sure did. The sounds were amazing! I had gone in the water that day to hear the dolphin dinner conversation and it was like living in a National Geographic film- awesome! We wondered what we might hear the dolphins saying today.
Seconds later we were both fighting through the waves in the “much colder than yesterday” surf, getting out far enough to dip our heads underwater and take a listen.
These dolphins were apparently the strong, silent type, because we didn’t hear much this time. Several squeaks and chirps, plus one long croak-like sound. Even so, it’s such a beautiful thing to be fortunate enough to hear! I was grateful to have heard anything at all.
Soon the dolphin show was past us, probably halfway to Fenwick Island. The rough surf had tired us of wave dodging (body surfing in these conditions is just a recipe for pain), and we had turned to other beach time activities.
The dolphin show was excellent, but today’s nature show was in three acts.
Hours later, after tempting fate and forecast for too long, act two began as we hurried off the beach with all our stuff, just as the rain began to fall.
Being on the beach and trying to predict the weather while looking landward is kind of like playing a game of “Pin The Tail On The Donkey”. The dune blindfolds you. Unable to see the whole sky, you make predictions on what may or may not happen with the weather, and consequently, decisions on whether you should or should not stay on the beach.
We stayed, and we paid.
Once we got over the dune and saw the full horizon, we knew we were cooked. The clouds were very dark, with a little lightning. Nothing like the other night of heavy storms, but enough to let us know that we were “gonna get some”.
And get some we did.
The skies opened up completely. Us and all of our stuff got soaked completely. And, speaking for myself only, I was happy-completely.
Yes- you read that right. I was completely happy to have been drenched by a heavy rain whilst lugging a beach chair on my back and hauling a wagon full of other items through town and back to the house.
Why?
Because if you let it, that rain literally washes the stress and tension right out of you. I don’t know how, but it just does. It reminds you of what it feels like to be human; to be part of the natural world instead of caught up in cyber world. It’s Mother Nature telling us that she calls the shots on this planet, not us; no matter how arrogantly we may act to the contrary. I find peace and comfort in these reminders.
So we walked home; barefoot, soaked, and happy. We even made a brief pit stop along the way for an ice cream cone (eaten under a roof for the ice cream’s well being).
Act two was a good one, but like most shows, the finale may have been the best. And don’t worry- I know I’m getting wordy with this piece, so I’ll cut act three down to as few words as I can. Here they are:
Frogs. Swamp. Rain. Party!
Each night we hear a good bit from the frogs, bugs and birds that inhabit the swampy shores of Bethany’s Salt Pond. But rain water pumps the place up like alcohol does a frat boy.
Listen to this!
You know what they say about an audio file being worth a thousand words.
I love beach days because they’re always about nature. Even when I write something (like this) emphasizing the human aspect of a beach day, nature is the headliner, the one everybody comes to see.
And it’s always a great show.
Five O'Clock Shadow 
Good read, Todd. You continously improve. Well done.
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I like you enjoyed the rain because it washed the stress and tension out of you. I never thought about the rain as a stress reliever. Well said Tod!
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