Afternoons Spent in the Ocean are the Best Part of Summer

Back in early July, many parts of the world were baking under extreme heat warnings while here in Atlantic Canada, temperatures were still in the single digits, the north winds were howling and rain was an almost daily disappointment. I've always said the best thing about living on Cape Breton Island is our beautiful summers, however, early in the summer of 2022, it didn't look like we would have a summer at all! Than, all of a sudden, it hit. 

Extreme heat, record-breaking temperatures and humidity, blaring sun and long stretches without precipitation. That was the weather we were blessed with (or cursed with depending on how you feel about this type of extreme weather) for weeks starting in mid-July.  People around me complained endlessly about the heat and some even wished for snow. I thought they were foolish because I, personally, was loving it! Perhaps that was because I was lucky enough to be able to spend most of my afternoons at the beach, in the ocean with a refreshing sea breeze and the cool waters of the North Atlantic caressing my skin. 

 I've always loved the ocean.  I love the ocean in all seasons.  I love being by the ocean.  I love being in the ocean. I love everything about the ocean.  I love the smell of it, the sound of it, the feel of it, the look of it. I even love the taste of it! When that salt water hits my lips, I'm taken back to my childhood when mom would coax us kids out of the water to eat our lunch. With fingers wrinkled from hours spent in the water, the salt on those wrinkled fingers would transfer to our peanut butter sandwiches to give a delicious sweet and salty taste that only people who grew up along the ocean can relate to. 

I love the ocean so much that I have a hard time understanding how anyone else couldn't love it.  I wondered about this a lot this summer when I listened to the people around me complaining about the heat and how they had nowhere to go to escape it.  It boggled my mind how they could be only minutes away from the world's biggest swimming pool and not want to jump in that clear, blue water.  

I also learned that there are people who don't like the feel of sand between their toes.  I'm sorry, what?!? One of my life's greatest pleasures is taking my shoes off and burying my feet in the sand. A close second would be walking barefoot in the surf. But none of these things compare to being completely immersed in the ocean, at one with that immense body of water. 

 Dominion Beach is my beach of choice when it comes to escaping the heat close to home. It's only a ten-minute drive from my house, it's beautiful, it's long and it's sandy. I've been going there since I was a kid. I'm 42 now so I've been going there for a long time.  It changed a lot since the 80s when I first started going there. 

I don't go to the area where the lifeguards are.  It's too noisy and crowded there.  I park in the parking lot on the other end, walk over the bridge and walk along the boardwalk to the end and another few minutes along the beach until I reach my spot.  It's a lobster trap that washed up in a storm a few years back.  It's position mid-beach is the perfect location for my afternoon swims.  I found a piece of plywood that also washed up in a storm and placed it on top of the lobster trap to make a comfortable bench.  

On days when it's more crowded, like on weekends or holidays, I'll reach my spot to find someone else sitting there. As much as I love it, I never ask them to move, instead I'm happy to see someone enjoying it as much as I do.  I take a seat on the large piece of driftwood that's nearby and is equally comfortable when my spot is occupied. 

It doesn't take me long to settle in. I don't take any of that bulky, colorful beach gear with me.  No umbrellas, tents, toys, chairs or kitchen sink. Just myself, a towel and an Alexander Keith's.  My main goal is getting into that water as soon as possible!  No wasted time spent sitting on the beach working on my tan or engaging in small talk with the regulars.  Time wasters, I say!  Plenty of time for beach gossip after the sun goes down or the bay freezes over. The window in which I can enjoy being in the ocean is much too small to spend on shore. Mid-July to early October if I'm lucky. 

 Whether the water is clear and calm or rough and murky, I take it as it is. When it's clear, I watch the crabs and lobsters inching closer to my feet for an inspection.  Sometimes I let them grab them, other times I keep moving away as I watch in amusement as they try to catch me. When it's calm, I lay on my back and enjoy a relaxing float while watching the clouds go by above.  When it's rough, I let the waves push me ashore to be sucked back out to catch another one. If the water is murky, I'm not as relaxed as usual.  I like to see what's around me especially when we now know there are Great White sharks lurking close to Cape Breton's shores. 

When I've had enough, I take my place on my makeshift bench and have a cold one while the hot sun dries me off and the sound of the ocean lulls me into a relaxed state of being where I forget about the problems of the world for a little while.  They float away with the breeze.  I'm usually shaken out of that state by a seagull impatiently squawking at my feet looking for a handout. 

When the sun sinks low in the sky, the air cools and the mosquitoes come out to play, that's when I know it's time to head home. Reluctantly.  Sometimes I return at sunset to watch the last rays of the sun slip into the horizon while my feet soak in the warm surf.  Sometimes I just stay home and wait with anticipation for my next trip to the beach.