Wednesday Mary, Vicki, Nancy and I took the toy to Apalachicola. I can’t tell you how happy the toy feels to have a car full of happy woman. Mature happy woman with gray in their hair, crows feet at their eyes from all the laughter these faces have experienced. The toy feels happy to me on some days, and other days that silver car seems not really sad as much as “give up acceptance.” Like the days that it rains.
But yesterday we flew over the water driving on the new bridge smiling and laughing with the wind blowing our hair into our sun colored faces. Down the bridge right up to the Gibson Inn. Turn right head to the river. Turn left to Boss Oyster. This is one of Vicki and my favorite places to eat. Just the right balance of tourist, good food and a great view sitting over the river. Vicki always has the grouper. I had the crab cake, and it was full of blue crab. Twice the size I could eat, so Vicki got to try some. Then we left the car and started walking our way through town. First stop is always across the street from Boss. It is a tourist store that looks like a marine junk store. Always a fun spot to weave through the glass fish balls, maps, shells, giant fiberglass pirates and everything old and rusty that has ever been connected to a boat or fishing.
Then to the Cotton Market to a store I always end up buying off the cheap sales rack. This time a jersey knit rayon of steel gray. It slips over my head and just slides down to the ground nestling up with each curve. If I stand at just the right angle, I look fabulous in it. I also bought a belt and hat to go with it, and felt like the queen of the world as we continued to breeze in and out of our favorite stores, The Book Store, Riverlily, Petunias, the chocolate shop, Tamara’s coffee shop, and the cheap tourist store with the soda fountain counter. Our day filled with good food, laughter, wonderful shops and being together. The drive back over the bridge to Moondance was just as wonderful as the trip over that morning.
We ended the day with Mary's fresh scallops and a trip to the Ice cream shop. What paradise we have all found ourselves in here in our little cottage, Moondance.
Thursday morning broke with the cloud filled with clouds with thick heavy black bottoms. Clouds filled to the brim with moisture, a wind blowing up the Gulf stirring up bottom and making the water dotted with white caps. I enjoyed my morning walk with the change of weather, hoping that it would shift before Lily, Hank and Owen got her. By the end of my walk the clouds were moving off, leaving us with a choppy Gulf, but a cooler, breezier day.
The kids got here early and headed right down to the beach with Mer-Mer. I stayed to do my yoga. I only had a few goals this week, take 2 walks everyday and do yoga. I have been able to do that here and have enjoyed every moment. I can do a few things a little better today then I could before I got here.
Mer-Mer and the kids came up for lunch and all the meemaws ran around setting out a smorgsbjorg of all the food we had in the frig. They were overwhelmed with all the food and variety. We all sat around and ate and ate and talked and laughed. Owen, of course was the center of most of our attention, and he was such a good boy. Owen, Lily and Mary (Mer-Mer) laid down for about an hour nap. Hank fell asleep on the couch and the rest of us enjoyed the quiet siesta in our own way.
After naps there was still time to take one more dip in the water, so Mary, Lily, Owen and I headed to the beach. We played in a warm pool at the edge of the water, then I headed west for my second walk of the day. By the time I got back almost everyone had headed back up to Moondance, but then I saw 2 turtles come out of their nest and head towards the Gulf. Vicki ran back and grabbed Mary and the kids and they all scurried back in time to see the 2 tiny creatures with hearts bigger the all of the Gulf, padded their way ever closer to the water. We cheered them on knowing the high mortality rate these creatures experience from this moment until adulthood. So small, so lovely, so perfect, tiny turtles on their first day of life looking as ancient as their species. They make the edge of the water and roll in the surf as we all watch and cheers them, tears filling our lives. The beginning of a long life's journey living in the Gulf, returning to this spot when they are ready to be their part of the line of genetics that goes back and back. It made the beach feel so magical, like anything is possible. And each of us will remember the first time Owen saw sea turtles. He may not remember, but it is a memory burned into my brain with the smiles and tears of pure joy.
It was Ms Judy's night for dinner and she made pork in the crock pot that everyone oohed and aahed over. She also made chicken on the grill and I can tell you it was delicious. She had couscous and a salad. Then Judy, Mary and I headed to the store to buy things to make a pie, or a cobbler. Judy wanted one of Mary's pies. We picked up blue bell blackberry cobbler ice cream and a bag of sugar and a box of jiffy biscuit mix to make fruit cobbler using all the delicious fruit that Mary had cut up. We had blueberries, cherries, peaches, maybe even a mango all ready to go. We made it home with the ice cream, but not the jiffy mix and sugar. sigh. We did enjoy the icecream, and maybe tonight Ms Moon will make her cobbler for us.
This morning I was the first up and out. The other ladies had stayed up talking. I headed for the beach for my morning walk and headed east. Every morning there is a thought for the day, a blessing of sorts. This morning was Thoreau, "The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is." I scanned the beach for shells, tracks of turtles, birds, dogs, people and I think a raccoon. So magical with all the colors of the shells and sand, the bits and pieces of these creatures lives. I look out and see a much calmer water then the day before. The sky is clear blue spanning across this island like a china blue bowl over turned on top of us. I walked and walked feeling a part of this place. Happy and healthy, my feet firmly planted in the sand, my head up in the blue sky.
