My love of the ocean

I don't know exactly when I first started loving the ocean, but it seems I always have loved it. Some could say it is because I was born and raised not far from the Southern California Coastline. It would make sense, and I am sure it has something to do with it. There is just so much to the ocean, the more I learned all that it contained and its vastness, how could I help but love it all the more.

One story that takes me way back toward the beginning of my beach experiences, was when I was about 5 years old. My dad was taking my sister and I to the beach in Southern California. We were walking along an area that was in between two big jetties, where boats came in and out of the harbor area. I recall begging my dad to let me climb on the big rock on the jetty, as I loved to climb on all kinds of things. I thought this was very exciting as the big waves were crashing against the outer side of the jetty, with water spraying up everywhere.

My older sister, didn't like it as much, and took it all a lot slower. My dad stayed with her, and kind of held her hand. I, just like a wild little kid, ran on ahead, jumping from rock to rock, and was loving it. I imagine that my dad must have been calling out after me to slow down, to come back. I either didn't hear him, or tuned him out. Turns out, that while I was farther out, I misjudged a step or a jump, and slipped. In between these huge rocks, were great gaps that went down into cavernous holes, or so it seemed to a 4-5 year old.. My dad says he recalls me falling backwards, head first down into the hole. I screamed on the way down.. and then i don't remember anything, until I woke up in a very dark and loud place.

I was at the bottom and waves were crashing against the jetty, and water would fill up and let back out.. I remember first thinking, I don't know how to swim! I was very scared, and my dad tells me later, that during this time, he was searching and calling for me frantically in order to find me. I looked up, and saw light at the top of the hole.. and tried to get my bearings.. Next thing, the hole of light grew dark, as my father was at the top and started coming down to get me, while I was trying to get out. Next thing we saw was my shoe floating away with the waves.. and didn't try to get it. He was very scared, and we went straight home.

My mother says she recalls meeting us at the door, and seeing my dad, very pale faced, like he had seen a ghost.. We quickly told her the story, and she pointed out that I had on a little precious moments pin, that said, "His lamb am I". She said that God had protected me, and I would have to agree, for to fall headfirst onto such sharp jagged rocks (like lava rocks if i am recalling correctly), and have not even a mark to show for it, was a kind of miracle!! Despite one of my first scary adventures at the ocean, it didn't seem to deter me toward loving it at all. I thought it was the most exciting place!

There are many recollections of going to the beach with both of my parents. I recall everything from being there earlier in a day, to evening hot dog roasts on the beach, and all that could go in between. I love the piers that go out into the ocean as well, and one of my favorite is Balboa Pier, where there is a Ruby's at the end of it. :) I went back just a few weeks ago with my nephews and niece when I was out in California. We watched people fishing off the pier while having lunch and yummy shakes.

The sunshine alone, makes me happy to be there, but the water and the waves are a huge factor, as is the colors... The ocean is so amazing to me, because it can be so calm and peaceful, or on another day in another part of the planet, it can be raging with huge crashing waves that are just beautifully stunning.

Reflections on the water, the life it contains within, the mysteries and adventures that can be had, all on or within the ocean are really almost too numerous to try to begin listing here. I think of the great depths of it, from the Marianas trench to the very shallow tide pools and marvel at the expanse and interesting things that can be explored and found within it.

Feelings can't help but come into play, at least for me. I can be having just about any kind of day, good or bad, and always can feel better just by being near the ocean. Its simply beautiful to me, and warms my spirit and heart always. I love even pictures of it, I love the lighthouses, I love the islands, I love all the stories that I know of that have anything to do with the ocean.

Living in the mid west USA now, you would think I would miss it very much by the way I have been talking about it. I do miss it some, but not as bad as one might think. I still go see the ocean when I am visiting my family in Southern California. I make special trips down there, and maybe as often and determined to do so as when I lived there. I think we don't make special trips to places that seem nearby, or that we may take for granted. There is new found appreciation for the ocean now, as you can imagine.

I have been in southern Mexico's beaches, and up near Ensenada area, and all parts of Southern California beaches. I have been to Northern California's beaches just few years ago, and loved it. I have been in Canada too since then, and seen the coast up there some. We wend on our first and only cruise a couple of summers ago now. That was a trip of a lifetime, and we saw many parts of the ocean in the Caribbean. You could imagine how happy I was then, whether early morning or late night and pitch black out, I loved just the sound of the waves.

I have been to Hawaii once, North Shore Oahu, and those waves were probably my favorite anywhere. It was during the winter, and the time when surfers came for some amazing competitions on the huge waves. I was just simply knocked out by the size alone. We did deep sea fishing once off the coast of California, that was a trip!! We took home the fish we caught, and really enjoyed it. I will always treasure those times.

My latest and one of the greatest recent times of being near the ocean was in Greece, as you can read about in my Greece hub.. We camped not too far from the ocean and could hear the waves at night.... What more could I want??!!

There is a big black and white picture of me playing in the sand at the beach when I was very young. My hair is blowing in the wind a little, and I am engrossed in the sand, playing with it or building a castle. I even enjoy the sand near the ocean. Collecting seashells, looking at small sand crabs, and collecting little stones was a favorite past time at the beach.

The waves, yes even in the colder Pacific Ocean, often drew me in, and we had the best of times playing in the water, body surfing or boogie boarding. A few times when the waves got rather big, they would tumble me under the water, and that was a little scary sometimes. It is hard to know which was is up when your lungs are screaming for air and you have been tumbled about. Still that was even fun, after you got some air again. You could always go rest on your towel in the sunshine and take a nap. Something I did for many years while going to the beach. If not sleeping, you still got a good rest and had time to collect your thoughts and take in all the sounds around you.

There are many more oceans to see, more coastlines for me to explore all over the world. Ah, but if we all had more money and time, no?? :) For now, I am happy with all my memories, and all the pictures I have of the beach and ocean. It truly makes my heart happy, and is something I imagine I will only grow to love more and more over my lifetime.

I am so thankful to God for the ocean....its one of his most amazing gifts, that I think highlights many of the other gifts he has given to us all, like the sky, ocean creatures, sunshine, moon, sunrises and sunsets, you could just go on and on. :)

(All pictures below are my own, that I have taken. I hope to put up more, from many different places. This is a small sampling... Most of the ones below are of my latest trip in Greece 2009)