A year ago we resided in a condominium adjacent the Gulf of Mexico. It was seldom a debate whether to lounge by the pool or instead by the sea. If the weather were warm and clear it was a manifest prescription for the beach. This year however we’re adjacent Sarasota Bay. While the scenery overlooking the boat slip and the Bay is unremittingly magnificent, the proximity has removed me from a routine visit to the beach notwithstanding that beach access is conveniently at hand.

The problem attuning once again to the beach this year has been one of hardware and security. Last year we had chaises longues and umbrellas on a private area of the beach. Today I succeeded to adjust to both corporeal and incorporeal issues. Because there was a film of grey cloud covering the atmospheric dome today the activity at the beach was diminished. Earlier this morning there had been a rampant fog which the forecast initially predicted throughout the day. This weather no doubt encouraged people to opt instead for alternative choices apart from those relating to the beach or out-of-doors activity generally.

When I arrived at the beach mid-afternoon (after having first fulfilled my usual habit of sitting on a bench in Bayfront Park overlooking Sarasota Bay) there was no-one nearby. I picked a graduated part of the beach at the dunes. My Polo shirt became my towel. I shuffled a bit of sand to produce a pillow for my head. My few possessions were stuffed into my shoes. I lay down. The sun beat upon me like the rays from a furnace – a dry, comfortable heat cooled by the mild north wind. The sea was ebullient, crashing and foaming again and again, a muffled rumble and thump as it seemed to echo through the beach head.

After dozing for some time I elbowed myself upwards and stood upright facing the sea. It was time to swim. The turbulence of the waves required some skill to avoid being tossed into the water. A large roller finally got the better of me and I was submerged in an instant! It was heavenly!

I ended swimming for the better part of an hour, stretching myself routinely to mitigate my stiffened thighs and to extend my arms and chest to accommodate my broken ribs. When I finally recovered the beach and my makeshift lounge the sun was strong and warmed me. I couldn’t imagine anything which would improve upon these circumstances.