Beach magic

Plato said, “The sea cures all ailments of man.”

My middle son and his 6-year-old son recently visited. There is only one thing my youngest grandson wanted to do. Go to the beach, and so we did. I should not have been surprised. Raising three boys, we spent lots of time at beaches in North Carolina and Delaware. The beach never got old.

It had been a while since I had enjoyed a beach day. It brought back memories of my childhood when my family would travel from Chicago to the Outer Banks of North Carolina. Our simple cottage was right on the ocean, and we spent our days on the edge of the ocean fishing and swimming and just hanging out. We rented the same cottage every year. It was a sad day when we got a call telling us a hurricane had claimed our much-loved cottage.

So the cycle continues. I spread a towel and sat on the beach, wiggling my toes in the sand. Groups of people around me set up their camps with chairs, tents, and coolers. Children of all sizes and shapes gathered at the surf’s edge. Some were building sandcastles, some were jumping in the waves, and mothers were chasing their kids to slather sunscreen on their progeny. My grandson never tired of the ocean and its draw — swimming, riding his boogie board, and making forts with his dad. Who needs Disneyland when you can have a day at the beach?

As I watched all ages enjoying a beautiful Amelia Island day, I noticed a man pushing a wheelchair adapted for the beach to the edge of the surf. I joined the man and his mother and asked about the special chair. I learned that many large oceanside hotels now offer the specialized wheelchairs for their guests' use. His mother was able to get her feet wet and was clearly comforted by her ability to enjoy the beach.

The chunky-tired chairs have made it possible for families to go to the beach together without leaving a family member with a disability at home.

It turns out Amelia Island is the preferred destination for beach goers with challenges.

Bustling Main Beach Park offers everything — beach volleyball courts, playgrounds, picnic shelters, restaurants, restrooms, a skate park and options for the disabled. There is a boardwalk with a Mobi-mat for wheelchair access that extends roughly halfway to the water. The Atlantic Recreation Center has free beach wheelchairs and one Mobi-chair — which can float in water — that can be rented. A deposit is required and equipment can only be used at city beach accesses.

Much is said about the healing qualities of the ocean. Visiting the beach always leaves me feeling alive and refreshed physically and emotionally. My time out at the beach with son and grandson has triggered a pull to the beach. This writer can’t take the computer to the beach — that is a good thing.

Dickie Anderson welcomes your questions and/or comments: dickie.anderson@gmail.com