A Perfect Day for Summer
When I am at the beach in Rocky Point, I feel a rush of excitement to be in such a beautiful place. The cool wind, the calmness of the Sound, the striking sunsets shows the sheer beauty of nature. It is truly a natural masterpiece. My “Ode to Joy.”
As a baby, my parents sat me down on a piece of driftwood for a picture on the beach. I was in awe. That photo perfectly captures what it is about the Long Island shore that I love.
The shore, that rocky shore with thousands of smoothed, glistening pebbles invites me to come relax and swim, float in the salty waters. Feeling the stones under your feet as you begin to wade in is a rite of passage each Rocky Pointer must endure!
Children of all ages enjoying the freedom of fun in the sun on the beach. Carefree shaving cream fights are the highlight of the neighborhood field day on the beach — nothing beats that summertime silliness, messiness!
Others bask in the sun’s rays whether to get that perfect tan, or just feel the warmth of summer on their skin. Two or three generations of families stand at the water’s edge fishing together. When you take a dip in the water, you will feel the tickle of the fish as they pass by you. Sometimes you’ll hear a guitar strumming along to the tide coming in or out. Some play classic rock tunes that just naturally go with a chill day at the beach. My search for “angel toenail” seashells to put in the jar on the dresser is ongoing. The jar is filling up nicely. Occasionally, I will find a really beautiful rock that my mom adds to the jar, too!
Another amazing part of my Long Island oasis is I get to see my grandparents. Thankfully, they live just a few minutes away — a few seconds if by car — from our beach house.
My grandmother has been coming here for her entire life. Back in 1939, her father bought a summer home out on Long Island to escape the heat of the city. He discovered this magical place, and others in the family followed and created a community. I am a fourth generation Rocky Pointer!
At my grandparents’ place, I play board games and cook with Gram. She makes quite the array of great foods like baked chicken, meatballs, and vegetable dishes with big, beautiful selections from the local farmers’ markets! My grandpa grills up some tasty summer barbeque, too! There is nothing like a grilled hot dog or two on toasted rolls. I like mine with ketchup and chopped up raw onions. And, I always enjoy the ice cream sundaes and other treats.
Back at my little blue summer bungalow, I get to experience a view of the water. At night, you can see the lights of Connecticut across the Sound. But, even more of a delight is the diverse wildlife right in my backyard. The beautiful birds have built nests in our birdhouse and in our hedgerow. Cardinals, yellow finches, orioles, doves, swallows, falcons, hummingbirds, and barn owls love to sit amongst our Rose of Sharon trees and entertain us with their songs and stunts! My favorite wildlife encounter is seeing the family of deer that roam about my backyard. The baby fawn just the other day touched her nose to a wind chime, like a baby reaches to a mobile in its crib! Many people, including me, feed them apples, which they love. The deer enjoy the beach too! While my dad and I were swimming around sunset just this month, we watched them expertly navigate down the bluffs to graze upon the sea grasses on the cliffs or come down to the beach for the seaweed.
And, when the day is done, I lay back and look up at the stars, the planets and just relax, truly thankful for the magical beauty of the shore, for my great grandfather finding this place, and then I close my eyes with a smile on my face.
