Salt, Sand and the Sea

The beach is my drug of choice.  "Hello, my name is Cat, and I am a beach-a-holic".  It is a good thing that for the past 18 years I have lived near one or another.  I have no idea how this got into my blood--but the genes run deep.  Two of my three 'enfants' share the addiction so I am guessing that it does, or will have the same impact on them for the rest of their lives.

It is a place of extreme joy, peace and sometimes, more often than I like ... healing.  It is a place I run to after one of those kick-in-the-gut moments.... or days.... or weekends. 

I am not a sun worshiper in the sense of lying out sunny-side up slathered in goo and trying to absorb as much UV as possible to get to that golden-crispy state. I think my ADD keeps me from sitting still on a beach blanket long enough.  I would rather be walking or moving around if I am at the beach and I never have tanned well, until strangely enough--recently.  Now I get golden more often than rosy--so at this age (my a-hem.... 30's....Um, yes.  seriously.....) anyway....after all this time being a pale-skinned, blue-eyed, blonde...I enjoy a little sun-catching (still wearing SPF 50--just in case!)

But I am a sun-worshiper of another kind--after living first in California and then up to the Pacific Northwest--I value the sun... in any form, even between grey, whenever I can get it!  Normandy is closer weather wise to the PNW, more than I thought it would be, so I am still desperate after a few days or weeks of overcast and cool wet days--to see that gorgeous warm globe up in the sky again!

Confession -- I have taken up running just as an excuse to go to the beach everyday.  Just to get out there with ear-buds tightly in place....music thumping in my ears,  my heart light, and my mind going 500 miles a minute... it keeps me sane, even though the jogging part has not turned me into a fitness fanatic.  Beach fanatic--yes.  Sand between my toes, or in my shoes--fanatic, yes.  Way, much nicer and sweeter person when I get home--fanatic, yes.

Last Sunday we did a walk down to the beach 'en famille'....  Petite Fille who HATED the beach at 9 months has now come full circle at 18 months and is as crazy about it as her mum.  She sits in the frigid water, eats hands full of sand, and sobs uncontrollably when it's time to go .... just like me.

Middle Garcon is in his element there as well.  He becomes peaceful... he is content for hours and hours running, jumping....flying across the sand and spending as much time in the water as he can until he is caked with sand and salt and all pruny.

Oldest Garcon?  Well--I think he could take it or leave it.  After-all, there is no place to plug in his Ipod or phone--and no WiFi.....

And lastly, French Guy?    Does.  Not.  Like.  Sand.  ........Enough said.

Sharing a few pictures from our evening excursion last Sunday.  Focusing on getting through some not-so-great stuff right now and trying to move on from it....and making plans to get back to the salt, sand and sea down the road as soon as I can....

A bientot mes amis!