Got wet...

Arriving at the beach, my first hope was that the young man who had never seen the ocean got to see it today... just the way I like it, raging and angry. With a couple of tropical storms off shore the surfers have been anticipating a great surf. They were probably hoping for a bit more sun, but the clouds were as spectacular as the surf. It was exhilarating.

The big ol' cloud above was far enough off shore that I wasn't too worried about getting wet, though I did have a little umbrella with me just for insurance.

In Florida you never know about the weather and when I was about 40 minutes from my starting point, I was really glad I had that umbrella. Did I get wet? You betcha! The wind's shifting direction kept turning the umbrella inside out — besides it was just a little thing and I was wishing I had my big golf umbrella instead. Never a dull moment. What fun!

Oh what a day!

This morning was truly special for me and particularly for one young man from Georgia.

The rising sun was stunning, the air was comfortable with a gentle breeze, the sea was calm and it was so very peaceful. Then I saw a young man in shorts, running ankle deep at the edge of the surf and laughing like a kid. I was totally taken aback. Then the young man ran up to an older woman and gave her a hug before heading back to the surf.

I guess I was standing there with my mouth hanging open because the older woman said to me, "that's my 22-year-old grandson and this is the first time in his life to see the ocean." The young man's sister was there as well but she'd been to the beach in the past. She was the epitome of decorum, he was the definition of exuberance.

How could I resist this photo of the young man bending to dig in the sand for the first time with his sister documenting the act. Add to that the sun rising in the background and you've got a truly amazing start to the day for all.

Once again I was reminded of how lucky I am. Oh yes, I truly am blessed to be able to start each day right here on the beach surrounded by some of the Earth's most astonishing natural scenery.

Two blue or too blue?

It's either my eyes or the early morning atmosphere has been tinged in blue lately, well pink and blue to be exact.

These sunrise photos are from different days, August 16 and August 21, but both are indicative of the blue tinge to the air. Strange looking but actually rather exhilarating and fortunately the clouds have helped block the heat of the sun. All this combined has been making my beach treks very enjoyable especially with the accompanying gentle breeze.

Great start to any day!

Go that-a-way

Sometimes my toughest decision of the day is whether to head north or south on my beach walks. Usually the direction of the wind dictates my heading, today with the wind from the west it was a toss up... until I saw this cloud pointing the way. Decision made, and what a fortunate one it turned out to be.

If I'd gone in the other direction I would have missed the turtle patrol cleaning out a nest that had hatched three day previous. Near the bottom of the nest, covered in the hatched shells of its brothers and sisters was one little straggler about to give up on his struggle to reach the top. Rescued!

The little guy got a second wind when placed on the open sand and headed off to the sea. Such a tiny tiny little thing (maybe 2 inches nose to tail) heading to that big ol' ocean. It was about mid tide so he had a long way to go and beach goers gathered around to watch his progress. I hate to admit what a softie I am, but it brought a lump to my throat when he made it to the water and kept right on going. I sure do hope he makes it.

I'm grateful for all the direction signs in my life. Perhaps I should be a little more open minded when I look for them.

Look the other way

I get so focused on morning skies that I often forget that in summer we are treated to a build up of afternoon clouds in the west. Sometimes we get rain, sometimes not. Must be a weatherman's worst nightmare to determine who is going to get wet on any given day. The skies were clear blue just a short time ago then suddenly there were all these cotton-ball clouds. Interesting change. Wonder if we'll get rain.

Strange juxtapositions

This was a day filled with unusual and surprising things. First was this face that only a mother could love... a round nosed guitar fish. The relative of a skate or a ray, this poor little guy was definitely out of his element. Maybe 18 inches nose to tail he blended in so well with the sand that I almost stepped on him.

The next surprise was the rocket launched from Cape Canaveral. My first thought was that the sun was shining strangely on the 7 a.m. flight to Atlanta from our local airport. Then I realized that flight was going straight up. Only thing that does that is a rocket. After returning home I found out that the Air Force had launched an Atlas 5 rocket with a new and highly sophisticated communications satellite onboard.

From a species of fish that is estimated to be over 150 million years old to a rocket and satellite launched into space... the anachronism was mind boggling. How strange that within just a few minutes I was exposed to this strange juxtaposition of ancient creature and new science. Gives one lots to think about!

Cloud monsters

Like the cookie monster, these cloud monsters definitely had a personality of their own. In fact no matter where I looked, the clouds were the center of attention. Looking east or south the cloud layers and configurations were infinitely intriguing and colorful.

Looking north, however, the sight was ominous with heavy dark clouds hanging just above the surface. Interesting indeed, a very interesting day of clouds to enjoy.

Hodgepodge

What a confused mixture it was this morning at the beach. A pleasant breeze and heavy clouds as I left the house made me wonder what I'd encounter on the strand. The clouds were leaden, low and roiling. There were flocks of pelicans streaming north and the sun was trying to burst through the darkness. Then I saw the rain... heavy streaks of rain far off shore. I was making wagers with myself on whether I'd get wet.

The above picture shows it all, the sun, the rain and the pelicans skimming along at the crest of the waves. It also gives you a hint of the wet feet I got standing a little too close to the incoming tide line. Oops.

With the rain and the sun in such close proximity I was hoping for a rainbow but was not fortunate enough to see one or find the pot of gold.

Oh yes, this rain shower took a while to come ashore but it eventually did just that and though it looked menacing it turned out to be just a gentle shower and actually felt really refreshing. Sensory overload today and never a dull moment.

Candle in the sun...

The layers of different kinds of clouds before the sun's arrival gave me a hint that this sunrise had the potential to be spectacular. What I didn't expect was the little cloud poised right in front of the sun that when highlighted looked just like the flame of a candle. Instead of "candle in the wind" this was perhaps a candle in the sun. Stunning, just stunning.

Tiny turtle treks/tracks

Be sure to take a look at the July post of a few days ago called "Perfect U-Turn" it will help you visualize what these dizzying sandy photos depict.

Yes, these are turtle tracks, tiny, tiny turtle tracks. Approximately two months after the female turtle digs her nest deep in the sand and lays her eggs, the hatchlings emerge and head to sea. The top photo shows several of the little impressions scattering in all directions. The next is a close-up of one tiny track, very suggestive of what its adult self will eventually become but now only about 2 inches across.

Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the little guys, but the evidence in the sand paints a vivid picture for me of the 100 or so hatchlings scurrying toward the sea. What a joyous mini mind movie that is!