Tuesday, February 15, 2022

Birthday Memory #2

Its hard not to smile when I think about the many memories of Tyler visiting the beach.  I'm sure our enjoyment and relaxation of the shore is something that he sensed from a very early age.  I also believe that his love of the beach came from an organic source, something that we cannot fully understand.  In typical Tyler fashion, he was always thrilled to get there, but after about 4 days you could see his mood wain as he needed his routine to return.  Of course those trips weren't without their own set of challenges, but this week we are focusing on the good memories.

During the early years we took Tyler to Ocean City Maryland.  In those days he was very easy to travel with.  He was content to go anywhere and was happy to do just about anything.  We had a camcorder back then and used it to film him doing all sorts of nothing.  I remember sitting at the Dough Roller eating breakfast and showing off his first tooth popping through.  We filmed him sitting on my shoulders as we walked down the boardwalk, and sitting in his car seat on the beach one morning.

Once we discovered North Myrtle Beach some of his fun activities changed.  During this time he was in his pre-teen and teen years.  I remember him still loving the swimming pool and floating around making faces at himself.  He'd get out of the pool and sit blowing bubbles or using bubble guns for hours at a time, laughing hysterically at himself.  His other favorite pastime was sitting at the edge of the water with a small plastic shovel and flicking sand out into the water.  He would always have some crazy sunglasses on and slathered in sunscreen so he could enjoy the water's edge for as long as possible.

Perhaps my favorite time was around dusk when the sun was just setting and the evening was beginning to show its colors.  The water would feel even warmer as we would wade out into the waves.  Ty would just stand and gaze out into the vast openness.  I'd try to figure out what he could be thinking.  Whatever it was, he was at peace with it.  It was as though the ocean whispered comforting thoughts to him, and surrounded him with an embrace.  He'd point to the moon or just watch the waves rolling in.

  


Even if these experiences were temporary and changed over time, they provided memories of a gentile and soft Tyler that we rarely saw anywhere else. Thanks to our beautiful friend and artist, Tom Newnam, we even have a painting of Tyler standing the waves and pointing at his friend, the moon.  These are the memories that sustain us. 

Happy birthday Tyler.  We love you to the moon and back.

Dad  


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