Get ready for an inspiring journey to some of Florida's most beloved beaches! In this episode, I'm sharing a memorable story of a seven-day, four-beach adventure that brought unexpected moments of reflection, joy, and healing.
Join me as I revisit Clearwater Beach, famous for its soft white sand and gorgeous sunsets, a once-in-a-lifetime outdoor music concert, and unexpected family fun creating unforgettable memories.
Then, venture to Honeymoon Island, a natural paradise perfect for dog lovers and serenity seekers - and discover tiny, living sand dollars!
The journey takes a heartfelt turn as I visit Indian Rocks Beach - a place of profound personal significance and healing. Experience the emotions of returning to a cherished spot and finding solace in the familiar waves.
Finally, I explore the stunning Emerald Coast at Fort Walton Beach, known for its breathtaking clear blue-green waters.
This isn't just a travelogue; it's a testament to the healing power of the ocean, the importance of cherishing memories, and the joy of spontaneous adventures with loved ones.
If you're a beach lover, planning a Florida trip, or simply need a dose of coastal calm, this epsiode is for you!
Listen to Elderbrook perform at the Clearwater Sound: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKa0tQi9nd8&list=RDtKa0tQi9nd8&start_radio=1
Love the scent of the beach? Purchase your Beach Speaks coastal essence spray here: https://sahuoils.com/meagld
PODCAST LINKS:
Paige [00:00:09]:
Hello friends and fellow lovers of all things Beachy. Welcome to The Beach Speaks, the podcast that shares stories about the beach and our connection to it. I'm your host and beach lover, Paige Friend, helping you reconnect with the beach, return to your soul, and reimagine your life. So grab a cool drink, relax in your beach chair, stick your toes in the sand, and enjoy this episode of The Beach Speaks. Hey, beach lover. Something happened on my latest beach trip, four beaches in seven days, that caught me a little off guard. A moment that reminded me why we beach lovers keep coming back to the shore. And this whole experience has been on my mind ever since.
Paige [00:01:25]:
I can't believe we're already a week into June. And I don't know where you are right now listening to this, but maybe you're folding that load of laundry or driving to Costco. We're on a power walk around the neighborhood dreaming of the beach. Wherever you are, I wanted to share an episode that inspires you to take that beach trip, or at least go somewhere that feels like the beach. Somewhere you can feel the sun on your skin, hear the waves, let your body relax, and your soul will be renewed. stop, Clearwater Beach. It was Mother's Day weekend and also the anniversary of my father's ninetieth birthday. And it's a four hour drive across the state from Jacksonville to Clearwater, and it's been a long while since I set my feet on the soft white sand of one of the most popular beaches in Florida, really, since my parents passed almost ten years ago.
Paige [00:02:35]:
And the closer we got, the more excited I felt. But as we crossed the causeway into Clearwater, something shifted in me. I glanced out the window, and there was Guppies, the seafood restaurant where my dad liked going for oysters, and the local art shop where my mother once bought a necklace crafted out of sea glass. And suddenly my chest felt tight, not in a painful way, just full, like my heart was holding the whole ocean. Joy and sadness washed over me in waves, that familiar ache of missing them, my parents, mixed with the sweetness of being back in the place where I had visited them so many times before. The memories. The reason we were on this trip in the place was our friend Josh's birthday, which was on Mother's Day. We had been talking at dinner, savoring one of his culinary creations about what he wanted to do to celebrate.
Paige [00:03:35]:
And since we all love dancing to live music, I grabbed my phone, tapped the Bands in Town app, and began scrolling to see what DJ might be performing that weekend. Elderbrook is playing Clearwater Beach, the last stop of his worldwide tour. Not only would we get to experience one of our favorite EDM artists, Josh had never been to Clearwater. We planned to get an early start to get some quality beach time. So our group of eight adults and three tweens checked into a spacious Airbnb about six miles from the beach on a Thursday afternoon. Then Friday morning, while the other grown ups wrapped up some work, Ernie and I took the tweens, Connor, Kate, and Danny on their beach adventure to the Gulf Coast. It's always a challenge there to find a spot to park. After slowly circling the public parking lot three times, Ernie summoned his parking karma and then came to a sudden stop.
