The salty smell of the air that stings your nose, the picture-perfect sunset on the horizon, and the sweet taste of Del’s Lemonade on your lips. All sounds of summer that almost every Rhode Islander looks forward to every year.  Each time I step onto Narragansett Beach, memories of every summer come flooding back, but also with hopes to make new memories.
     On a normal summer day, I would carry all of my stuff onto the beach with my friends, like I did many times this past year.  However, a specific beach trip that occurred would stick with me for many months after. The week after junior year ended, our now senior class decided to start off the summer with a class beach day. Like John Cheever once said, “It was a splendid summer morning and it seemed as if nothing could go wrong.” However this was not the case. As we drove closer and closer to the beach, the bright sun seemed to go into hibernation and in its place was clouds and wind.  As we had all looked forward to and deserved this day after the end of the year exams, we were not going to let the weather ruin the excitement we all had to finally begin our final summer together as high school students. Much to our surprise the beach day ended up working out because many people left the beach, it was like we had our own oasis to relax and play on.
     There was no photo that could capture the way the day ended, with the girls all lying on beach towels gossiping about their summer plans, and the boys just being boys tackling each other while playing football.  Many people would be miserable and angry that the weather did not cooperate on a day that should’ve been a beautiful one, but not our class. Each and every one of us made the best of the situation, and the day even helped to bring us closer as a class so we could start our senior year off on the right foot.
     I began that summer with some new friends and learned how to deal with unavoidable situations. I now have a new mindset about the beach, that even in the hustle and bustle of it all; you just sometimes need to take a moment to take in the tranquil environment and not let the short-lived summer pass by.