The Boardwalk

                                                                                                                       

             

They landed in town in July.  Spent the summer playing a lot of golf. Finally bought a little townhouse on a street close to the downtown and 7 minutes from the ocean beach.  She loved to walk along the beach.  For dedicated walkers, there was an asphalt sidewalk, but it wasn't very long and when it ended, gravel.

When the cold and rains came in the fall, they headed south.

Back again in the spring, she was thrilled to find a huge new boardwalk along the ocean!  It went from the old walkway, past the playground and in front of the town's big hotel.  They'd eaten at the hotel and the food was good, but often they were the only ones there. "Whoever owns that place must have deep pockets" they said to their neighbors one day. "The oceanside suites might be sold, but a lot of it looks empty to us."  And the little mall built on the street side was empty too.
The boardwalk was an instant hit with the locals.  Serious walkers would be there every day with smiles and nods in the passing.  Moms walked babies.  Wheelchairs glided along smoothly. Canes, walkers. And dogs everywhere!  Seemed everyone walked a dog!  And picked up after them. In fact, the whole beach was remarkably clean - a testament to how important it was to them.
When summer finally arrived, and the sun shone more warmly, the change was dramatic.  The big hotel filled up, the outdoor patio buzzed with families, seniors and everything in between.  "Wow, there was a lineup tonight!  People were waiting for outside tables" she reported from her walk."And you should hear the tourists talk - I passed three groups and heard three different languages - no, I don't know what they were!" When it got seriously warm, there were people on the hotel decks, on the lawns outside their rooms, on the boardwalk.  One Sunday a disc jockey played everything from Diana Krall to Johnny Cash.  It was very loud, and they hoped it wasn't going to become a habit.
One weekend there were three weddings!  Right on the beach - a little bower, white lawn chairs. Guests looking out of place in "dress-up" outfits.  Ever seen a woman trying to cross a stretch of ocean beach wearing high heels?
Kites.  Not little kids and kites.  These were macho looking men doing "fighter plane" dives and twists - a manipulator in each hand. At the Kite Festival they can't find a place to park for blocks.
The town also seems to be the volleyball capital of oceanside. Weekends with 20 volleyball courts going non-stop.  Knowing nothing about the sport, they can't tell whether they were good or not. Seemed like there was more girl/boy watching than volleyball.
At any ocean beach - high tide or low, sunshine or not, people seem drawn to the water and sand.  Sand castles, sea shells, splashing, beach balls, and kids running every which way in sheer delight.
For her, it was the majesty of the ocean itself.  No matter how many times she turned that corner, she could feel it's power.  They often talked about it.  He's a pilot.  He tells her that the question is often discussed amongst fliers and boaters.  Which is the most forgiving? The ocean or the sky?  In storms and bad weather - which is the most vulnerable - the plane or the boat?
He is still quite ill, but today they hold hands and walk a bit along the boardwalk. Then sit in the sun feeling soothed by the blue blue sea.