Yard ornament

Haven't been to the beach in four days! Argggggh! I'm feeling used and abused and haven't had the time to replenish my soul. However, a sense of calm and peace came right to my front yard. 

This lovely great egret landed inches from my front walk, I grabbed my camera and hurried outside. He spread his wings and floated next door. Then across the street. What a wonderful lawn ornament he made! What a lesson in stillness he brought with him.

Big Blue

The change of seasons makes for a change in my beach walking habits. No longer do I have to get up before dawn and hit the beach before the sun makes being outside unbearable. We've had a touch of chilly weather, well... if you call the 50s that quickly warm up to the 70s chilly, then so be it.


What we've had are big blue skies, not a hint of humidity and perfect beach walking. Perfect fishing for the osprey, too. (Tiny dot in the center.) Maybe not as thrilling as the sun's appearance on a summer dawn, but if this were Montana we'd be calling it big sky, but we've got big sky and big seas. How about calling it big blue instead?

Monday skies

Just a quick look at today's spectacular skies. It almost doesn't look real but it was very real and very glorious. Woo hoo!

Idyllic Sunday

Regrettably, I haven't been on this blog for a while, but I've been to the beach daily recharging my soul. 

This morning I noticed that many birds were out enjoying this partly cloudy yet perfectly temperate day. 

This fisherman was enjoying his chores while the two egrets in the foreground were waiting for free handouts. A nice day to be fishing. Oh I do wish you could hear the surf, the cry of seagulls and feel the sun on your skin cooled by the refreshing breeze. Heavenly.

The ospreys were out in force today too. I don't remember seeing so many at one time and I believe there were as many as six in the skies at once. Four of them were much smaller than the other two, so with a little anthropomorphism thrown in, I'm thinking families out for a Sunday morning fishing expedition.

The clouds were strange and lovely, dark to the south, heavy and white to the north and west. (The tiny speck in the photo above is an osprey.)
So, am I grateful to be here? You betcha!

Reprieve

What a wonderful day it is today and a wonderful reprieve from our incredibly stormy weather over the weekend. That strange sub-tropical low pressure system along the coast was surprisingly powerful. Today is spectacular.

After two days of rain, Sunday night it seemed to hit its peak. I could hear limbs falling and things were hitting my roof and my windows that made me jump. Then there were fire trucks and police cars with lights flashing. What? A large oak limb had fallen on a power line on the street just west of me. No loss of power, thankfully, but a little neighborhood excitement and much cussing and discussing of the weather.
This morning the sun was out for the first time in 3 days and my yard is just full of tree debris. A neighbor lost half of a big oak which took out a Norway spruce on its way down. I worked in the yard for two hours and the only evidence that I did anything is the large pile of limbs and palm fronds for curbside pick up. I could see this was going to be a long chore. 

Since I hadn't been to the beach since Friday (today is Monday) I decided the bits and pieces of limbs and leaves could wait and off I headed. That glorious sunshine, stunning surf and reconnection with my favorite spot in the world was just what I needed to recharge my soul.

There was some beach erosion but Mother Nature will fix that over time. Amazingly, the turtle's nest that was laid on my birthday hatched last night... 
I can't imagine how those tiny turtles survived the storm and rough surf but apparently they made it. No little fellows stranded on the shore or in the seaweed. Hurrah!

The surf is fabulous, the sky is very blue and life is back to normal. Normal is good. 

Stormy weather

Early Friday morning there was a portend of things to come... these rain clouds at sea were the veritable tip of the iceberg. 

Since then we've had rain, rain and more rain accompanied by wind sometimes gusting to 40+ mph but a steady 10 to 12 mph straight out of the east. At least it isn't cold and to be honest it's electrifying. 

This is my usual approach to the beach but not very approachable or inviting... 

The picture below is not mine, the strand is a bit too intense and wet for me but came thanks to a fellow beach walker who is braver than I. Thanks!

Anger abated

I try to keep myself on an even keel mainly because getting mad makes me angry. Today I got angry with a bank teller and instead of heading off to finish my errands, my little car headed to the beach seemingly on its own accord. I hadn't planned my walk until after my chores so I was without the correct shoes but took my angry self to the shoreline anyway. Barefooted is best anyway.

The crystal blue skies and gorgeous surf was an instant snit eraser. Then I was treated to three osprey also enjoying the beautiful day. (Only managed to capture two in this shot.)

As my mood lifted I noticed some words written in the sand. It's usually hearts with initials, or "So-and-so loves... whoever." Curious, I looked closer and then laughed aloud. How can you not love this one:  

In a huff? Go to the beach, there will be unexpected delights when you look for them... especially if you love cheese.

Hello October

Hello sun, welcome October. Fall normally is just barely beginning on the first of October, this year I went from a sleeveless beach walk to wearing a jacket in one day. Yes, it was downright chilly this morning and the strong northwest wind didn't make a beach walk any easier.

However, October is one of my favorite months here in Florida. No heat, no air conditioning, windows wide open and just a joy being outside. This morning's sun said it all. Hello!