I can't swim, but I love being in water. A swimming pool is more managable for me than a vast body of water, still I love going to the beach. Perhaps it comes from growing up in a landlocked city like Dallas, but seeing the ocean reminds me that there is much out there in the world. We did not spend too much time on the beach, a day here and there and usually taking what we called the late shift (5pm-6/7pm) On clear days we could see nearby islands and on hazy days just their mysterious outlines, all in soft blues and violets like Duffy paintings. With the water warm and the sand hot, it was an easy place to be. People were usually quiet and respectful. Beaches are their own universe. You lay around in ways you would never in any other public place. You wear things you could never wear any place else. Also, you sleep on dirt. Still, there is something calm and civil about the beach. People, like other creatures, enjoy laying around in the sun. Seals do it. Snakes do it,okay not the best examples, but there is something pleasurable about feeling the sun on one's skin. Not too much though and always wear sunscreen!