Landscapes/
Cityscapes

Old Orchard Beach
by Marie Logan

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Old Orchard Beach
by Marie Logan

This photo journal by Marie Logan contains both photos and prose. All photography was taken by the author, and all prose was written by the author. Click on the images below to open Marie's photo journal in a new window.

It was August, and a hot one at that. My friend and her family were taking a trip to Old Orchard Beach, and I was invited to come along. I'm personally not one for sunbathing or swimming in the ocean (It's kind of funny how I like the beach so much when I don't like to do typical "beach" things). But there are other features: the food, the games, the boardwalk, and my favoriteÑthe shade and the cold breeze coming off of the water.

My first statement of wonder when approaching the beach wasn't verbal, it was visual. I looked at everything, excited to take in all of the sites. There were so many people there, making it nearly impossible to find a parking space. There were amusement rides aplenty, stands of food, boardwalks, and squares.

It smelled wonderful; a combination of salty air and fried food. Seafood, clam cakes and onion rings, and their famous French fries. I was eager to explore, knowing my friend would want to show me everything she loved about the beach that she visited almost weekly.

We helped her family get everything down onto the sand, which felt good-- so soft and light and free of debris--beneath my feet. It had a livelier color than the sand I'd seen at other beachesÑbright orange in tone reflecting warmly like tanned skin. This had to be the prettiest beach I'd ever visited.

Of course, we set out to explore immediately. We spent the day shopping, munching on beach food, and playing video games in the various arcades. We watched her family ride out in the ocean on the Banana Boats, all the while taking pictures of everything and everyone--attempting to absorb the entire beach.