Paige [00:04:42]:
A spot right in front of the main beach entrance had magically opened up. As we were unloading our beach gear out of the car, I said to the kids, you know what makes this beach so popular? It's because the fine white sand reflects the heat from the sun, so when you walk barefoot on it, it doesn't burn your feet. Connor was the to step out in the sand, and his immediate response was, this is weird. It's like walking on Play Doh. I've never heard sand quite described like Play Doh, but I thought, okay. It's a very interesting observation. I'll go with it. The kids lit up when they saw this giant inflatable slide by the boardwalk, the kind that belongs in a theme park, but I reminded them we were here to enjoy the beach So after an hour of bobbing under the waves and scooping up shells, Ernie and the kids headed over to the slide, and I opted for a quiet walk along the shore, taking pictures and videos, of course, as I always do.
Paige [00:05:43]:
However, it wasn't quite the private beach vibe I had been hoping for. I wanted to get some footage of the water along the shore, but wherever I focused my camera, someone would pop into the frame, which was okay, I guess. Everyone has a right to enjoy the beach. Right? I especially enjoy watching the little kids run-in and out of the surf, which was actually a little more active than it is normally. I stopped to watch a toddler in an adorable sun hat squealing as she waddled into the waves, dragging a sand bucket behind her. One little boy, probably four years old, planted himself a little over ankle deep in the shallow part of the water, arms wide, daring the waves to knock him over. And just then I heard his mother calling out, do not go in the water. Stay out of the water.
Paige [00:06:34]:
But he just looked back at her defiantly, grinned, and walked in deeper. I felt for the mom, but something in that scenario made me laugh, that wild, fearless joy. When our skin started to turn pink from the sun, we met the rest of the group back at the Airbnb, ate a quick lunch, sandwiches and pasta salad, and headed to Honeymoon Island, Beach Number 2. Honeymoon is a barrier island that is actually a state park, and it has more than four miles of white sand beaches. It's only about fifteen minute drive north of Clearwater, and we chose it for a special reason, dogs. Josh brought his dachshund Atlas, and Adam brought Ramsay, his King Charles spaniel. And this was the only place that had a beach that allowed dogs. Most of the structures, like the bathrooms and the boathouse, were closed off because of hurricane damage.
Paige [00:07:40]:
But despite some erosion, the shoreline remained raw and beautiful. Driftwood trees lay scattered like sculptures and the sandbar at this time of the day stretched way out. The water was calmer here and clearer too. We waded way out of the sandbar waist deep, and the kids started digging into the sand beneath the water. Every handful contained something magical, tiny live sand dollars about the size of a nickel. Watching them discover this part of the ocean for the time, not just see it, but feel it, is like watching wonder come to light. As we were planning the weekend, who would arrive when, where we'd go, and what we'd eat, I said, we've got to go to Palm Pavilion. It was a place I'd taken my parents often for their delicious grouper sandwiches.
Paige [00:08:35]:
It's beachfront, laid back, and to our surprise, we found a parking spot without too much circling, a minor miracle for a Friday night in Clearwater. We got our name on the list, we had a big group, so we knew it might take a while. And with about thirty minutes to wait, we wandered out to the beach, the soft cool sand curling between our toes and walked out to the shore. Perfect timing. The sky melted from blue to rose gold to a fiery orange, and for a few moments, we all just stood still. As the last bit of sun dipped into the gulf, the restaurant buzzer in my hand lit up, and I laughed, perfect timing again. We got a table, even though the hostess said we had to have everyone present to be seated. We were still waiting for Adam and Lexi to join.
