I have three twenty-something children. The two who are here on the Island right now woke early and wanted to join me and Charlie and Suzi for our daily walk. This is a rare opportunity, to share this ritual, with my daughters awake before 6:30 a.m.

We take the usual route, a hike down Prospect Hill to the sunlit beach. The blue sky meeting the misty blue of the sea. We walk and walk and over the narrow strip of land at high tide; they are enthralled by the morning, moving easily over the slippery rocks, wading across the slippery clay. Just because they want to be with me, to see what I see and love what I love.

They, too, will walk with their children on beaches - first, carrying them over the sand on their chests, then their backs. Later on, they will walk seashores with dogs while their children, older, prefer to sleep. They will walk this beach for so many years, and long after I'm gone. They'll remember me in places I love, in fresh air, in all kinds of weather, walking and seeing and being.

All photos and text copyright Kelly DuMar 2017