Father And Son Outing At Oakland Beach in Rye

It was opening day for Rye’s Oakland Beach on Friday and people flocked to the shore to dip in the ocean’s cool waters and bake in the sun. Mohammed Khalaf took his son Adam, 6, into the water, trying to get him to swim but the boy preferred to play in the sand.

“The water is still cold today,” said Khalaf, furniture salesmen in Rye, originally from the West Bank in the Palestinian Territories.

Khalaf came to the United States five years ago, first living in Union City, New Jersey for two years before coming to Rye with his family.

“I like it here,” said Khalaf. “It’s quiet here and there are good people.”

When Khalaf was growing up in the West Bank, a land-locked region, he was never able to go to the beach.

“There are no beaches there,” he said, watching his son dig a trench with his hands. “We are blocked off. But here, it's free. You can go anywhere you want. All you need is GPS and gas.”

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