Ike Has Passed Us

Here's a picture of the Ike surge.

We got a lot of wind but no rain. The tide surge was impressive. It breached the dunes in several places but no damage down where we are staying. It was fun to go up and watch the waves and brave the wind. There was some sand blowing and we all joked that we could get a free microdermal abrasion treatment if we just sat down.

I just came back from the beach and have noticed that it's calming considerably. We'll probably be back in the water tomorrow. The ocean is a funny thing. No matter how hard humans try to hold the sand in one place or the water, she's always going to do pretty much what she wants. She's also going to have these little tantrums from time to time just to remind us exactly who is in charge here.

I just find that fascinating and am curious to see what the coast will look like tomorrow. What treasures will the ocean present us with? Today, it was an old laundry basket and a fishing pole. What will it be tomorrow? I can hardly wait to see.

At the Beach. Day 1

This is behind where we are staying. It's about 200' from our back door.

Pictures of Kellen

Is he not the cutest?

He's the baby we rescued from the pound. We had high hopes at the time that the new Director would work with us in setting up a good foster system. We've been terribly disappointed. The Director doesn't return phone calls or email. We're still trying.
I had promised to share some pictures with our foster kitten. Here you go. He's a doll.

2 Days

2 days and we leave for Florida. We have our house sitter in place and are almost packed. I can't remember a time when I've needed a vacation more. I am also very aware of how important it has become to live in the moment because I've learned the memories are no longer guaranteed. These vacations will become more and more important as time goes on.

I know that there will come a day when the boys won't want to go with us anymore because at some point we will be "uncool". Hopefully, that won't happen soon. It's still nice to take them with us despite the moments when I want to smother them in their sleep.

I need a break from work. It's been a FUBAR for 2 years now and it's beginning to take a mental and emotional toll. My brain needs to rest. My soul needs to rest because some of the things I've seen done have really hammered on it.

Oh, and don't worry. We're watching the weather. Looks like most of it is going up the Atlantic coast. yay for us. I'll post pictures.

It's Big Scoop Time!

19 Days

Before we're on the road to Florida. My oasis. My battery recharge pack. My sanity. I'm drawn to the water. I'm also drawn to the country. Probably a result of me being a Taurus and earth sign. I remember as a kid just wandering around in the woods, climbing trees, finding things. I also remember going to the beach once and just sitting at the edge of the surf picking up and letting dribble through my fingers the rough sand that is the Atlantic coast. I remember finding shark's teeth. I wish I knew what happened to them.

There's something about the pull of Mother Earth that keeps me grounded. No pun intended. There are those who prefer the hustle and bustle of big city life. Not me. This city is as big as I want. I'd be happy living on the coast or in the country. I grieve that my kids will never know what it's like to run out the back door on a summer's morning and not return until they're hungry. I miss that for them. There was such freedom then and no freedom now. Times change which is probably why I am so adamant that we still take this one vacation every year.

it's a time for the grown-ups to reconnect with the kids and vice versa. It's a time to heal and replenish and renew.

It's a time to sit in the sun and get some color back.

19 days.

Vacation Countdown

Florida. That glorious piece of land sitting right next to the gulf. Sugar white sand. No alarm clock. Just books, booze, beach and food.

We rent a house down there for a month beginning the first weekend after Labor Day. We save all year for it. My income tax refund goes for this trip. I drive a piece of crap boss truck so that I can afford a month on the beach. I don't buy new clothes very often. We make choices and sacrifices because going there is that important.

It's where I recharge and after this last year, man, do I need some recharging. I want to wake up in the morning and not give a damn about how many jobs I have to fill or how many investigations I have to do. I just want to wake up and find my coffee and stumble out onto the deck until it's time to go to the water.

I want peace and at this stage in my life, I feel I'm entitled to some of that. I feel my entire family is entitled to some of that. We have some rough times coming and need to enjoy what we have now because the memories we make now might be memories that my partner will be able to hang on to later.

I hope so, anyway. It's also nice because the boys still want to spend time with us. I know that will change as they get older so we book this vacation every year and will until we can't or it no longer does its job with us. I'll grieve that later. I'll grieve many things later but right now, I want to focus on making memories.

We leave in 27 days.