After moving up here this morning, we headed down to the water again. The temperature of the air and the water was perfect and it was like coming home, sinking into that clear water again. This time it was low tide and we headed out to a sandbar not too far offshore - I am not fond of swimming in the ocean at all because this is home to things with bigger teeth than I have..... But we got to the sandbar safely where the water was not quite knee deep in most places and defiinately deep enough to float in others. What a different world out there! The sounds from the shore disappeared, the feel was different and we gently bobbed around there for a good long time. The butterflies flittered overhead, the gulls yelled at us - I kept my mouth firmly shut when I looked up at them! There were a good many little fish darting around us but one fair sized one that had a green/blue color to it just kept on circling our ankles, never coming too close and never giving us the opportunity to look at it really well. The sunshine made the water look almost like that glass many people use in their bathrooms, either for the window or the shower door - bending vision and casting doubt on everything you think you see. Many times a fast moving shadow would catch my eye and my heart would fly to my throat only to realise that it was simply that - a reflection of the water, Frank moving or even myself! Well - I really dont like the idea of shadows in the ocean! At one point we thought we saw dolphins. They were a good distance away and I already started backing up towards the shore - my eyes are not good enough at that distance to see what they really were - dolphins, sharks or some other glurby hurtling our way for a quick, easily picked meal. We watched and watched until we figured it out - a snorkler! We laughed, me with relief and Frank with some concern for the state of our eyes! Every now and again we would feel a little pinprick somewhere on our bodies, nothing serious but a small but definate jab but could not see anything at all. Frank got zapped a good few times all at once and then I started feeling them. They were not enough to drive us out of the water, just leaving us a tad puzzeled. Then one landed on Frank's finger - a small jellylike blob, no bigger than the 'oh' key on your keyboard and a bit sticky. At least we now knew what was feasting on us.... and we played some more, with the fish still dancing around our legs, not touching, just checking us out.
I love the space that is between the top of the water and the sand underneath and kept trying to stay down to enjoy the clear water and quiet world under there, but it was almost impossible to stay under. Either the water is incredibly salty or I have way too much bouyancy - now be nice! I am still on vacation and the 'bouyancy issue" will be tackled once we get home again! :-) Anyway, after a good few tries, I asked Frank to hold me down under the water for a little while at a time. I can only imagine what the people on the beach thought each time I came back up spluttering and coughing sea water! After a little while he did not want to do this anymore - I think he was afraid beach patrol would come and nab him for attempted drowning or something........
There were no breakers out there this morning, just the gently rolling ocean, the sunshine and such amazing peace - if life could just always be this quiet, gentle and easy on the soul...... I touched something with my foot and gently picked it up with my toes - a tiny, unbroken sand dollar - boy did I feel really rich at that moment! It still had fuzz on it and I cradled it carefully in my hand for a good hour while we enjoyed the water. There are not many shells out here at all - not many that are whole anyway and finding this was really special. After a good long swim/float we headed back to the RV where Frank made a de-licious lunch, we spoiled ourselves with a twirly-whirly icecream, relaxed for a few hours doing absolutely nothing except watch the breeze play on the ocean, making ten billion glittering diamonds that danced endlessly on the top of the water.
Then we headed back to the water for another float. By this time the tide was coming in and the water was a bit cooler and quite a bit stronger and more determined than earlier on, but in we went looking for that sandbar again. The water was quite a bit deeper now too and neither of us was quite comfortable in going out there again. Strange. So we spent a good while playing closer to the shoreline. The waves, yes - waves by now, pummeled us endlessly and it was more of a workout than a gentle float - but we could both do with a workout so we stayed and enjoyed trying unsuccessfully to dig our feet into the sand and create personal anchors. The shadows under the water were more definate now too and we both felt a bit more jumpy, laughing at each other while watching for that next shadow. I don't think it helped that we were the only people swimming - safety in numbers, and all that.
The fish were back and one started harrassing me - I am serious! He bumped up against my legs continuously in a manner that was just not fitting for a fish! He was not even the length of a ruler so had no business messing with me, but he did....... again and again. I really started feeling picked on and kicked out at him next time he came at me. That flippin fish bit me! Frank laughed and laughed, thinking that I was fooling around, until I stuck my foot out of the water and in his face - swallowing water while I did this! That fish actually bit me. I could not believe it. Not a big bite - more of a scraping of a tiny piece of skin off the side of my toe, but it changed the idea of fun in the water. We were definately in a place where I felt that even a little fish could mess with my brain and, besides, it was starting to get cold. The wind had picked up and the water was no longer easy to see into, which made the shadows more.......... ummm, well, you know! And the dry white sand and the warm RV looked rather comfortable up on the shore. So with one more mean word to that fish we left. Thinking about it now - this whole display must have been hilarious from the shoreline....... It's quite amazing how it can be warm under the water and almost freezing when running up the beach in dripping t-shirts and shorts.
After a good warm shower, another restful hour or two, the sunset arrived again. We watched as people with their chairs streamed past the Skilpads to the waterline and plonked themselves down to watch yet another stunning display. I noticed a good many people assuming 'the stance' to take their photos and had to chuckle. Tonight it was simply awesome again, with clouds littering the sky, turning from white to orange, pink and then fire red, the gulls sailing the air currents and the moon lighting up as the sun dropped below the waterline on the horizon. There is no way to describe the glorious colors, the reflections and the feeling of a sunset on the beach. Everyone is quiet as the end to yet another day arrives and it even felt as if the water was less troubled. There definately is something really special about a sunset on the beach. Right as the sun dissappears, most folks picked up their chairs and head back to their campers. I wanted to tell them to stop as the sunset was not done yet! They missed the clouds changing colors, they missed the deep red in those last rays sent upwards by the now long gone sun, they missed the deep orange and then purple all around the sky and the single mysterious light here and there as an airplane flew by. They missed so much!
Others stayed firmly in their chairs until way after dark put it's blanket over everything. I saw them when I went for a short walk to the waterline much later tonight, looking for those little crabs that come out after dark. There they were (the crabs, of course :-)) - all scuttling like spiders in the shallow waters.............. As soon as I shone the flashlight on them, they quickly scooted away not allowing me to get very close at all. There were so many of them and I wondered if my fish would harrass them too. I have to admit that I really did not want to stand on one of them out there almost alone on the beach - I just knew I would yell and that would start something that I did not want.......
The moon cast its shadow over the water in a thick, glistening, silvery road from way back on the horizon to right at my feet and I stood there for a long time, quietly thinking of all the people we have met along this road and all the people we carry with us.
I am sitting here in the RV with the door open, the sounds of the incoming waves pounding the shoreline continuously, the lights of Fort Walton Beach glistening in the distance and Frank gently snoring in the room. There is almost total dark outside and a really wonderful stillness covers everything and we could be alone for the total quiet from all the other campers. We are definately tremendously fortunate.
Love and light and a glorious sunset for you all
Especially U3
Annie and Frank
XXXXXXxxx
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