It hit me the minute the automatic doors at the airport slid open. The tide must have been out and the air was thick with the smell (not a scent, a real smell) of the ocean. The Atlantic Ocean.
at the beach in Maine
Somehow the Pacific Ocean doesn’t have the same funky, almost foetid, low tide smell. There might be a scientific explanation for that — maybe the winds blow differently, or the seaweed is different, or the sand. Or it could just be that the smell of the Pacific Ocean doesn’t remind me of home, yet.
at the beach in Oregon
Is there a way to capture smells? Take them with you so that when you are far away you can haul them out and feel at home?
knitting a life 
If you’re interested in a scientific explanation of what causes that “low tide smell” check this out: http://www.livescience.com/strangenews/070201_seaside_smell.html
–Liza