Ailsa over at Where’s my backpack? is trying to get us all in the summer spirit with this week’s Travel Theme: Beaches. Although my weather has improved in the past three weeks, it is definitely not beach-worthy yet; however, I’m game for a little wishful thinking! I’ve included the obligatory sunset shot above, taken in Turtle Bay, Oahu, Hawaii (I like the contrast of the bright sun right next to the ferocious downpour).

As a child, I loved our infrequent trips to the beach because it meant family time…playing in the surf with my dad, running back to Mom with shells I’d found, burying my brother as deeply as possible in the sand. Now, as an adult, I value the beach for different reasons. The sound of the surf beats away stress and the salt air purifies both my body and spirit. I can walk for miles, my mind completely blank, because there is no room for thought with so much to take in around me. I spend a lot of time with my head down, searching for shells and sea glass and whatever other curiosities the relentless waves might have pushed ashore, but occasionally I look up long enough to spot something interesting nearby.  In the gallery below I’ve chosen some of the people and things I’ve come across on different beaches around the world.

Sunset photographers, Outer Banks, NC

Tide pool, Kynance Cove, Cornwall, England

Seaside still-life, arranged by nature, Studland Beach, England

Evidence of the receding tide, St. Michaels Mount, England

Digging for treasure, Studland Beach, England

Sibling sand engineers, Zushi Beach, Japan

Hammock, Phuket, Thailand

Limpets waiting for high tide, St. Michaels Mount, England

Looking for dinner, Oban, Scotland

Fisherman, near Kamakura, Japan

Shipwreck, Outer Banks, NC

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Posts I commented on today:
Travel Theme Beaches (Being Mrs Carmichael)  new blog of the day
Silent Sunday: Happy Alpacas (Cee’s Photography)
Storms (The Squirrel Nutwork)