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Tuesday, August 28, 2012

Steps to the Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Ever see a real estate ad or write-up that said "steps to the beach?" For me those words conjure a mental image of dashing out the door onto sand that slopes gently and directly to the water's edge. Sometimes though, the reality  is much different than my image  -  the following examples show another perspective on the meaning of "steps to the beach."

Most of the steps at this beach seem to be constructed of wood - although some have a final bottom section of aluminum that can better withstand the harsh climate and also be hauled up above most storm tide levels.  Many folks don't use the stairs at all once the summer beach season is over and the weather turns cold.

Usually at least one interim landing is included in the design - a place to rest, a place to sit and gaze, or a place to break your fall if you stumble and start to roll.

The sandy bluff is often unstable, subject to erosion from the battering of storms, and makes maintaining a stairway a challenging task.

Some have multiple levels, short sections of stairs, and broad landings. 

This one has two turnouts to rest and one large deck area to just hang out.

And some have just one very long straight line of consecutive steps -  nowhere to rest if you tire on the way up and nowhere to stop or slow your fall if you lose your footing and start tumbling on the way down.

And some have multiple levels and landings and wind beautifully through the trees in Robinson-Crusoe-tree-house-style. 

Whatever the type of stairway though, people go to extraordinary lengths to build and maintain them so they can enjoy the timeless pleasure of being at the beach.


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