I grew up on the beach in California, living at Pismo Beach for awhile. Then I was lucky enough to be stationed in Hawaii for my entire service in the United States Air Force. Don’t get me wrong, I love Arizona, but I do wish there was water to go with the endless beach…
I know Joyce Kilmer said “I think I shall never see a poem as lovely as a tree.” But I have heard the other version, misquoted, that “I think I shall never see a palm as lovely as a tree.” While trees are certainly more complex, for me there is nothing like a palm tree up against a tropical sunset. When I was a child, my mother had some gaudy earrings that were souvenirs made according to her from butterfly wings. They were a palm tree against a sunset, and maybe that is why I hold it so dear.
It could also be just from living in Hawaii for almost six years and visiting Grenada, Dominica, Aruba, St. Thomas, etc. All very pretty.
Here are some places I always think of as paradise:
Michael Bradley - Time Traveler 