At The Shore, Part 2: Childish Joys

Wouldn't you agree the most corny lines ever from a personals ad has to be "I like long walks on the beach"? If I had a ten baht coin for every time I've seen that old chestnut used I'd be a very wealthy man at any exchange rate in any country. Nevertheless, in my case it's a truism: a slow stroll along the shoreline at or shortly past dawn is one of my favorite ways to begin a day while on vacation. Late afternoon through sunset is such a close second I really can't pick a favorite; both have their unique charm.

Because there's so much more activity and far more people on the beach in the afternoons I usually get more photos later in the day. Just as you'd expect anywhere, families and groups of friends gather to share food and fun along the shoreline - and most days it's a rich harvest of images if I keep my eyes open and the camera ready. I go through batteries faster having the viewfinder on all the time, but I learned long ago to bring an extra set along with me.

A father helping his son learn how to swim

Children tend to be the best subjects, and my theory is it's because they're the most uninhibited about letting loose, being silly and having fun. A line from "A Thousand Clowns", one of my favorite old movies goes "Children are too honest to be wise," and there's a lot of logic to that. The main reason a child is unhappy that they laugh so hard the milk they were drinking comes out of their nose is because it's uncomfortable. With luck their misfortune will surprise their friends into doing the same thing! For an adult it's humiliating. The people in today's pictures are out having fun with complete abandon, and it's great fun to watch, especially when my mind is more willing than my middle-aged body.

For some reason I don't fully understand we seem to fall into believing the old claptrap we were told as we were officially leaving childhood when we were first admonished to "act our age". Frankly, my body reminds me to act my age quite often enough, thank you - I refuse to waste an opportunity to be a child every so often unless I absolutely have to put on the hat of dignity and make like an adult.

Floating along on a rented inner tube