I lived in Daytona Beach – actually in a suburb within Daytona Beach, in Ormond Beach, from the time I was five until I was 9 years old. Naturally, there are so many things I don’t remember about that time in my life – teacher’s names, what I did for fun aside from swim, love the beach and hurt myself attempting soccer, but the way I felt and the time with my family is truly ingrained in my mind.
When I was nine we moved to Southern California, permanently rendering me an LA girl, but my parents have always missed Florida. They recently bought a condo back ‘home’ in Daytona and now spend every Christmas season there. Spending New Year’s with them, my love of the area and the memories came flooding back.
I remember:
The sensory experience sight, the smell, the feel of the sand between my toes, the zinc oxide I always had on my nose and the t-shirt I was always required to wear by late afternoon to protect my sunburned shoulders.
THE JELLYFISH!
The warm water. And playing in the sand. The Atlantic has always been the milder of the two coasts.
Driving on the beach. When we moved West, I was surprised that you couldn’t actually drive down on to the sand as you could in Daytona. And running. And jumping. And playing.
Time with my parents. I will always associate time at the beach with family time and I hope my small people do the same.
It isn’t a secret that I miss the ocean with every fiber in my being and it makes me HAPPY to see my family embrace it as I do.
This was our warmest day while we visited – 72 degrees. The next day was a frigid 45. While we also saw our share of rain, we were excited to spend this time with family and did find a fabulous chocolate factory: Angell & Phelps to occupy some of our ‘indoor’ Daytona Beach time. We also stopped by old stomping grounds Mario’s Italian Restaurant and Inlet Harbor – both places we frequented when I was a little girl. I’m always excited to share a snippet of my childhood with my small people.
Leave a Reply