Dear Bethany Beach

A Video Poem

One thing that excited my wife and me when we moved to Delaware was being close to the ocean. It was my first time living within a day’s drive to an ocean, and the first time since I had lived in Kenosha, being next to a large body of water. While I wish I could say that we visited Delaware’s wonderful beaches on many weekends since moving here, sadly, that is not true. This was mostly because I was studying and completing coursework for my MPA. Now that I graduated in December, I can find time to sit on the beach and read.

This video is a poem, written with the help of my wife, to Bethany Beach. Bethany Beach is one of our favorite beaches on the Delaware coast. Personally, I prefer it over Rehoboth Beach.

Being on the beach is enjoyable. We bring an umbrella, chairs, and our kindles, and spend the day reading and relaxing. This particular day was the first warm day of Spring in Delaware. The beach was packed for this time of year. While the weather was sunny, the wind did make it nippy, requiring a small jacket to keep warm when the sun hid behind the rolling clouds.

Not seen on the video was our shopping on the boardwalk. Bethany Beach has a small town center (seen in the video), where souvenirs, books, and food can be found. We purchased new books at the local bookstore, grabbed some handmade goods, and enjoyed seafood and ice cream while enjoying our time at the beach. We then went and enjoyed hours of sunbathing and listening to the waves as we read in our beach chairs.

Another thing we could not capture was the school of dolphins that swam close to the beach. While dolphins are not rare when it comes to the Delaware coastlines, it is still a treat to see them fly through the sky as they travel. Towards the end of the day, before we left to have fish and chips at one of our favorite eateries in Lewes, we got to see a large school of them travel south, not far off the shoreline. I watched the school pass instead of trying to take a video that would not do it justice.

While summer is coming soon, which will bring tourists and high prices to these locations, we do hope to find more time relaxing next to the waves.

Lastly, I would recommend anyone traveling in the area to visit Bethany Beach. While it may not be the biggest or have the whitest sands, it is one of Delaware’s best beaches.

Thank you, and take care, y’all.