I showed up at New Smyrna Beach more than an hour early for the Hands Across the Sand protest, hoping to avoid the inevitable free-for-all parking snarl of beachgoers and protestors. I lucked out — I found a parking spot just next to Chases on the Beach, a designated meeting point for the New Smyrna protestors.
The Atlantic's waves churned a fine ocean mist in the air as I strode down the wooden stairs onto the familiar white sand — this was a place I knew well from my years of living in Volusia County. I laid out my striped blue beach towel, kicked off my beige and orange flip flops, and stretched out to enjoy the sand, sun, and salt air on my skin as I waited for the event to draw nearer.
This article appears in Jun 24-30, 2010.