It was one of those perfect fall days that remind you why you put up with the months of New England winter. This particular Friday the sky was crystal clear, the sun was as bright as any summer day. The few red and orange leaves still clinging to the trees were absolutely glowing as their fallen colleagues flitted across the road, catching the sun like tiny mirrors.
Despite the wonderful weather, I was in a rotten mood. I was going to be cooped up the entire day in a hastily called meeting at a client's office in Portsmouth. The sun would be long gone before the meeting ended. Portsmouth, so teasingly close to the water, and I was going to be stuck wearing a suit in a stuffy conference room. The only connection I would have with the outside world this day would be a single window overlooking a parking lot. And to add to the gloom, the weather report for the weekend called for cloudy and cold days with a good chance of an early snow. Today was the last nice day of fall and I was going to miss it! I'd already missed way too many nice days stuck in meetings this year. What a lousy and definitive end to any hint of summer.
I tried to leave the house early so I might at least get a chance to drive by the ocean in Portsmouth before the meeting. In summer the New England shore becomes a city teeming with people, but every fall, the people leave and the pristine beauty returns like swallows to Capistrano. But this day the traffic gods conspired against me. An accident caused a big backup on 495, and even without any detours, I was already few minutes late for the meeting when I pulled into the parking lot.
Flustered, I quickly gathered my briefcase and headed inside; forgetting the bottle of wine I'd brought as a thank you for their referral of another client. I was quickly greeted by the office manager who was acting quite harried herself. She told me the meeting had been hastily cancelled. The president and most of the others had been called to an emergency meeting in New York and had left 15 minutes ago for the airport. She was apologetic that they hadn't been able to reach me and didn't have my cell number. I put on my customer face, said no problem we'd reschedule, but inside I was fuming. As I was getting in my car she ran out with a wrapped platter to take back to my colleagues. They had ordered it for the meeting, but no one was left to eat it. It seemed pointless to argue, so I accepted the cheese platter just to get away. I thanked her and headed back for the highway home.
As is often the case when I'm flustered and not paying attention, I picked the wrong entrance ramp and went North instead of South on I-95. I realized my mistake too late and cursed as that meant the next exit wouldn’t be for miles - not until after I crossed into Maine. As I crossed the bridge cursing my bad luck, I stopped sulking just long enough to look out over the Piscataqua River. It is always a spectacular view from the bridge. The river is wide, the road seems a mile high and on this day the sun shone brightly on the bustling boats preparing for winter. I began to calm down and realize that maybe this wasn't such a bad thing, no one expected me back at work today. I’d been working long hours, and maybe this was fate’s way of telling me to take a day for myself, So, at the next exit, I took a quick right turn off the rotary and headed for the seashore. Past the outlets, past the tourist shops and quaint Maine villages along the seacoast, up route 1A where the rocky shoreline rolls randomly in and out, at times teasingly close to the road, at other times completely hidden for miles.
As I rounded a bend, a long clear view suddenly opened up; a long crescent shaped beach, one end capped by a large steep cliff, topped by a lighthouse now shining in the sun. The only thing separating me from the ocean was a seawall and a hundred feet of beach. Up ahead, multiple parking spots were nestled against the seawall, barely a car in site. In summer, an open space was as rare as a blanket spot on the beach. I parked the car to relax and admire the view. I badly wanted to take a walk, but being in suit and tie and dress shoes, I wasn’t quite attired for a romp through the sand. Wishing I had a change of clothes, it occurred to me that I had my gym bag in the trunk. Checking the bag, I found a t-shirt, shorts, running shoes and a towel. A little thin for the cool ocean breeze, but a hell of a lot better than a suit. And a nice run along the beach would be just the ticket. Needing a place to change, I noticed that just north the seawall was a good 10 feet above the beach, so I took the stairs down and found a nice secluded spot against the seawall by a tree that was amazingly still harboring a few leaves.