Maximize the Potential

When the beach gives you wind, what do you do?

Bundle up, take a deep breath of the extra salty air, head toward the tossing sea, put your shoulder down, and march into the gale as far as you can, Gal, so that the trip back will be leeward, quiet and calm, with a little extra nudge to keep you going.

AND

fly a kite!

When the Fates Don't Allow

There was something quite wonderful about spending Thanksgiving in a house large enough for everyone to wake up and watch the parade and the dog show and cook an amazing meal with a ridiculous number of sides, enjoy our dinner and still have a couple of more days together at the beach.

I miss you, Mom.

Gross Motor Skills

"What else did we learn besides skipping and galloping?" I asked my brother.

He looked at me blankly, then frowned. "Do you mean in gym when we were little?" He cocked his head. "Because that is super out of context."

I laughed so hard at his observation that I had to duck into the ladies room, but of course I meant exactly that. Somehow the notion of galloping and skipping had come up when I was walking with Treat and Annabelle, and as the three of us skipped and galloped along the boardwalk beneath the Bodie Island Lighthouse.

"Wasn't there a scissor step or an umbrella thing?" I asked when I returned, reaching back 5 minutes and 50 years. "But I have no idea what it actually looked like."

"Do you mean in Mother May I?" Heidi suggested.

"Oh my gosh!" I said. "I think maybe so!"

But Bill was ahead of us, googling umbrella and scissor steps. "Plant your heel, pivot, walk forward and repeat," he directed. Victor and I did so obediently, umbrella stepping down the trail toward Currituck Sound.

"That's it!" I cried.

"Step ahead and to the right, then bring your feet together. Now do it to the left," he said.

"Scissor step!" I confirmed, muscle memory recalling relay races through the gym in long ago elementary school PE classes. "Why did they even teach us that?"

Wisdom of Mary

"I need rock candy," Emily said as we started our shopping excursion yesterday.

"That's unusual," I commented.

"It's for a kid in my homeroom," she explained. "Mary Brown told me that she asks her students a whole bunch of questions at the beginning of the year, and one of them is favorite candy. Then she just buys them a big one for their birthday."

I nodded.

"It's genius, really," Emily continued, "because you can just buy them in advance and keep them in your classroom. Except for rock candy," she shrugged, "but I figured I could find it at the beach."

And she did.

"Feel this shell," I told Emily this morning as we walked up the beach. "It's so smooth and soothing."

"It is nice," she replied.

"Mary Brown told me she keeps a bunch of these on her desk at school, and then gives them out to kids as fidgets. They love 'em!"

'That's a cool idea," Emily agreed.

"We should just have Mary here!" I laughed. "We've been talking about her the whole trip."

Give Thanks

This day started with a walk on the beach... in my pajamas! The November morning was mild and still, and Lucy needed to go out, so there we were a few minutes after sunrise with no one but the pelicans and gulls for company.

After that? The day only improved, featuring good coffee, a nice breakfast, lots of sunshine, and another walk on the beach, this one a family pack walk with all 4 dogs. Later we had fresh seafood for lunch on the pier and then did some early holiday shopping at the outlet mall before witnessing a stunning sunset over the sound.

A satisfying dinner and one last night time romp on the beach with glow collars for the dogs and a variety of other phosphorescent accessories for the humans under a sensational assemblage of stars rounded out the opening 24 hours of our Thanksgiving week.

So often it is easy to believe that every day of vacation will be as amazing as the first, but, especially at the beach, that is not always true. The weather, winds and tides are fickle, and our own temperaments waver as well.

Another turn of the earth will tell whether tomorrow outshines or pales in comparison to today, but rather than fear or even face disappointment, I choose to be grateful for this wonderful day.

Gal's Pal

On our first evening at the beach, I hovered in front of the sparse offerings of an ice-filled case in a local seafood market. It was, after all, Sunday evening. But the fresh Carolina shrimp looked good, and they were what we had come for.

"Who's next?" called a brawny fishmonger in his early thirties.

I looked around at the other patrons, but none of them acknowledged waiting for service. "I guess it's me," I said.

"What do you need, then, Gal?" he asked me in friendly twang.

Charmed, I placed my order. It's going to be a good week.

Believe It or Not

Many years ago now, a good friend of mine gave me the name of a pet psychic who had helped her through the loss of her dog. Since then, we have invited her to our home 4 or 5 times to communicate with our pets, too. Whether you approach such an experience with faith or strictly as an hour or so of entertainment, it is always well worth it. Diane's energy is warm and lovely and it's fun to get an answer when you talk to your pets.

Each visit has been a little different. The first time, Diane impressed us with all the things our dog told her about the our home, neighborhood, and the dog park. She even had some gossip about some of the other dog walkers she knew from going to the park with our dog walker. On that visit, our cat reinforced our impression of her as ever wary. She told the medium that there were several stray cats in the area and also that somebody was breaking into cars at night... both true.

The last time we had her here was when our beloved dog, Isabel, was very ill and we were wrestling with our own desire to keep her with us versus her pain and suffering. "She's ready to go," Diane said, and so we braced ourselves and let her go.

Three years later we have three new pets, and it seemed like a good time to check in with them. This morning's visit brought no surprises-- our dog and cats are happy, and Diane nailed their personalities and idiosyncrasies exactly, but we already knew them well. Often when she is here, Diane channels human spirits, too, and today was no exception. But again, even though it was extraordinary for someone who we haven't seen in three years to know so much about the events of the past months, her message from spirit was nothing I didn't know already.

Even so? It was nice to have some independent affirmation, and I look forward to the next time we see her again.