Paige [00:09:24]:
We ordered drinks and a few advertisers to hold us over, and right as the trays hit the table, there they were. Again, perfect timing. As we pass the plates around, fried shrimp, gator bites, chips and salsa, we all shared our favorite parts of the day with the kind of lighthearted energy you feel when you're together with close friends, and everyone's exactly where they need to be. I remember looking around the table and thinking, this is one of those moments. The ones you wish you could bottle up and uncork later when the noise of life starts to get too loud. That night, we headed back to the Airbnb, had a quick dip in the hot tub, but no late night cocktails on the patio listening to music. We were all pretty tired. The perfect kind of tired after a full day at the beach.
Paige [00:10:21]:
Saturday started with the smell of Josh's specialty French press coffee, and the banana bread I had made ahead of time and left on the counter began to disappear as sleepy adults wandered in to get their shot of caffeine. The kids were actually the to wake up, but they were still in their beds engrossed on their iPads because they're only allowed a certain amount of time each day. While Ernie and I were making breakfast, scrambled eggs fresh from the farm, hot crispy bacon and fluffy pancakes, I stared at the tower of pancakes Ernie had just made and felt a moment of mild panic. Did we have enough maple syrup? Sammy had a great suggestion. We can melt some butter and mix it in with the syrup. I thought, why have I never done that? The plan for the day was Honeymoon Island again. But I could feel the tightening around my heart again and was almost on the verge of tears. It was my dad's birthday, and I told Ernie, I think I need to go to Indian Rocks Beach Indian Rocks wasn't just a beach, it was my beach.
Paige [00:11:37]:
The one I used to go to to escape when life felt heavy, especially when my parents were sick and in and out of the hospital. It was my refuge, my place for healing, for holding precious memories. I kept talking about a particular parking spot on Sixteenth Street that I used to go for. I didn't think we would get it. It just seemed already too busy. So we pulled into the public lot on Seventeenth instead, and got stuck in a mini traffic jam of circling cars. After one laborious lap around, I suggested we go one block down to Sixteenth because maybe, just maybe, a space will be open. It looked full, but as we turned in, a woman walked right in front of us toward her car, and she was parked in my spot.
Paige [00:12:28]:
And after what felt like forever, she finally backed out. And just as we were about to pull in, a guy in a large pickup truck came racing up from behind like a NASCAR driver and whizzed into the space. Ernie leaned his head out the window and gave the driver a stare down until, reluctantly, the driver backed out so we could pull in. The entrance of the beach had changed. The long wooden boardwalk shaded by a canopy of lush green sea grapes was gone. Now it was just sand. Gone was the hand painted wooden signpost that pointed to different cities, like New York, eleven fifty three miles. Key West, four thirty two miles.
Paige [00:13:09]:
Los Angeles, 2,581 miles. And its place was one that said, please leave nothing but you and and then there were images of footprints. We walked through the dunes and found a quiet place to set our chairs. Ernie stayed back listening to something on his phone while I walked out to the shore. The gentle waves, the sunlight sparkling diamonds on the clear blue green water. I looked down and searched for a shell, because in years past there would have been many, but this time there were just a few. I noticed a small white one about the size of a quarter nestled in the wet sand and picked it up. It fit perfectly in my palm.
Paige [00:13:53]:
I stood gazing at the horizon, breathing in the salt air, whispering thoughts of gratitude. I could feel my Mom and Dad's presence sharing this solitary moment at the beach with me. Happy birthday, Dad. Happy Mother's Day, Mom. I held the shell a moment longer, closed my eyes, and took a deep breath, and then placed the shell back in the sand where the tide took it. I turned back to Ernie and said, I think I'm ready to go now. We drove back up the coast to meet the others at Honeymoon Island, and the route that Wade suggested had us following the same road I used to take my parents home from the beach. Across the causeway, turn left at that tiny gas station carwash my dad insisted we use just to rinse off the salt, past a shopping plaza where my mom's dentist, Doctor.
