Maria and I were walking on the beach in Rye, New Hampshire, the closest ocean to our farm in Cambridge, N.Y. We found a shabby and poorly kept-up cottage for $150 a night.

The kitchen was so tiny if you opened the refrigerator door your butt would turn a knob on the gas stove.

The front door was broken as were the front steps. There were few screens on the windows, and the plumbing was barely functioning. The bed was barely big enough for one, let alone two. It was the ugliest and most uncomfortable bathroom I can ever recall in a hotel or motel.

We gave thanks we were not there in the hot weather, it was stuffy and suffocating as it was.

It was interesting because there were nearly a score of 5-star reviews up on Air N’ B. The owners must have a lot of friends and  relatives.

We loved the beach though and I had the best lobster rolls I had ever had in my life. Fresh lobster and fried whole clams as well. We had a great time, the cottage reminded us of how lucky we are.

We especially loved walking on the beaches and sitting and staring at the waves.

On our first day, I saw an elderly woman walking in circles on the silky sand as the tide went out. I realized she was drawing a perfect concentric circle with her left toe, she had great balance and perspective, the circle was perfect and as she walked around and around beautiful.

It was a mystical kind of moment for me,  a meditation, the making of art, the creative spark, this woman, all alone, making this perfect circle in the sand just for herself. And for me, of course.

The human spirit is beautiful and good, given the chance. And amazing to behold.