The Colors of the Sea

I grew up near the Pacific Ocean in Southern California. The beach was part of my life. What a culture shock to move to Oklahoma. Although Oklahoma has a charm and beauty of its own, I still miss the ocean.

I had a chance to spend the day at the beach on Cony Island in June. I love to wiggle my feet in the sand, listening to sea gulls, watching the waves roll out and tumble in, smelling the salt air and our picnic lunch tasted better eaten in beach chairs under an umbrella on the sand. It was a sensory delight.

I've always collected and SAVED shells. I normally look for unbroken shells that are pretty or unique or go together in sets. As I was walking down the Cony Island shoreline, I noticed the variety of colors in the broken shells scattered along the wet sand. I saw purple, blue, pink, green, yellow, shades of brown, accents of black and of course white. I found a plastic soda cup that someone had discarded on the beach and began to fill it with the colors of the sea. And the textures too!

When it was time to return to Oklahoma, I packed my soda cup carefully in my carry on bag and we all made it home safely. I bought a special plate for my broken shells to display them in my computer room. They remind me of a wonderful day on the shores of New York and that makes me happy.