Planetary Stories Project

"To Act Globally, Think Locally – Through Stories"

Black Earth Institute

Place: Corn Hill Beach, Truro, MA, USA

Corn Hill Beach
By Ashley Heffernan

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Its been said that the sense of smell is the best at recalling memories. For me, whenever I get a whiff of Coppertone’s Water babies SPF 45, I am instantly taken back to Corn Hill beach on the bayside of Truro in Massachusetts. My family and I have been vacationing in Cape Cod every summer since I was a tot, and that is the beach we frequent every year.

Since this beach is on the bayside, the water tends to be calmer here, which is why my parents brought my sisters and me here. When I close my eyes and think about this beach, I am able to picture it perfectly. The sun is high in the sky, and the August heat and humidity is kept at bay by the constant breeze. The long grass on the dunes makes a swishing sound - in the wind, and seagulls squawk as they fly over head. The sun reflects off of the water, giving the illusion that it is sparkling. The sand collapses beneath your feet as you walk along. You can hear the laughter of children, and conversation among adults. No one has brought their problems here.

As we try to walk to the perfect location to set up camp for the day, the sand is constantly giving way beneath our feet, making it difficult to carry our day’s necessities (which is always way too much). When the Heffernan family spends a day at the beach, it looks like we’ll be there for the rest of the week. We have everything from, boogie boards, to towels, from lunch, to beach chairs and umbrellas. We even bring stupid things that we never need, but if we didn’t have it, we would. My dad has taught my two sisters and me how to fly a kite, and how to snorkel, at this very beach. During low tide, my sisters and I walk out on the flat wet sand where, several hours earlier we would have been in way over our heads.

Many pacifiers have fallen in the sand on this beach, and many naps have been taken. I hope that one day, I will bring my own family to Corn Hill Beach so my children can drop their pacifiers here, too, learn how to snorkel and how to fly a kite. My family has been making memories at Corn Hill Beach for 22 years, and I hope that I can continue to add to the scrap book.