Chapoquoit Beach at sunset on Labor Day, September 2, 2019.
The tourists have left the beach … Yay!
I’d planned to go down to Chapoquoit beach around sunset on Labor Day to photograph the beach after the end of the summer vacation. I avoid the beach in summer because, like my whole town, it’s packed with tourists. I’m not necessarily saying I don’t like tourists, but I prefer not to be around them.
I never lived in a popular resort town before I moved here. After sixteen years, I’ve learned something valuable — when I travel as a tourist to other places I am very aware that I need to be on my best behavior. I try to conduct myself with humility and be mindful that I am a guest in other people’s home towns. Sounds obvious, but evidently not everybody gets it. I probably didn’t get it before I had the experience of living full-time in a beach town.
Most likely, I’m just a cranky old man who’s grown intolerant of crowds. The global population is expected to reach ten billion in a couple of decades. I’ll need to get more comfortable with having lots of people around me.
Monte