Back from the beach in May of 2025. First time to that part of the Atlantic in a few years. Our first day there the skies were cloudy and it was windy. Typical of beach weather, however, the rains were hard but brief. The clouds slid across the firmament soon after emptying some of their liquid sunshine, and soon the sun reappeared. We got loads of sun. (CJ turned her usual dark brown. And I turned my usual pink and red. Mind you, we have traditions to uphold.)

In the mornings, we walked several miles down the beach and back. We spoke with fellow morning strollers. The shoreline was littered with shells in various shapes of sea-wornness. We spotted a few beached jellyfish along the way, too. A few parents were flying kites with their tykes.

When we returned, I made breakfast. Well, one morning, we went to the Waffle House just down the strand. No beach time is quite complete without a Waffle House excursion or two.

In the midday hours, we put our chairs out and unfolded the umbrella, and enjoyed the sun, sand, water, and waves. And there was no end to people-watching. I read a couple of short Bret Lott books, too, a writer I enjoy. And CJ read the Coleman Luck book I recommended to her–Day of the Wolf, an important book about the call to discernment.

Our last night we went out for our indulgences–crab legs for CJ and raw oysters and shrimp for me. We went to an all-you-can-eat seafood place on the main drag. (It is quite possible you may see a spike in seafood prices soon. CJ may’ve depopulated the crab population to dangerously low levels. And I consumed about 60 oysters before I stopped counting. So, you’ve been warned.)

There was a massive live oak just outside our place. Strings of white lights were strung along most of the limbs. Underneath the giant people had put out Adirondack chairs and benches, too, and built wooden benches and a handrail, too.

Our son is returning from one of his summer trips today, too; so, it’ll be good to be home together soon.

We fed the pigeons and gulls some, too, between breaks in the water.

Sunday we’ll celebrate CJ’s birthday with friends, after Breakast Sunday with the saints from Sunday school class.

I piddled in the woods around the house some after we returned, and woke to find deer enjoying my bird seed I had put out.

Now it’s time to nurse my pink and red skin, finish a book, play with the family pets, and be thankful for the times of refreshment. Grateful.