Richard Bode, author of First You Have to Row a Little Boat, writes in this book about the satisfactions of sun and surf he has experienced while living near the Pacific Ocean. "All my life I've been tending toward this common meeting ground of the sacred and the profane, the savage and the divine." Bode savors beachcombing as a sense-luscious state that brings out the artist, the child, and the nature lover in him. The author considers himself to be a rich man — gifted with splendid sunrises and sunsets, a profusion of wild life, the opportunity to fish, and the occasional talk with beachgoers. Bode identifies most with the artist Paul Gauguin who eventually found in Tahiti the one spot on earth where he belonged. "Beachcombing at Miramar" is a fine example of how a spirituality of place can lead to enchantment.