May 1, 2010 - Reid State Park

What a gorgeous Saturday morning! It is only May 1st and the temperature will be in the 70s. How fabulous is that? Woo Hoo! Anyway, I pack my beach bag as usual with my camera loaded with 400 speed film and back-up gear for chilly weather. I hit the road about 8:30 a.m. and head to Slate's Bakery for a muffin and coffee. As I am driving, I decide to head back to Reid State Park. Yes, I have been there already but I wanted to see the other end of Mile Beach and maybe even basked in the sun while I am there. This trip is for a double purpose - relaxation and photograph opportunities.

As I pull into Reid State Park, I find my new parking pass for state parks. Boy, this pass will certainly come in handy this summer. The Todd's Point entrance is now blocked off and only accessible by foot and the Griffith entrance is now open for the summer. The parking lot is nearly empty at this time of the morning. I unload my car and head down to the beach. It is a little chilly with the wind but that is fine with me. With the camera slung over my shoulder, I head down the beach.

There are a lot of people on the beach on this fine day. It was nice to see people enjoying themselves. I wander down the beach and take a good look around the area. I snap photos here and there as I go. I spy a surfer in the distance. It looks as though he is having a difficult time trying to catch a wave. He wanders farther down the beach to see if it is any better down there. As I am taking more photographs, the surfer wanders back my way. We chat. As I figured, the surfing is not the greatest at this time of day so he is leaving. What a bummer for him. It would have been fascinating to see someone catch waves.

As I wander the beach, I decide to sit and take in the whole atmosphere of the day. The energy is just moving on this day filled with sunshine. How can people not be here now and enjoying such a sight for sore eyes? The waves are fabulous even if they are not great for surfing. Bring on the sun! As I sit and contemplate life, I see two more surfers coming along the beach to test their fate. These two surfers seem to have the same luck as the other guy. Oh well. It looks like they were having a blast! It is a good way to spend the day!

Around 2:00 p.m., I decide it is ready to head back home. Even though I did not want to leave, I knew that I had enough sun for one day. Next time I will have to remember to bring the suntan lotion. Before I head to the parking lot, the bench overlooking the water is beckoning for me to sit for awhile before I actually leave this fine place. People are relaxing but also enjoying this day. Oh, look! People are flying kites. How fun is that!


I slowly wander back to the car with a sadness to leave the day behind but it always has to come to pass eventually if you do not live on the ocean. My first stop back is at Dairy Queen again as I exit the road going back to my life. After I purchase a hot dog and blizzard, I sit on edge of my trunk with the hatch up just watching the people and the traffic. I wonder where they are all going on this fine day.


You probably wonder why I don't mention any specific photographs that I have taken this brilliant day. Well, I can say that I erred in that none of the photographs came out. Evidently, I did not make sure that the roll was good and tight on the inside of the camera. I was bummed. Oh well, there will always be another day.