Before temperatures rise. Before the kids are out of school for the year. Before fills up with the frolicking hordes. Go there by yourself. Take a bag lunch and your Diet Pepsi. Take a little plastic bag for the nibs of blue and green beach glass you collect as you lazily stroll along the surf.
Even if it’s cloudy, slather on sunscreen. Schlep a folding beach chair if you feel like it. But don’t take your iPod. Listen to the water lapping at the shore, the wind making a mess out of your hair. Smile at the hardy few stragglers you pass on the sand dunes.
An hour or so later, plunk down on the sand, your back to the wind, and enjoy your lunch. You can pretend you’re on Cape Cod or the Oregon coast if you want. But on your way back to your car, remember how lucky you are to live near Lake Erie.