I cooled down with a dip in the gulf and then headed in for my yoga. Mary joined me again this morning and we stretched and giggled and breathed through the stretches. Then Vicki, Nancy and I hopped in the toy and headed back across the beach and then easterly along the shimmering, sparkling gulf. We drove through Carrabelle and then turned around in Gulf Terrace. On our way back we stopped at the DEP Exhibit. A huge building, with a nice display. Then back to our little island floating in the warm gulf waters.
A quiet afternoon, each of us moving into our individual universes bumping into each other. Sharing a few moments, a hug, a giggle, a memory shared in the sun and warmth and salt. Another day in paradise, another day grateful to be alive, to be together, to be right here.
We ended the day with Mary's fresh scallops and a trip to the Ice cream shop. What paradise we have all found ourselves in here in our little cottage, Moondance.
Thursday morning broke with the cloud filled with clouds with thick heavy black bottoms. Clouds filled to the brim with moisture, a wind blowing up the Gulf stirring up bottom and making the water dotted with white caps. I enjoyed my morning walk with the change of weather, hoping that it would shift before Lily, Hank and Owen got her. By the end of my walk the clouds were moving off, leaving us with a choppy Gulf, but a cooler, breezier day.
The kids got here early and headed right down to the beach with Mer-Mer. I stayed to do my yoga. I only had a few goals this week, take 2 walks everyday and do yoga. I have been able to do that here and have enjoyed every moment. I can do a few things a little better today then I could before I got here.
Mer-Mer and the kids came up for lunch and all the meemaws ran around setting out a smorgsbjorg of all the food we had in the frig. They were overwhelmed with all the food and variety. We all sat around and ate and ate and talked and laughed. Owen, of course was the center of most of our attention, and he was such a good boy. Owen, Lily and Mary (Mer-Mer) laid down for about an hour nap. Hank fell asleep on the couch and the rest of us enjoyed the quiet siesta in our own way.
After naps there was still time to take one more dip in the water, so Mary, Lily, Owen and I headed to the beach. We played in a warm pool at the edge of the water, then I headed west for my second walk of the day. By the time I got back almost everyone had headed back up to Moondance, but then I saw 2 turtles come out of their nest and head towards the Gulf. Vicki ran back and grabbed Mary and the kids and they all scurried back in time to see the 2 tiny creatures with hearts bigger the all of the Gulf, padded their way ever closer to the water. We cheered them on knowing the high mortality rate these creatures experience from this moment until adulthood. So small, so lovely, so perfect, tiny turtles on their first day of life looking as ancient as their species. They make the edge of the water and roll in the surf as we all watch and cheers them, tears filling our lives. The beginning of a long life's journey living in the Gulf, returning to this spot when they are ready to be their part of the line of genetics that goes back and back. It made the beach feel so magical, like anything is possible. And each of us will remember the first time Owen saw sea turtles. He may not remember, but it is a memory burned into my brain with the smiles and tears of pure joy.
It was Ms Judy's night for dinner and she made pork in the crock pot that everyone oohed and aahed over. She also made chicken on the grill and I can tell you it was delicious. She had couscous and a salad. Then Judy, Mary and I headed to the store to buy things to make a pie, or a cobbler. Judy wanted one of Mary's pies. We picked up blue bell blackberry cobbler ice cream and a bag of sugar and a box of jiffy biscuit mix to make fruit cobbler using all the delicious fruit that Mary had cut up. We had blueberries, cherries, peaches, maybe even a mango all ready to go. We made it home with the ice cream, but not the jiffy mix and sugar. sigh. We did enjoy the icecream, and maybe tonight Ms Moon will make her cobbler for us.
This morning I was the first up and out. The other ladies had stayed up talking. I headed for the beach for my morning walk and headed east. Every morning there is a thought for the day, a blessing of sorts. This morning was Thoreau, "The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is." I scanned the beach for shells, tracks of turtles, birds, dogs, people and I think a raccoon. So magical with all the colors of the shells and sand, the bits and pieces of these creatures lives. I look out and see a much calmer water then the day before. The sky is clear blue spanning across this island like a china blue bowl over turned on top of us. I walked and walked feeling a part of this place. Happy and healthy, my feet firmly planted in the sand, my head up in the blue sky.
I cooled down with a dip in the gulf and then headed in for my yoga. Mary joined me again this morning and we stretched and giggled and breathed through the stretches. Then Vicki, Nancy and I hopped in the toy and headed back across the beach and then easterly along the shimmering, sparkling gulf. We drove through Carrabelle and then turned around in Gulf Terrace. On our way back we stopped at the DEP Exhibit. A huge building, with a nice display. Then back to our little island floating in the warm gulf waters.
A quiet afternoon, each of us moving into our individual universes bumping into each other. Sharing a few moments, a hug, a giggle, a memory shared in the sun and warmth and salt. Another day in paradise, another day grateful to be alive, to be together, to be right here.
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