A Beavertail Tradition

Our tradition started 8 years ago.  It was a crisp cool New Year’s Day, and I wanted to see the ocean.  We convinced our kids (then 9 and 6) to step away from whatever new toys they had received for Christmas and drove the 25 minutes to my favorite place, Beavertail State Park.

Beavertail quickly became a retreat for me when we moved to Rhode Island in 2012.  We were so excited to be near the ocean, which was a far cry from our life inside the DC Beltway for 9 years before. Since I’m not much of a “lounge in the sun and sand” kind of girl, I appreciated climbing along the rocks at Beavertail State Park, watching the waves crash or peering into the tide pools left at low tide. Whether you sit on the west side looking out over Narragansett or the east side with views of Newport, you can’t go wrong. When I need some fresh air, a calming moment or a reminder of the force of Mother Nature, I make the drive to Beavertail.

While we had always enjoyed the park in the day during the warmer months, we arrived just before sunset this brisk January 1^st.  Mother Nature was showing off.  The sky was beautiful, the waves were crashing against the jagged rocks, and the always present Beavertail breeze was forcing fresh air into our lungs.  It was invigorating!  We didn’t stay long.  The sun set, and the kids grew cold and restless.  But as we drove back home, I felt refreshed.  I felt confident I could take on the new year ahead.

So we went back the next New Year’s Day.  And the next.  And it became our tradition.  Rain or shine.  Clouds or sun.  Freezing cold or not.  We have been there for every sunset since to start off the new year.  Some years we take a walk around the lighthouse. Some years we get out of the car just long enough to get a breath of fresh air and a picture.  But we are always there, and the feelings are always the same as we drive home.  Refreshed, invigorated, thankful, and hopeful.

Beavertail State Park,
Jamestown, RI

-Robin Lake