Jenna Snyder enjoys spending time at the beach, which provides a place of solace. She describes her family's annual beach vacation, including the long drive listening to music. Upon arrival, they settle into their condo and become accustomed to the unique smells. Snyder enjoys early morning walks along the shore, taking photos of the sunrise, seashells, seaweed and birds. During one walk, she spots a school of dolphins and fish swimming close to shore, watching them for 15 minutes. The beach allows Snyder to reflect on life and feel small in comparison to the vast ocean.

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Jenna Snyder
Professor Evelyn Beck
English 101
22 September 2016
Place of Solace
Long warm summer days mean heading to my place of solace. There is no other place
that makes me feel as content as the beach does. We load up and overly packed grey Ford
Escape and begin our journey for our family vacation. Along the way we crank the music up and
sing off key as a family as the bass vibrates slightly through the speakers. I listen to my children
complain that we are old and ask what decade certain songs are from. The roads become less
bumpy and smoother reminding me we are finally out of Pennsylvania and one step closer to our
destination. About twenty minutes away the smell of the crisp salty air wafers into my nasal
passage and the density of the air changes to lighter less industrialized smog that is familiar.
We get settled in the condo and re-familiarize ourselves with the two flights of stairs and
stale smell of body odor mixed with chlorine. With each passing trip to unload the SUV it
becomes less obnoxious. It’s a unique odor that only someone on vacation can enjoy.
I get up early before the rest of the family and wander down the other side of the quiet
condo hallway and descend down the two flights of stairs before reaching the sand dune
crossing. A warm refreshing breeze grazes against my skin as I take off my flipflops and wiggle
my toes in the cool gritty sand. I walk slowly along the shoreline watching the tides roll in, kiss
the sand and then retreat just as fast. I try to capture the frothy foam with my camera as it creeps
towards my feet but miss the shot I’m going for on my first attempt.

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I kneel down in the grainy sand to try to capture the beautiful mango colored hues of the
sunrise as it steadily illuminates the sky. The sun is glistening on the surface of the dancing
water as the waves continue to rumble and crash loudly upon the shore. A few steps away
someone is applying sunblock and the smell permeates the air beside me. I snap a few pictures
before deciding I should see if I can find some nice seashells. I knew I should get moving before
more people awake for the day and I lose my chance to find that “special” shell unlike one I’ve
ever found before!
Occasionally I’ll glance up and decide to take pictures of random things like seaweed
that’s nestled its way into someone’s moat from the sandcastle that never fully washed away or
the empty white lifeguard chair that soon will be moved closer to the water. Occasionally I snap
pictures of those pesky seagulls as I watch them scavenger for sand crabs. My morning walks
never disappointment me. I may not always find beautiful seashells but it’s a few moments to
myself in the morning and on the rare occasion I do find something worth picking up buried in
the sand I add it to the small yellow pail I carry with so that in a few years I can make some
mosaic tiles from our beach trips as a family using the shells we’ve collected.
As I was getting ready to head back to the condo I spot something peeking through the
surface of the water. To my amazement it’s dolphins heading in my direction. I look over a bit
further and see the water color shift and a fish jump in the air when the wave creased. It’s a
school of fish! I only wish my camera was better so I could zoom in closer with clearer details.
That day the dolphins were extremely close and I watched in awe for a good 15 minutes before
they swam out of sight. This is one of the many reasons I love the beach. It’s my place to reflect
on life and realize how far the waters stretch across the earth and how small we humans really
are in comparison to what’s around us.