September 15; Day Fifteen

I woke up this morning a few minutes past 6 a.m. I got up and opened the blinds and crawled back into bed. I told myself if I woke up by 6:30, I would get up and go see the sunrise on the beach. I woke up at 6:30. I padded down the hall into each of the girls’ room and let them know I was leaving in ten minutes if they wanted to come with me. They were both ready before me.

There are no words to describe witnessing a sunrise from the beach. Here is a picture that really doesn’t do it justice, either, because all of the senses are involved when standing there. It is almost overwhelming.

When I was 19 years old, I took some money I had saved and bought a bus ticket from North Little Rock, Arkansas, to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia. I went to visit my aunt and uncle, grandma, and my cousins. This was my first trip by myself and it was my first trip to the ocean. This bus ride took 33 hours. Upon arriving in Georgia, after all the hellos, my grandmother told my aunt and uncle to take me straight to their house because she knew I had to be exhausted after that long trip. We said good night to grandma, then my aunt looked at me and she knew I wanted to go to see the ocean. So, that is where we went right then. 

I still remember the emotions when I looked out over the expanse of the ocean, felt the breeze on my face, and smelled the salty air. I was home. That is what I felt. I was home; this is where I belonged. When I stepped out there yesterday and again this morning, that same feeling arose. Later, I asked Liz (when Jessica was not around), what she felt when she was at the beach. She stumbled around for the words, but then said it just felt “correct”. When Jessica joined us, I asked her the same thing. She said she didn’t want to sound “cheesy” but it felt “right.” Someday, we will move near the ocean. Someday.

Later, after breakfast, we went into St. Augustine and took the Old Towne Trolley Tour. It took us all over the town; the conductor giving bits and pieces of history of different landmarks. We got off at the Castillo de San Marcos. We walked around inside the old fort for about an hour, then caught the trolley back to the beginning of the tour where we were parked.

We came back to the condo, ate, then headed back over to the beach. As we walked out, we noticed the dark clouds behind us. 

We decided to take a chance and walked over anyway. After a bit, the ominous clouds seemed to be getting closer, so we packed up and started walking back, only to realize the clouds were going to pass over. We went back out. We walked up and down the beach gathering sea shells. The girls went back in the water, and I went back to my chair. I sat and watched the sky and ocean colors fade from crisp, bright blues to soft, pastels as the sun slowly sank behind me.

Jessica and Liz finally came out of the water and we came back here. We ate dinner on the balcony then came in and looked at the pictures we had taken during the day. Both girls are in the showers as I am writing this. I’ll soon get my shower and call it a day.

It has been another amazingly wonderful day.