AT THE BOARDWALK

A celebration of the senses on the sand and by the shore.

The oceanside boardwalk bustles from dawn's first light until night's starry skies. Families and friends relax and play, leisurely enjoying a stroll or dancing at dusk. The outdoor setting offers an array of activities. Even a passing storm only temporarily deters beachgoers, though a small group of children jumps in the downpour. The consequences of too much fun in the sun (an exhausted child nestles on his daddy's shoulder, his balloon trailing from his fist) serve as a quiet counterpart to the earlier excitement. The boardwalk’s employees are visibly part of the activity. The ice-cream vendor hurries to keep up with orders; a man sweeps the boards at day's end, a stray cat his only companion. Rhyming quatrains evoke the ebb and flow of the ocean's waves, beginning and ending with the same phrase. “At the boardwalk / jumbled joys / Hermit crabs and pirate toys / Arcade games make lots of noise / At the boardwalk / jumbled joys.” Shaded, intricate illustrations depict each individual plank on the pier. The rising and setting sun, in a vivid assortment of hazy hues, marks the passage of the day.

This sunny selection beckons.