The Beach.

Presented to you in incomplete sentences and with appreciation.

Ocean spray and unpredictable tides.

Dead fish. And worms. (a.k.a. having to watch where you walk if you're paranoid, like me.)

Old women with pearl jewelry who tan into leather and oblivion.

Trying to be cool by running on the beach and wondering if you look like an idiot in the process because you're trying not to trip and not to step on dead fish, worms, etc.

Stealing seashells.

How people change their race. (Black people stay black, most everyone else becomes Hispanic, and Asians become white in comparison.)

Seafood restaurants that use frozen seafood even though they are literally 100 feet from the ocean.

But the food is still awesome and fried. Sometimes cooked in lard.

Piers thousands of feet long.

Tides washing everything away.

Ridiculously cute beachfront houses in Easter egg colors.

Ocean breezes, which make 90 degree days feel like 85.

Watching people fish while walking down the pier and wondering at:

• Korean people's awesome hats
• kids who have climbed over the railing and are sitting with their feet dangling far above the ocean, unfathomable to people afraid of heights like me
• Korean people's epic fishing skills
• looking down through the wood planks and being scared of heights
• Korean people's sunglasses
• old people who just chat and fish all day
• and Korean people.

Little kids wearing only underwear (This was me at a year old. According to Mom, "You couldn't tell if you were a boy or a girl, anyway." Well, thanks.) and attacking the water. (No shoes? No shirt? No problem!)

The ocean eating things when she's hungry. (i.e. Dad's glasses a few years back)

Imagining Africa or Asia on the other side.

Hot sand.