The "I Think I Got A Touch Of Island Fever (JB): A Trilogy" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Early morning and the sun is low in the eastern sky.  The beach boys are beginning their tedious chore of setting up the rows of beach chairs and a fellow on a tractor is clearing the overnight buildup of seaweed that has covered the beach at the shoreline.  I am sitting on a sand dune, looking for something interesting to photograph on Orient Beach which is located on the French side of St. Martin.  For the last decade I have made many early morning visits to Orient in hopes of finding just the right photograph that will give my viewers a feel for the time of day and the beauty of the moment when the sand glistens in the early sunlight and the gentle waves harden the sand at water's edge for those who walk the 1.32 mile stretch of beach on one of the world's most beautiful beaches.  A photo of a lonely shell hanging by a fishing line above a beach bar reflecting the yellow sunlight, a closeup of a sand crab as it hides at the entrance of its newly made beach home or a photo of a glass, half full of a colored liquid, left behind on a beach bar table are all interesting to me, but will they give my viewer an idea of what it really is like at the beach during the early morning hours, my favorite time of the day at the beach.

It was an ordinary day.  Mid-morning and the ocean is alive with colors you thought you could find only in a Crayola crayon box.  Colors such as aquamarine, turquoise blue, cerulean, navy blue, indigo, and even robin egg blue can be seen as the sun projects at different angles than it does at any other time of the day.  Then, the sun sneaks behind a puffy cloud and the colors all change yielding colors such as tropical rain forest, blue green and midnight blue.  The sea is alive as fish jump toward daylight and the majestic white-breasted frigate dives for its morning meal.  The smell of tanning lotion begins to fill the air as bathers begin to fill the chairs at the many beach bars that line Orient Beach from the north end at the Mount Vernon condo units to the south end's Club Orient which is this beach's naturist beach.  Prime seats in the row closest to the water seem to fill first, but Carol and I enjoy the room afforded the chairs at the rear of the beach.  The fine white sand begins to warm as the humidity builds and the sun approaches its zenith with only a slight wisp of breeze to add some relief.  It is my favorite time of the day at the beach.

It was an ordinary day.  Late afternoon and the beach chairs begin to empty.  The sky begins to lose it color as the sun dips toward the hills to the west.  All the work that the beach boys put in to lining their beach chairs in perfect harmony seem to be lost as I survey the beach to my right and to my left from the rear row.  The 85 degree water has darkened as the sun's rays no longer brighten the depths.  A stillness and silence seems to engulf the beach as the beach boys begin their task of packing away the umbrellas and on some beaches, stacking the chairs and cushions until tomorrow.  Carol and I struggle to stay awake after a day of doing absolutely nothing but gathering rays, reading and snacking on our lunch of sandwiches, crackers and cookies.  We wait until the sun drops from the western sky behind the hills before we pack our beach bag and head to the car.  It is my favorite time of the day at the beach.

The end of another beautiful day on the beach.

So you gather that we enjoy our days on the beach from reading my trilogy devoted to our days on the beach.  We cherish our time together while on vacation at the beach, no matter where the beach may be.  We realize that the sun's rays are damaging to our skin and try our best to prevent that from happening, but we love the sound of the water lapping the sand, the smell of the salty sea, the 50 shades of blue that are the sky and ocean and the atmosphere that surrounds us as we spend our favorite time on the beach.  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.