The Sunny (and 75) Side of New England

This past week has been unnaturally warm for mid October, but has been great nonetheless. Sunny and 75 degree days are always a plus, but are best in the summer. New England is a region with a large amount of coastline, and along with that comes beaches and beach towns.

Since I was basically in the womb, my family has been going to Seabrook Beach in New Hampshire. My grandmother bought a small beach house in the early 60s, and brought her six children there every summer. Many of my dad's siblings have bought their own small cottages on the beach, and since then, the street has become a second home to all the parents and grandchildren (18 kids) in our family. My grandmothers cottage is now her permanent home, so "beach days" are year round, including during Easter and Christmas. The beach, and this one in particular, means so much to all of the people in my family. The house is the small space where we squeeze everyone inside for Christmas gifts and Easter egg hunts, the street is the place where all of us and the neighbors celebrate the Fourth of July, and the beach is where we go everyday in the summer, together.

While some people may find going to the beach everyday boring, there is honestly nothing I love doing more. The amount of memories I have on this beach with my family are infinite, and the numerous pictures we have bring back all those memories. The days we have run home, barefoot, towels over our heads, while it downpours suddenly, or the trips to the nearby public boardwalk to eat fried dough and watch fireworks, or the days we sit and talk on the sand until the sun goes down, will forever be my favorite days. The actual ocean itself has an effect on a person that is indescribable. Swimming in it when the water is just the right temperature, and just watching it and listening to it is mesmerizing. Even if I am completely alone on the beach, I am still happy, as there is something so magical about the beach and the ocean that can never make me feel sadness.

                                                    Seabrook Beach, October 2015

Another place that I go to mostly in the summer that has more recently become a special place to me is York Beach in Maine. One of my best friends from home has a house on the beach here, and while it is a very different atmosphere from Seabrook, it is equally as fun and memorable to me. Seabrook is a quiet, private beach, and will never get too crowded because most of the people going to this beach are the people that live right nearby and can walk. York, however, is public, and with that comes crowds.

In general, Maine has a lot of extremely fun and quirky beach towns along the coast, and attract a lot of tourists. However, because my best friend has a home here, we have the pleasure of staying on the beach and basically walking off the front porch and onto the sand. York is the epitome of quaint, with a small area off the beach with restaurants, shops, pretty lights and nice music all the time. There is even an ice cream store right next to her house called "Wicked Good Ice Cream".

The first time I came to this beach, only a few years ago, I fell in love with its vibe, with the old time candy shops, the small zoo, and the cool shops with Native American jewelry. Being here with my friends created some of the best memories; we have gone on hikes together, woken up at dawn to watch the sunrise on the beach, found hidden antique stores, tie dyed a thousand things, and of course gone to the beach for hours. We were free to come and go as we pleased, as we were allowed to go there alone since we could drive there ourselves. Coming here this past summer was especially memorable to me as it was before we all went separate ways for school, and although it was bittersweet, I know the small York house will be waiting to take us in next summer.

Although a very small and cluttered dorm room, and with different people and landlocked, Penn State is an extension of home. Even though moving here may feel a bit forced, when it comes to sharing a space with someone and whatnot, it slowly begins to feel like home. It is incredible to me how a place like the beach or the area around it can give so much happiness and create so many memories, and not just with the people but the place itself. Everyone has their special places that may not be exactly their homes, but feel like an extension of one when they are there.