Dreaming Of The Beach

Today, we’ve reached the end of the week and the middle of this month’s art challenge. Flip flops are definitely an icon of summer, but I like to include them in prompts occasionally as they are also rather a challenge to sketch. It seems lots of people I know are currently visiting or have plans to visit a beach this summer. I do not, so I have to live vicariously through their photos on Facebook as they squint into an impossibly bright sky with huge smiles on their faces and tropical drinks in their hands. Don’t get me wrong, I’m super happy for them, but my attempts to get Philippe to plan a beach vacation with me were less than successful. The idea is thrilling were teleportation an option, but going through the trouble to actually plan it and then the follow through steps of seeing the price tag and ponying up the funds to pay for it, always leave us staying at home. While we did manage to walk on a California beach recently, it’s now been so long since I actually swam in a ocean, I have begun to wonder if it was all just a dream in the first place. 

But, no, it was quite real I’m sure of it. That time I went snorkeling for an entire day off an island near Puerto Rico. I have the photos to prove it. The sad part is that this has now been more than 15 years ago and I’m not sure I even understand the concept of snorkeling anymore. But I will, to this day, happily tell people how much I love to do it. I’m sure I still would if the chance ever presents itself again. It was an amazing and memorable experience. There are so many life experiences that I’ve had like that. The ones so enjoyable that in that moment I swear to myself that I’ll be doing this again soon. And then curse myself later for still not having done so. In my defense, the list is insanely long now and a bit impossible to prioritize. I’ve had wonderful trips filled with fabulous stories and unforgettable memories. So I never worry too much when they don’t repeat themselves exactly. There will always be another trip that will generate wonderful new stories of its own.

Yet, I think I’ll have to make a beach trip more of a priority as each time I sketch an object relating to one, my heart does that little thing one’s heart does when they really miss something. I’ll have to be more persuasive and get a trip going in the next year. But, I’m equally happy when I’m simply in my own home, and this only adds to the challenge. Also, I rather miss my dog when I’m gone. I’m sure were Phineas smaller so he could travel on the plane with us, and more well-behaved so we could actually take him anywhere it would make the decision easier. He’s just not one of those dogs that always wants to be by your side at all times. I’ve no idea what dreams are spinning through his head, but they’re rather pressing and he’ll go off in search of them and would forgot that he was actually on a vacation with us. But, as we head into another weekend, I’m happy to be spending it at home with my little family, doing what we normally do in all its mundane goodness, and simply dreaming of the beach.

About the Doodlewash Da Vinci Paint Co.: Yellow Ochre, Cobalt Turquoise, Terra Cotta, and Cobalt Blue. Lamy Al-Star Safari Fountain Pen with sepia ink in an A5 Hahnemühle Watercolour Book. Want to purchase a print of this doodlewash? Send me a note with a link to this post, and I’ll add it to my shop!

Charlie O'Shields

Creator of Doodlewash®, founder of World Watercolor Month (July), World Watercolor Group™, and host of the Sketching Stuff Podcast. Sharing daily watercolor illustrations and stories while proudly featuring talented artists from all over the world! If you’d like to be a guest artist on Doodlewash.com, contact me!