Two coasts

Living on the west coast for much of my life, I have taken granted the beautiful views I see each day. The crashing waves into boulders where ocean meets land, the sunset disappearing into the horizon, and all the sand that always manages to get into my shoes and socks. It wasn’t until I visited the northeast that I really appreciated the coast and noticed there are different features among the west and the east coasts.

On the west coast, the waves crash into the boulders that were placed there by humans to break the violent waves that come in the winter, taking the backyards away from homes perched on top of bluffs above the beach. It depends on the day, sometimes you can see a beautiful sunset that reflects off the water until the sun disappears into the ocean. Other days, fog can hide the sunsets and even views from far away.

On the east coast, there are jagged rocks with lighthouses perched above. Water flows into the nooks between rocks. Sometimes the lighthouse is visible, providing a breathtaking picture.

Other times, you can hear but not see the lighthouse far off in the distance. Lighthouses that make a sound to guide ships in the foggy zero visibility similar to the west.

If I had my favorite, the east coast offers the best views of rocky coastlines. There are so many rocks of different shapes and sizes, colors and textures, that I could spend days walking along the coasts.

Except, as weather this past week has shown, the east coast is slammed with snowstorms that cover everything with feet of snow. Even without the snow, it was cold back in September and October. So in the end, the west coast with the beautiful sunsets that reflect off the crashing waves is still my favorite.