After the trees, I gave up my front seat to the "kids" as we were heading right onto the coastline and wanted them to get the best views possible. It was great to see how they both stretched forward to see the ocean and the enormous rocks. Frank stopped at a good many viewpoints and the camera's clicked making many good memories. I could hear Steven breathing in that ocean smell and he stood for long minutes staring over the distant horizon, quietly saying "the ocean" a good few times over and over - while I sneakily snapped photos! It was only a two hour drive to the new campground and we quickly set up and trundled up and over the dune to the beach. Here again, Steven came to a screaming stop at the top of the dune just drinking in the scene. It was lovely to watch. We went for a loooooooooong walk, not bothering to take snacks or water with us - we all just wanted to get out there in the fresh sea air and walk, run and be free.
The water was fantastic and cold, the breakers crashed in unendingly chasing us further up into the dry sand. The smell was glorious - salty and that seaweed smell........... Frank does not particularly like it, but I can walk with a piece of seaweed in my hand and enjoy every step of the smell! The sand squeaked under our feet and we discovered muscles that had rested for waaaay too long! After a while we all walked on the hard part of the beach - much easier.... It was seriously great to sink my feet into that sand and just listen to the waves. I can breathe at the beach, really breathe......
I watched Steven as he ran up the dunes, sand flying and laughing loudly, I watched has he and Laura walked holding on to each other at times and chatting as they kicked at the driftwood and dodged the horse p**p and the icy cold waves. Frank found a live crab and got himself thoroughly soaked in the freezing sea water getting it out for us all to see. Steven offered it a piece of driftwood which it then pinched firmly in its claws like holding a cigarette - not wanting to give it up again. I have not seen Steven with as much energy as he had in a very long time - he took off running at the drop of a hat - climbing dunes and then running like a mad thing, jumping and laughing his way down again. He kept heading for the high points and the views and I have many photos of him either on top of a dune or screaming downhill, sand flying, arms and legs all over the place with a beautiful smile wrapped around his face. We were all pretty tired after that long walk and had a gentle and quiet evening in the motorhome. Steven quietly started singing to Laura which nearly made me cry - he was never the sort of person to have enough confidence to sing so others could hear him. A wonderful moment, and not the only singing one either. I have to say that the songs were not of the "put it on the radio" quality song, but it was so sweet and totally lovely to see him this way. I will always remember that look on his face as he gently sang.
The next day was quite a bit colder. We walked in the opposite direction on the beach this time, Frank and I leaving first as we wanted to give them a bit of time without 'the oldies'. This side of the beach was not as clean as the other, had crowds of people walking everywhere with dogs running wild all over the place - but it was still the beach! We found a dead seal, a sailboat made of logs held together by a gazillion miles of string, not rope, string and plenty half sand dollars. No other shells at all - just half sand dollars. We walked till the cliff met the ocean and then headed back and found Steven and Laura ambling arm in arm up towards us. The timing was great as there was a big log that looked a bit like a dragon sticking up out of the sand and we took pictures with us standing next to the dragon with the mist swirling all around us. The mist was something else - it swirled in from the sea making the beach look like a scene from a scary movie. We could see big clouds of it blowing in, some on sand level and others high above our heads. After the long walk, lunch and a bit of a rest, we drove down south a bit to show them a bit more of the coastline and the huge rocks/boulders in the ocean. We found a delicious Chinese place and stopped in to fill up. Time was starting to come to an end and we could all feel it. I have been having a rough time with all the goodbyes on this trip and this was one I was not looking forward to either. We built a campfire and sat there for a while, I burned the photos to disk so that they could take a copy back with them, we went for showers, packed and went to sleep.
Sunday was an early starter. We had to get Steven and Laura to the airport by 10am and it was just over two hours drive from the campsite. We made it well in time, but their flight was delayed by almost an hour and a half which then put all their other connections out of the picture. We did not wait at the airport to see them go, once they went through security - that was it and there did not seem to be a place to actually watch the airplane take off. Besides, crying at airports in front of your kid is not cool! So we said our goodbyes and I-love-you's and headed back to the camp. I fought tears all the way. Steven called later from San Fransisco to tell me that they now had a wait of almost nine hours to the next available connection! So instead of flying in daylight, they had all the way home in darkness and much later. Such is life. Steven managed to talk to Delta and get new connection flights, they survived the wait, he did some of his college homework while waiting and had some time to sit and do nothing - how often does one get the chance to do that? Sit and have nothing to do - nothing one should do, could do or can do......... those moments are precious.
It was very difficult for some reason for me to see Steven leave. I wanted to keep him there for another week at least. This was the first time I had seen my 'child' like this - well since he was a child in what felt like many years ago - and he was definately so much more relaxed than I had seen him in the last year. Running, laughing, singing and joking so openly and freely. He has a wicked sense of humor and would, at times, drive Laura to distraction which made it very difficult to keep a straight face. I watched him look at the ocean with wonder while he filled his lungs, I heard him call Laura to share a new view or beach find, I watched as they sat huddled together on top of a dune watching the sunset. It was especially wonderful to see him so full of energy - running up and down the dunes, away from the water - always with an extra bounce in his step. It actually moved me to tears - I am so incredibly thankful for Dr Druker and his team that made gleevec possible - that made living for Steven possible! I simply could not imagine life any other way.
I thank God for small miracles and also big ones like this!
Love and Light
Especially U3
Annie & Frank
XXXXXXXXxxxx
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