The Winter, the Beach and the Stars!

It’s not the title of a new thriller novel, but it’s about a weird beach experience I had. After a week's good weather again winter took its toll and came with its favorite single digits mid last week. Weekend was no different. After spending the whole of Saturday at home (eating, sleeping, reading) I could not muster the courage to do that on Sunday too. So woke up early, had breakfast outside and went shopping. The winter weather was not very ideal for that either and soon lost interest. Without much option left decided to drive down to the shore point.

Here's some History. I am not a frequent beach visitor back at home or in California or here, for one thing beach was always an hour's drive from wherever I stayed. But I like going there occasionally on sunny summer days. Other than that once I visited the beach at Long Beach, CA on a Thanks Giving evening. My friends and I was the only people there :). Now back to present...

The beautiful hue of sunset invited me warmly against all the cold wind blowing there. I walked to the rail nearby and bent over to look at the water below and beyond... sheets of ice was crashing on to each other and washing away furiously into the Atlantic Ocean. It reminded me of watching the arctic ice melt down in the Discovery Channel. The lighthouse in the far end was standing majestically, and the yapping sea gulls were missing... Infact there was not even a living soul to be found in sight. When I could not take anymore of the freezing air I had to turn back to my car. But curiosity kept me going to the beach.

I was flabbergasted to see a girl in her bathing suit walk away with a surf board (Are you kidding me???) Pushing aside the thought of that competing idiocy I walked to the beach battling the harsh winter winds of -7F(-21C), crossing the beach soil frozen in ice with a pattern hard set on it buy the waves and then a plain stretch of snow that must have piled up from Wednesday's snow fall. The beach itself was calm, dark blue, spooky in low tides with a deep red sky for the backdrop!! I felt I could not get enough of it. As the sun went down, had a nice dinner at a local Indian restaurant (never been there before). While I was driving back saw that big, yellow moon smiling broadly at me. Eagerness to see a starry sky flushed me with new energy. Most of the beaches and parks were closed in the vicinity by then, so took some exit and got to an open land. It was a boat landing site with frozen river. When I switched off my headlights and got down WOW!! Never seen so many stars in my life... It was so heavenly that I could not tell if my heart was pounding in joy or in fear of the coyote’s howl. Stood there for some time taking in that celestial scene.

After some getting lost and hour's drive I got back home. Still thinking about the vivid day went to sleep. That surf board appeared again and the stars twinkled before my eyes!