Carol’s Beach

There is something about being close to large bodies of water that help clear away the cobwebs in my brain. There have been quite a few cobwebs lurking in my head lately and even though I really should have been at home taking care of the business of running a family, I decided to jump at my friend Debbie’s offer to take me to “Carol’s Beach” one morning and hunt for sea glass and blue and white pottery shards.

Jeff, Wrenn and I tried to find this beach almost a year ago with directions that would only have been clear to someone who’s already been there. We spent over an hour trying to find this beach – well known among the GW crowd here in Yokosuka but not so much for those of us living on the fringes of the GW community (Carol's Beach is what the American women here on base call it after the CO's wife from the GW who has led countless field trips to this beach). Wrenn and I have our beaches in Hayama that we like to frequent looking for sea treasures but I still had this beach on my “must hit list.” So with Debbie driving I tried to pay attention to some of the details of getting there (see directions below). 

The morning was nippy, the locals must have had fires going because as we walked along the cove area the smell of incense mixed in with the smell of firewood would periodically waft our way. It was quiet, with not much more than the occasional car driving by or the one man fishing junk puttering out of the cove and it was clear – not quite clear enough to catch all of Mt. Fuji but she was there, a small side shoulder seen across Sagami Bay.

We meandered along, poking through the beach detritus, finding a keeper every now and then. We talked, we listened, we had moments of silence. My friend was in the middle of housing battles trying to purchase their retirement home from half way around the world (One day I just may land on your doorstep Debbie, in an effort to escape the three H’s of a southern summer, New Hampshire will sound oh, so wonderful. I can work for my keep – give me a shovel, a rake and a good pair of gardening gloves and I’ll be happy for hours). She listened … the woes of Navy life – orders/no orders, twin sons in their critical high school years. She’s been there done that with all but one of their children out of the nest. With the cobwebs gone, treasures in my bucket, we got in the car and headed back to the base. It was just what I needed, I felt rejuvenated and more peaceful – once I could feel my fingers and toes again.

Sometimes the military life can be awesome – you meet new people, you see and experience things you never would have if you’d decided to homestead. Other times it can be incredibly overwhelming – the sense of loss as you miss landmark holidays and celebrations with friends and family back home and the frustration of the waiting game as powers that be decide you family’s future fate (and no, this is not God I’m talking about). Out of necessity, I believe military spouses develop a sixth sense, the intuition to know when to reach out and offer support, when to back off and give someone space, when to let someone just be. It’s a sisterhood I never thought I would be a part of, and certainly not for more than 20+ years, but it’s one I’m incredibly grateful for especially here in Japan. I wouldn’t dare attempt to name all my sister-spouses here in Japan that have made this overseas tour so much more enriching for me and of course have with their endless talents, wit, intelligence and compassion left me … inspired.

Directions: From Yokosuka take Rt.26 to Rt. 134. Route 26 ends at a T-intersection, take a left. You will see the Japanese School (JMSDF?) diagonally. Follow 134 until you see the intersection with the Terabun drugstore on the right (see photo) – Arasaki Ent., take a right and follow this road along until you pass the red/white/blue buildings on your right, then the cove – contineue to veer towards your right, following the water, until you see a small space to pull over and park next to the water. The red/white/blue buildings (from top photo) will be almost directly across the water from you.