Hidden Walkway to the Beach

beach photography - hidden

On the east side of A1A in Jupiter Beach, Florida there is a sea grape hedge that separates the road from the ocean. This hedge is so high and so thick you can barely see anything. Typically, the town carves the twisted branches that shade each of these walkways, so every path has its own private canopy of luscious green foliage sheltering you on the way down to the beach.

The last time I was there something had changed and the canopy had been removed. The hedge was re-shaped...every path open to the sky ... beautiful blue sky, to be sure, but no longer secret garden-esque.

There is something suspenseful about stepping onto a salt-worn wooden walkway into a darkened, shade-cooled, tropical tunnel, flip flops clipping along, beach bag over your shoulder ... then suddenly the beach reveals itself so explicitly it stuns.

You may have seen it a million times, but somehow the exact experience escapes being recorded on your brain. Our senses are always overwhelmed by the sea ... the smell of the salty air, the water's incomprehensible shade of turquoise, the sound of waves meeting shore ... I'm grateful for its allure.

On this particular day, I was with my sister. Something you should know about my sister and I ... we are non-giver-uppers. All you non-giver-uppers out there know what I'm talkin' 'bout.

We were convinced that the town of Jupiter had left at least one of these hidden walkways. She drove the car slowly north on A1A and we looked up every path. Eventually our persistence was rewarded when we found one, only one, the only one left from dozens. I hopped out, camera in hand while she drove back and forth along A1A waiting for me.

This photograph was taken the moment the sea comes into view and it is for anyone who lives by the ocean and anyone who wants to feel like they do. Anyone who, like us, is just a beach bum doing what you've always done ... enjoying the beauty of the beach and taking a bit of it home.

I love hearing what you have to say ... tell me your story in the comments below.

p.s. Remember to bring salty air'd serenity to your home by visiting the Beach Bum Chix shop. Order this beach home decor now and it will be yours before you can say sunny days and sandy toes!