Paige [00:14:50]:
Gumb, had his office, then down the palm tree lined street that led to a four way stop that the neighborhood changed to a roundabout. I joked that my father could never understand why they did that. He would say, here we are, the dumb roundabout. We drove past the Bel Air golf club where once we had an elegant lunch with a woman that mom played scrabble with. Apparently, the this woman was really competitive and was always accusing my mom of cheating. We always had a good laugh about that. Everyone knows my mother was a really good Scrabble player. Reminiscing about those times that Indian Rocks helped clear the lingering sadness in my heart.
Paige [00:15:34]:
Check Beach number three off a list. Now it was time to make new beach memories. We eventually reached honeymoon, but came in through a different entrance than the others. With our chairs slung over our shoulders and my oversized beach bag weighing me down, we followed a winding trail that felt more like a nature hike than a path to the beach. At one point, we had to wade through a small area of marsh water sloshing forward step by step, trusting the beach was just ahead. And for a moment, I thought, we're lost. And then there it was, like a hidden oasis, the beach. It was the same beach technically, but it felt entirely different from the day before.
Paige [00:16:20]:
The sandbar was gone, swallowed by the shifting tides, and the gentle surf had turned to large swells, reminding me more of home on the East Coast. Rocks and pebbles lined the shore, forcing you to take cautious steps until you reached the softer sand. It was like the beach had changed overnight. I wandered along the shore, head down, scanning for a shell or a stone, something to honor the memory of this beach day. I saw a few, but nothing that really spoke to me. Eventually, I found a small stone, gray with threads of white running through it. It It was worn smooth and vaguely shaped like a heart. That felt right.
Paige [00:17:05]:
The beach today wasn't about shells. It was about grounding. After a few hours of sun soaked beach time, we all headed back to the Airbnb to rinse off the salt and get ready for the night. The kids stayed behind while the rest of us dressed up and ate some light bites before calling an Uber to the venue, Clearwater Sound, A beautiful large open space of artificial grass that gently slopes upward from the stage like an auditorium, only there are no seats. We got there early enough to pick the perfect spot. Not too close to the speakers, but close enough to feel the bass in your chest. As we sat on the grass waiting for the show to begin, the light breeze felt so good rolling in off the gulf. The opening DJs were new names to me, but they were really good and they really set the vibe.
Paige [00:18:00]:
And pretty soon the crowd was up and dancing, and then the beat dropped. The lights came up and Elderbrook took the stage, and we were all in. Dancing, hands in the air, singing at the top of our lungs like every song was ours. I glanced around and soaked in the joy of everyone's faces. It was everything I'd hoped this night would be. Music pulsing through the night, close friends beside me, feeling the salty ocean breeze, the perfect ending to a birthday, mother's day, beach weekend. Back at the Airbnb, the kids had stayed up decorating as best as they could for Josh's late night birthday celebration. Signs were draped over chairs and propped against the table, And we pulled out not one, but two cakes, an ice cream cake from Baskin Robbins and, this decadent French chocolate mousse one that Ernie and I picked out from Costco.
Paige [00:19:03]:
We sang happy birthday, cut the cake, and devoured it. After the sugar rush wore off, the kids headed to bed. The rest of us climbed into the hot tub for a relaxing soak and then lingered on the patio, still feeling that post concert energy, engaged in a lively conversation about our favorite parts of the concert, the beach, life, whatever was on our minds. By the time I checked the clock, it was almost 3AM. And since I've reached level 60 in the game of life, I can barely stay up past ten. But whenever great music, close friends, and the beach come together, I'm all in. Normally, saying goodbye after a weekend like that would leave me a little blue, but this time I was okay because I wasn't really leaving the beach. We were off to another one, Fort Walton, about a six hour trek up the coast to the Florida Panhandle, beach number four.
