The Beach. It’s not for everyone. There are beach people and non-beach people. I am a beach people. I grew up on an island. I don’t even consider myself to be a great swimmer and I don’t surf but I still love the beach. I lived right next to the mountains for years but never felt the same way about them as I feel about the beach.
A day at the beach is a trip. For real. You gotta pack before you leave for the day. Even if you go alone and keep it simple you still need a towel and sunscreen and maybe a change of clothes at the least. And it’s not much of a stretch to say that when you go to the beach you are going to the wilderness. You are on the borderlands of our civilized world and the wilderness. Once you step into that water, you are out into the wild. And like all good trips, there’s people watching. The beach is so good for people watching. There’s always a lot of people at a good beach in the summer and you’re all near each other and usually there for a while.
The beach is one of the only places that I don’t mind being surrounded by so many people. Being outside helps. And the noise of the waves drowns out some of the people noise. But the biggest reason that I don’t mind being surrounded by people at the beach is because when people are at the beach, they’re mostly just chilling out. Even if they’re not too good at chilling out or not really beach people they’re at least trying to chill out. Occasionally, someone will play their music too loud or someone’s cigarette smoke will blow my way (hardly ever anymore), but for the most part people at the beach are trying to relax and have a good time.
There are all different kinds of people to be entertained by at the beach. You’ll even find non-beach people at the beach. What do all these people bring to the beach? Do they have an umbrella? Some people have tent-like set ups now. Can they successfully put up their umbrella or will it blow away as the wind comes up later in the afternoon? Towels or chairs? Big chairs or little chairs? Adults of all ages bring body boards now too, not just kids.
And most of the time people watching doesn’t offer this kind of view of the human body. It’s all out there to be seen at the beach and there are so many different shapes and sizes. It’s not just about the sexiness of all that skin. It’s the variety. There’s so many different looking humans out there. There are really big bodies. The bodies that are big with muscle I can appreciate. I know how much work that takes. But I also like to see people at the beach who are big not because of muscle. If you are overweight and you’re at the beach then I am happy that you are doing your thing and not worrying about someone judging you. Or if you are worried then you are powering through it and doing what you want anyway. Same thing goes for someone who is super skinny. You can’t hide it under your clothes at the beach. Fuck it. I’m happy that you don’t give a fuck and you’re enjoying your love of the beach too.
There’s a lot of variety in beach attire too. Some people wear shirts, even in the water. I saw a guy the other day in the water with a shirt on but it wasn’t a swim shirt. It was a collared polo. I’m an old man now and wear a long sleeved sun shirt when I’m on the beach. Less sun exposure and fewer times that I need to reapply sunscreen. And you knew we were going to mention the thong, right? This has been popular for a little while now. When I was a kid, going to the beach, I almost never saw a thong. Now you can’t turn your head without seeing at least three. There’s a lot of bum hanging out at the beach nowadays. Who doesn’t like a bum in the sun?
Watching people walk barefoot uncomfortably on the hot sand, watching people trying to work their way out into the water against the waves pushing them and as the waves push that cold water higher up to the sensitive spots. So much entertaining human activity. Or how about the bright red, already had too much sun people. Or the bright white people. I hope they put a lot of sunscreen on. Some people exercise at the beach. There’s always people running or jogging along the beach. I’ve always enjoyed taking a walk along the beach but I don’t really want to go for a run if I’m there for a fun beach day. Oh! And the seagulls…they are ruthless and have definitely gotten worse. You’d better keep your food low and your head on a swivel if you want to avoid a seagull taking your food.
And I haven’t even mentioned the beauty of the beach yet. The fact that it’s never the same because of the waves, tides, and wind. Or that it changes throughout the day while you’re there. Or the way the sun feels on your skin warming you up until you just have to get up and go back into the water to cool off. Or taking that walk that I was talking about just for fun or to do more people watching or to buy some food or better yet to buy a Del’s Lemonade down at the Surfer’s End. Or searching for sea glass or some other memento to take with you from your day at the beach.
I love the beach. I love it year round. I love it with snow on it. But the people watching is a summertime event. There’s usually good dog watching at the beach during the other seasons though.