I live a bit inland in the mid-Atlantic region with one state between us and the big-wide Atlantic Ocean. The one time I got to see the beach (called "the shore" on the east coast, and "the beach" on the west coast) was when I was stationed in Virginia in the Navy.

My first visit to the sands surprised me, as I didn't expect to see the little lifeforms skittering to and fro, and can still almost feel the shifting sands with every step I took. Here we have little forested hills on the edge of town that I used to love hiking in, while enjoying the shade, peace and solitude that only nature can bring. Life is good.