It's the last day of the July Ultimate Blog Challenge. As the sound of falling rain soothes me and quenches my dry surroundings, I write about the special place water has had in my life.
I grew up close to the northeast coastline. Summers in Connecticut were filled with days of sunshine and sandy beaches. I learned to swim in a close-by river. Later in teenage years, a long walk got me to a state park on the coast. If I didn't make it to the ocean, the nearby lake was a good substitute. Water was a special part of my growing years.
Marriage brought me to Texas where I got my introduction to the gulf coast. While my Coast Guardsman husband was out to sea, I'd drive to Padre Island and feed my hunger for ocean waves. His duty took him to Hawaii where I later joined him after our first son was born. Another part of the world, another chance to enjoy the ocean.
Several years after returning stateside and settling in East Texas, I joined my father when he decided to fulfill his dream of visiting California. When we arrived in San Diego, it was a cold, overcast day. Because we had to wait for the family member we planned to stay with to get home from work, we decided to visit the shore. We huddled for a short time on a nearby bench, amazed at the surfers who were braving the probably frigid waters.
when I got the opportunity to visit the Oregon Coast later in life, I could only wonder at the sameness and differences between this country's two coastlines. My family spent one entire day traveling south from Portland, seeking out new experiences.
Wherever I've been blessed to travel in this world - the hallowed beaches of France, a chilling ferry crossing, the snowy cliffs of Dover - it is the presence of water that has made its impression on me.