Childhood

Me at Goat Rock on the Sonoma Coast (1998)

I grew up in Northern California. I lived ten minutes from the beach, but it wasn’t the kind of beach one imagines when they hear the word. There was no white sand, and there were no sand castles. There were no children playing in the water, and there were never any people laying out tanning. Here, the sand was more like small rocks, and when your feet were wet, it was more like small shards of glass. Children were told not to go near the water, due to the twelve foot waves, and people usually wore sweaters and jackets to stay warm. It was at this beach that I realized who I was. 

12 foot wave 

(http://www.wayfaring.info/page/6/?s=california)