After five hours in the car, driving across the middle of Texas, the last sound I wanted to hear was traffic after I pulled into my campsite at Galveston Island State Park. So I walked away from the road and out onto the beach. Ah, the Gulf Coast is glorious, even when the sun is well-hidden behind the clouds. The waves are endless and they create a natural noise that drowns out everything else.
These two old men passed me, the sounds of a lively conversation reaching me over the surf. I loved the image of them so much I took their picture. It reminds me of long beach walks with my own friends.
An hour’s walk letting the sound of the water wash over me was exactly what I needed.
Postscript: Just in case you think beach walking on the Gulf Coast is all happiness and light, well, here’s the sign at the entrance…
Venomous snakes. I guess it’s trying to prepare me for Louisiana and Florida.
We are tied to the ocean. And when we go back to the sea, whether it is to sail or to watch, we are going back from whence we came.
John F. Kennedy
Oh, Janice, that story made me cry. I remember Jagger, he was a gorgeous dog indeed. That time has let you remember that day with a smile (as well as a few tears, I think) is testament to the resilience of your wonderfully big and open heart. Thank you for sharing your story. I love it when my posts bring back moments for someone.
One of the most poignant moments of my life was at the Cape, on the beach. I had Jagger (my German Shepherd) with me at a friend’s beach house, in July. Jagger got invited to stay there with us because he was the best dog EVER, and everybody knew it.
Jagger was old by then, and sick with cancer… I knew this would be his last beach visit. He and I walked along the beach at daybreak on the last morning of our visit, listening to the Atlantic ocean, the birds and the sound of the waves. The waves…
Jagger did some funny out-of-character things that day, like, he retrieved a bunch of buoys used for a swimming area! Naughty boy! I had to put those back fast, and I SWEAR Jag was laughing. I certainly did. He wasn’t usually silly, nor was he usually much of a retriever, but he was thoroughly both that morning.
He also found a dog toy on the beach and held onto it the whole way back to the beach house, another unusual stunt for him. A friend snapped a photo of Jagger still holding that toy while I washed sea salt out of his fur.
I keep that photo of Jagger’s face on my dresser. My old beloved dog, one of the best friends I’ve ever had, holding that dog toy on a special morning that we had together on the beach, just the two of us.
Ocean waves, the sound and the look of them, always bring that bittersweet day back to me. It took many years to be able to face the loss of such a friend, but I can now think of that day and smile. It was a perfect moment in time, worthy of remembrance with a smile.
And yet… God, I miss him.
Venomous snakes are just what you hope for when walking in flip flops. Takes away just a little bit, maybe, from the serenity?
thank you.
Jeanne