Beach Traditions…

There’s a famous quote by Jacques Cousteau that says, “The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever. “ That was so true for me and still is. There are so many memories seared in my mind that we used to do once we were at the beach house in Lewes. Today I will share some of those those memories.

I know this sounds crazy but one of the first things I would do once we arrived at the Lewes house was to go all the way up stairs into the attic and look out the window to see this view below. I felt like this was the highest spot where I could get a full view of the beach.

Now when I vacation at the Outer Banks, one of the first things I do (once I’ve unpacked) is walk down to the beach as if to say, “hello, I’m here did you miss me, I missed you.” It reminds me of another famous quote by Anthony T. Hincks that reads, “It’s when I go down to the beach that the waves come up to greet me.”

My grandmother was an avid reader of The Washington Post so in the morning she would send me up the street to the local market with $1.50 to buy it for her. The image below is what I snagged off of google maps which is what the store is now but it used to be called something market. It was like a little local deli.

The the next thing I would do is get me a good old bowl of sugary goodness, that is Froot Loops. When I was younger (gosh I sound old) it was only three colors, pink, orange and yellow. I didn’t usually eat cereal like this when I was at home so to me this was always a treat and I would eat it every day unless my grandmother made breakfast.

Then I would plop down in front of the one tv in the house which was black and white with an antenna and watch hours of Gilligan’s Island reruns.

Then I would go out to the garage and grab one of these beach chairs and head on down to the beach with my boom box and lay on the beach for house. Anyone else remember these chairs?

Anytime I got bored I’d have to entertain myself so that usually included walking around town. I’d scrape up whatever money I could and head up the Daily Market to get my supply of sweets. Anyone remember the Fla-Vor-Ice popsicles? Well this place sold them like 3 times the size and they came in really unique flavors! Sooo good!

Evening was one of my favorite times because once we were done with dinner it was game time. This was a treat because we NEVER played games together at home so I loved the fact that we were all around the table doing something together. Our game of choice was Trivial Pursuit. If you’ve ever played it, especially the original version, you know it’s not easy. Being in elementary school I knew none of the answers but I would manage the pies and asking questions. It was always funny watching my grandmother blurt out the answers wether it was her turn or not.

The Breakwater Lighthouse

One of my favorite memories is hearing the fog horn of the light house at night and seeing the light from the lighthouse. That’s why I loved the bedroom that I stayed in because it shine right into my bedroom and I’d watch it go round and round. Now there are 2 lighthouse on the bay. One on the inner harbor, The Breakwater (above) and one on the outer harber, The Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse (below). I believe it was the Breakwater that I would see and hear because it was closer.

Harbor of Refuge Lighthouse

The fog horn blowing always makes my think of the Van Morrison song, “Into the Mystic”:

We were borne before the wind
Also younger than the sun
Ere the bonnie boat was won
As we sailed into the mystic

Hark, now hear the sailors cry
Smell the sea and feel the sky
Let your soul and spirit fly into the mystic

And when that foghorn blows
I will be coming home
And when the foghorn blows
I want to hear it

I don't have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And magnificently we will flow into the mystic

When that fog horn blows
You know I will be coming home
And when that fog horn whistle blows
I got to hear it

I don't have to fear it and I want to rock your gypsy soul
Just like way back in the days of old
And together we will flow into the mystic
Come on, girl

Too late to stop now

Well, that brings us to the end of today’s trip down memory lane. I’ll finish it up by showcasing one of my beach paintings with the quote from Jacques Cousteau above. This and other beach inspired paintings can be found in my Etsy shop. With it being Small Business Saturday, I have a coupon code for you to use in by shop upon checkout, CYBERWEEK25. Thanks for stopping by!