Extraordinary Stories From An Ordinary Guy: The "As Near To The Edge As I Can Go" Story

It was an ordinary day. Looking through an article titled "Why We Love Beaches" that appeared some time ago in an Islands Magazine. Reading some of the "Sandisms" that stretch across the bottom of the six pages of stories. The title I chose for this story was a "Sandism" written by Henry David Thoreau. Another one reads .... "My old red bike gets me around to the bars and the beaches of my town. Yes, I have found me some peace," which was written by another famous author, Jimmy Buffett. And, another from the famous comedian Steven Wright goes like this .... "I have the world's largest collection of seashells. I keep it on all the beaches of the world. Perhaps you've seen it?" Now, my question to you is: Have you been on a beach lately? And, if you answer NO, why? There certainly are enough of them in the world. Carol and I have been making visits to beaches for our entire marriage. Even visited a few while we were dating the summer after we met before we were married. Each one is different with some being more beautiful or more friendly or more deserted or more coarse or more ..... get the idea. There's bound to be a beach for you. I have written many stories on this blog about beaches throughout the United States as well as beaches in Mexico, Central America and the Caribbean. We have visited a couple dozen beaches in our lifetimes and enjoy each and every one of them. And, we have our favorites which we love. For me it all started as a child when my mom and dad took me to beaches along the Atlantic Ocean for summer vacation. Enjoyed building sand castles along the water's edge and watching them disappear with the changing of the tide. As the article in Islands Magazine reports, "It's all just part of the game - birth, death, infinity." Part of the article featured vignettes relating to the beach with titles such as: The Tolerance of Sand; Beach As The Beginning; Sand Isn't Everything; and The Final Word.

Magen's Bay on St. Thomas

The vignettes are four authors remembrances of their beach experiences as either a child or adult. I loved the beach as a child, but my love for the beach as an adult actually began the day I stepped on Magen's Bay Beach in St. Thomas. I had never seen such beautiful white powdery sand in my life. I thought that the Jersey Shore or the Chesapeake Bay beaches were superb, but after seeing Magen's Bay, I knew I REALLY loved the beach. My favorite beaches are: Magen's Bay on St. Thomas, Grace Bay Beach on Providenciales in the Turks and Caicos Islands, Shoal Bay East in Anguilla, Bottom Bay in Barbados, Pinel Island Beach as well as Happy Bay Beach and Orient Beach on St. Martin. I now count the days from one beach experience till the next so I can be "as near to the edge as I can go." It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.