Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Souvenirs

We returned home from our beach vacation yesterday. Today, our house, cleaned so carefully for the dog sitter a week ago, is cluttered with half-emptied luggage, assorted piles of laundry, souvenir t-shirts, and a crumpled rainbow of beach towels.
I shake out shorts and bathing suit cover-ups, leaving a fine layer of sand in front of the washing machine. The dog sniffs the dirty clothes bag. She does not recognize the smell of the sea.
Sand followed us home, clinging to the mesh in the pockets of my husband's swim trunks, wedged in the soles of my flip flops, caked inside broken fragments of pearly shells tossed into the beach bag, swirled in a thin, muddy paste in the bottom of the cooler.
I don't mind the sand; but I wish, along with it, I could have carried home the calming shush of waves, scalloping against the shore. I wish I could unpack the warmth of the Florida sun and drape it, like a shawl, around my shoulders. I wish we were closer than a long-day's drive...close enough to make temporary footprints on our morning walks and catch glimpses of dolphins, dancing just past the sandbar.  
I miss the beach.

6 comments:

  1. I think that if you close your eyes all those things you wish you brought home will be there. If not, then there is a good reason to go back. :-) Sounds like you had a lovely time.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Your words make me miss it, too...especially the calming shush of the waves.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Is there anything more calming than the sound of waves? I love all the places you find sand!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Thanks for sharing your souvenir words, Lori. I could picture those "scalloping" waves and hear their "shush". (In a pinch, you can head here: https://www.calm.com/ Choose 'Coastline at Sunset' from the right-hand options.)

    ReplyDelete
  5. Lori, your description of your vacation are so visual. I have not been on the Florida beaches so I thank you for the insight. Would you like to take your descriptions and send me an accompanying photo for my next gallery, Summerscapes. Yours would be a perfect entry.

    ReplyDelete