MyMaineCulture_AbigailBailey

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When I was a child I remember sitting on the beach watching the waves drift up to touch my toes and feeling genuinely sorry for people that don’t live near the ocean. I would think about everything they were missing, and I still do. I think about all the memories that would be lost if I had not been raised in Maine so close to the ocean. I wouldn’t know to start building the sandcastle far enough from the shoreline so the tide doesn’t ruin it before you’re done. I wouldn’t know that when you dig deep down in the sand there are icky worms. I wouldn’t know that after a day of sun salt and sand everyone needs a shower and nap. I wouldn’t have the memories of flying homemade kits or hermit crab hunting with my brother.  I would never have known which boogie board to get and which beach had the best waves. I wouldn’t have learned what the perfect wave looked like and how to ride it all the way into shore. Most of all I’ll never forget what moms umbrella looked like, because on a crowded beach thats always how we found our way back to cold sodas, Italians with extra pickles and another round of sunscreen.