Paige [00:20:11]:
It's kind of a boring route to the Panhandle, but by the time we rolled into Fort Walton Beach, my boredom turned to excitement again. Ernie had a conference scheduled midweek Wednesday, so we added a few extra days just for us. Still had some work visits, but I would have beach time all to myself. The hotel was on the beach. And although our ocean view room on the Fourth Floor wasn't quite the palatial suite, it did have a cute little balcony. So I could sip my morning coffee and gaze out at the beach below, and that alone is therapy. The unique thing about this part of Florida is the stunning clear blue green water. It's the reason it's called the Emerald Coast.
Paige [00:20:56]:
And in my opinion, it's every bit as beautiful as you'd see in The Bahamas or Mexico. The last time we were here, the water was calm and brilliantly clear like glass. You could see straight to the bottom, and every step into the surf felt like stepping into serenity. This time, though, rainstorms had passed through, and the waves rolled in with a little more attitude. Still beautiful, but the beach was just in a different mood. I don't wanna say I was disappointed because how could I ever be disappointed at the beach? It was just different, and that's okay. After our sunrise beach walk and a cup of coffee on the balcony, Ernie would head off to work meetings, and I'd head right back to a spot on the soft sand away from the lines of chairs and umbrellas. The sun peeking in and out of the puffy white clouds, taking an occasional break from listening to a podcast to get a dip in the cool water.
Paige [00:22:05]:
For dinner, I knew exactly where I wanted to go. Stewby's. If you're ever in Fort Walton, seriously, you wanna eat there. I love their fish tacos. Ernie typically goes for the fish sandwich and fries. And of course, banana pudding. You can't make a reservation, so I suggest you arrive on the early side because there's typically a line out the door, but it goes pretty quick. We timed our dinner just right to catch the sunrise over the ocean, the golden hour.
Paige [00:22:39]:
And it's so pretty and so peaceful. I didn't record anything for the podcast the whole time I was there, although I meant to. I didn't even record a few minutes of the sound of the waves, but I did remember to scoop up some sand, just a little ziplock full to take home. Day seven came way too soon. Time to check out and leave. Usually, that drive away from the beach feels a little empty, like I'm leaving a piece of my soul behind. But this time, yeah, I was a little sad and definitely not looking forward to the dull five and a half hour drive. I really wasn't leaving the beach, though.
Paige [00:23:28]:
I was going back to the beach, to home. Apparently, it had rained the entire week that we were gone, but now the sun was out and everything felt fresh, alive, renewed. It was like the whole neighborhood had bloomed. And as I started dragging all the beach gear out of the trunk, I stopped in the driveway for a moment to let the scent of the ocean fill my lungs. The beach was speaking. It's good to be home. Four beaches in seven days. Some new, some familiar, but each one gave me a moment I didn't expect, a memory I didn't know I needed.
Paige [00:24:19]:
And that's the thing about the beach, it's not just a place, it's a presence, a quiet companion for grief, a stage for joy, a reminder to breathe. And whether you're planning a beach vacation or just closing your eyes and imagining one, I hope you find what I found, the energy to keep going, the calm to feel everything, and the healing that only the beach seems to know how to give. If this story moved you, reminded you of someone, or made you long for the ocean, share it with a friend who needs a little beach in their life. The beach is speaking. Are you listening? If you're interested in hearing a little bit from Elderbrook's concert, I put a link to one of the songs in YouTube that you can play. I really wanted to include it in the show, but there are copyright issues. You can probably see our hands waving in the left corner of the frame. I hope you enjoy it.
Paige [00:25:41]:
Thank you for tuning in to another episode of the beach speaks. If you enjoyed what you heard, please spread the beachy vibes and share it with a friend. Because let's be honest, who doesn't want more beach in their lives? And if more beach is what you crave, go to thebeachbeach.com and sign up for my newsletter. It's an easy way to stay in the know, collect some tips and travel hacks for your next beach adventure, and find out what I'm doing at the beach. The beach is is speaking. Are you listening? Have a sea turtles day.
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