Buddhists at the beach

Photos, Diane Carnevale 

There I was at Crane's beach, relaxing on a gloriously sunny, late summer day, when a group of  about 15 Buddhist monks appeared and sat very near me. They were all draped in brown from head to toe, but eventually some stripped down to their shorts and tees, and swam and played soccer and did their Tai chi or whatever it is that Buddhist monks do, and soaked up the sunshine just like the rest us. Some spoke English, but most were speaking in an Asian language... Chinese, I think. It was quite a lovely peek at a foreign culture, and wonderfully entertaining-- certainly not a typical day at the beach.They were gentle souls who laughed and ate watermelon, and after the sun set they took photos of each other pretending to hold the moon in their hands as it rose. I was enchanted by all of them, and it made for a very serendipitous and memorable day at the beach.