Summer is sizzling, but also fading faster than footprints in wet sand. So, I took an afternoon off last week and headed for the beach( in Orange County, Ca). The waves were breaking big and I wanted to watch some “knarly” surfing. I enjoyed surfing, back when dinosaurs roamed the earth, and I still get that “surfer high” just watching ( I guess you can take the girl out of the surf, but not the surf out of the girl). It was awesome!
Anyway, I was enjoying the day and hiking the beach, mesmerized by natures powerful majesty on one side, and dodging moats and mayhem on the other. Sandcastle building was in full swing. Give a kid a bucket and shovel and magic happens. The sand was flying, as kingdoms of castledom dotted the beach. The thought ran across my mind, why do kids like to build sandcastles 
when they can build anything? It must be, sandcastles represent fantasy places. Kids, are the “giant” overlooking and engineering their enclave of enchantment. The sandy, soggy structures they build, are a wondrous place to vicariously live. A fortress of their dreams and fantasies. As I watched, it was evident, at a very young age, that the feeling of a safe, secure but magical environment was exhibited in the form of a “HOME”. It’s true, your home is your castle, just ask any sand-digging kid.
As the sun set on a day of exhileration, inspiration and inflamation (sunburn), I gathered insight and invogoration to appreciate more, the beauty, grandeur, and magical kid-like moments, our environment offers. It was great to get away, even for a few hours, to restore and refresh the soul…now, if I can only build some “sandcastles”, through the eyes of a child…
Enjoy your summer!
(click photos to enlarge)
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1. Wish we all could have been there to enjoy it with you but…
The beach would have been really crowed!
Seems like we build “houses” alot as childre….dollhouses….
tents with blankets and pillows….caves in big boxes….
planning for this time when we can really put our plans to work.
Thanks for giving me tons of great ideas and some “sun-filled”
moments.
by Julie — 8/2/09 at 10:53 pm #
2. Hey Julie,
Wish you were here to!!!. Yes, the beach was in full swing, but still fun.
Wow, I hadn’t thought of all the “house” building things kids do as kids. It seems like that wonderful feeling of HOME, manifests itself in so many areas of play. Think of, “playing house”, tree houses, forts etc.
That feeling of security, happiness and love is reflected in how children play and relate to their environment.
Thanks for your astute assessment of the importance of home in a childs life.
LYC
by Cathy — 8/3/09 at 1:26 pm #