Before moving here, the closest that I had been to the East Coast was basic training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri. Moving here has been kind of a shock and I can't seem to make up my mind on what to think of it. Sometimes I really love it, and sometimes I really do not. After swimming in the crystal blue waters of Hawaii (full of tropical fish, coral, etc) it was hard for me to appreciate the Atlantic. Looking at it for the first time, it just looked like a murky, slightly creepy, giant lake. It didn't help that the first time I went for a dip I nearly swam into a jelly fish and stepped on a crab that pinched my toe. There's also quite a variety of clingy seaweed which is pretty impossible to avoid while you're in there. However, after a while I started seeing a subtle beauty to the place. There is something very soothing about the overcast tones of the sky and sea together. There are also many diffferent flowers and grasses that have found a place in the sand. It seems very plain at first (none of the colorful flashiness of Hawaii), but it's simplicity is what has now made it attractive to me.
I've now realized that the creatures and seaweed really aren't so bad, and I've started appreciating the view outside our window a little more. I took the pics below a few weeks ago, they're just a few feet from our back porch.
PS I forgot to mention that the water here is really warm and the sand is soft and feels nice to the feet. The east coast really isn't so bad.
