Postcards from the Shore

Postcard #1.“Hi. Having a wonderful time. Wish you were here.” Yes, this week has been our annual pilgrimage to the land of Maine, so consider these your postcards from the shore. By the time you’re reading this, we’ll have returned home, in part worn out by the long drive, but also refreshed by the waves, the tang of salt on the breeze, and the unforced rhythms of grace found in this place.

Postcard #2. “You won’t believe what I saw on the beach.” Truly, the human body has been fearfully and wonderfully made, but should there be a time to pass the bikini to the next generation? I for one am eternally grateful for the invention of the Tankini with shorts. As for the subtle messages of gender training, boys must not be taught to suck in their stomach when strutting down the beach. No fat shaming here, just making an observation.

Postcard #3. “The lovely Madelyn Simone is (a) having a blast, (b) making new friends, (c), playing hard, or (d) sleeping deeply.” And the answer is, (e), all of the above. For many years, our journey to Maine has been a family vacation, at times reminiscent of the classic film, “National Lampoon’s Family Vacation.” But this year, due to circumstances beyond our control, none of our kids were able to join us. Might we bring Madelyn with us? Her parents’ yes was hesitant, but they finally acquiesced to our plea and allowed her to come with us.

A seven-year-old child takes great delight in just about everything. Finding tiny crabs, clams, and bits of shells. Creating a sand refuge for her discoveries. Navigating the rocky shore with caution and bravery. Jumping over the waves for what seems like hours on end. Ordering clam chowder every day. Giggling at the various uses of Flarp (noise putty). Chatting with French-Canadian children. Threatening to splash Nana. Great joy for sure.

Postcard #4. “What was that mother thinking?” Like many old resort towns, Old Orchard Beach still has its seaside amusement rides, and it looks like at least the two-car Galaxy Coaster has been in operation since opening day, reminiscent of the Wild Mouse at Crystal Beach. Earlier in the summer, we spent a day at Cedar Point, and I’d been impressed with their safety standards. I’d never seen kiddie rides where the attendant had to release the seat belt with a special key, and while their height restrictions seemed limiting to Madelyn’s adventurous spirit, it was clear that Cedar Point took a very conservative approach to child safety (while scaring the bejeebers out of its adult riders).

Here in Maine, Madelyn could ride on a few more rides without an adult, for which I was grateful. However, we witnessed one mother giving the Superstar ride operator a difficult time because her small child (less than thirty-six inches in height) couldn’t go on the ride, the one where the stars at the end of the ride’s arms are raised in the air and rotate in the opposite direction from the central column. The Declaration of Independence may promise the right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness, but thankfully there are limits to that pursuit!

Postcard #5. “Meeting lots of new people.” Even in a resort town in Maine, the multi-cultural nature of our country is in full view. Women in burkas on the beach. Canadians and Americans vacationing side-by-side. A French-speaking little girl, eager to practice her pre-school English skills with the friendly Madelyn Simone. Foreign students cleaning motel rooms, operating amusement park rides, and selling poutine, Pier fries, lobster rolls and cotton candy. One of our maids is Slovenian, a bio-tech student who cleans in the morning, catches a few hours at the beach in the afternoon, and scoops out ice cream late into the night. Disney gets it right: “it’s a small world after all.”

Postcard #6. “On our way home.” Ramana Maharshi understands: “If you approach the ocean with a cup, you can only take away a cupful; if you approach it with a bucket you can take away a bucketful.” We’re returning to Ohio with a full bucket of seashells, sand and memories.