where i'm from

When we were growing up, my brothers and I used to whine about wanting a pool in the lower part of our backyard. It was the perfect shape for a pool, and both of our next-door neighbors had pools. We didn't understand why we couldn't have one. "Because you've got the big pool down the street!" was our dad's reply. The big pool, aka the ocean: five minutes' walk down the street. It might not have been my favorite beach, but then I'm spoiled to have had two different beaches in my life from the start. And much as Stone Harbor might win the prize for my favorite beach (and beach town), Virginia Beach is home.