Missing the Ocean

You can tell we're making our way towards summer. The air has gotten thick and the sun has reached a level of unbearable brightness. And for me that means I start missing the beach. But not just any beach --- Long Beach Island. It's a little island off of the coast of New Jersey. Now, I can already hear the snickers and the jokes. I realize the Jersey shore is not considered prime beach territory. The water is more green-grey then crystal blue and it's usually pretty chilly until late into the summer. But it's the place where I spent many summers as a kid, learning to love the taste of the salt in the air and all the different things a sleepy shore town has to offer. Like Freddy Herman's, a tiny, rickety convenience store where penny candy is sold alongside the fishing bait. And, of course all the crazy tourist shops selling cheap flip flops and hermit crabs. But no matter how appealing, for now I'm in Louisiana and the vacation days are pretty limited. I'll just have to make do with a picture of the dunes on my desktop.