At the Beach

Ah, the Oregon Coast. Where one wears a sweatshirt (and possibly a coat over top of it) and shorts to go down to the beach to play. And the ocean is cold, but once your feet turn red and you lose 90% of the feeling in them, it's not so bad. (You think I'm exaggerating, don't you? Not at all. Of the twenty-one people I can see on the beach from my window right now, only one is wearing short sleeves. He's got long pants on and is not going to the water. And I came back inside a few minutes ago and my feet are still pink.)

My grandparents took my family to Hawaii when I was around twelve. I remember how shocked I was to feel a warm ocean--it was so profoundly unnatural to me.