Tag: Beach

Acadia, Acadia

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Life's Journey, memoir, poetry2 Comments

Photo credit: colonelssuites.com

A rough hewn beauty

A rocky coast of sheer cliffs

Fallen, red hued boulders

made smooth and slick

by the North Atlantic’s unforgiving surf

Glaciers melted and heaved up pieces of Earth

Towers above the indigo ocean below

Icy still as we shock our bodies with the cold

A fertile ground for lobsters and clams

Those delectable and delicious creatures of the deep

Forest dense with birch, pine and oak

Dotted with flora and fauna

too fragile for our feet

Damp and verdant

Cool to touch

Much like its natatory cousin

Mountains

Ragged Craggy Jagged

Haphazard Unpredictable Asymmetrical

We scramble, scamper and slide

as we ascend the winding paths to your peaks

Within these hills lie lakes

Eagle Jordan Echo

Serene and Still

A stark contrast to the sea’s roaring waves

Surrounded by bubbles of peaks

Long endless bottomless

Acadia Acadia

We feel your sacred ancientness

in the oversized gems beneath our feet

in the majesty of your pines

in the scent of the briny air

Stories told and untold

Secrets kept and revealed

Geographical Escape 2.7: Breakwater

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Flash fiction4 Comments

photo credit: www.searchlightphotography.com

A searing bile rose up in his throat. He ran to the bathroom and heaved noisily. His mind began to race. How could she have found out?  He thought that he covered his tracks. His world was about to implode.

Maybe Joe would have a clue. He inhaled deeply as he pressed the contact number on his phone. “Tom, buddy!  How’s it going out there?”  Joe answered in his usual hearty voice. “Karen and the kids and I thrilled that Ella and your brood will be coming down. And we are so excited to hear about Ella’s job offer and her ideas for the studio!”

Tom quickly shifted gears. He explained that Ella’s good news was the reason for his call. Without missing a beat, Tom told Joe that he was planning to catch the next flight home and surprise everyone down at the beach. He would probably be there tomorrow. Joe promised to keep it to himself.

With that decision, he bought himself some time. He took a long hot shower and scrubbed himself until his skin felt raw. Last night’s shenanigans, his abbreviated sleep on the sand, the strange  journey back to the motel and his recent emotional state had left him drained. He crawled to bed and fell into a deep sleep.

When he woke up the next morning, he was ready to go. He had enough clean clothes since he only had worn his cycling outfit for the past 48 hours. If his wife asked about the bike, he would just say that he stopped off at the office to get it after he landed.

He pulled into Joe and Karen’s place bursting with confidence. And there they were: his beautiful family: The boys with their jet black hair and his daughter an exact replica of her mother. Flowing auburn hair and those deep green eyes that you just lost yourself in.

He had returned to safer harbor. Or so he thought.

Geographical Escape 2.6: Fog

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Flash fictionLeave a comment

photo credit: globeattractions.com

He woke up with his face in the sand and a bone- cold chill running through his veins. He was completely disoriented as he sat up to look around him. The beach was encased in a thick fog.  He felt like a castaway who had washed up on the shore after a shipwreck. She was  a ghost once more. Forgetting his nakedness, he walked to the lean- to just to be sure . Yep. Just his bike and his pack. She was considerate enough to bring his clothes up from the beach before she left. He dressed quickly and pulled out his cycling jacket from the pack for extra warmth.

The fog made it difficult to follow the roads and anticipate the curves and hills that were easily mastered yesterday. He hoped that he was going in the  right direction to the ferry. He didn’t have any idea of the schedule nor did he know what time it was- he left his phone back in the room. He was trying not to panic as he carefully negotiated the route back.

He arrived at the town’s landing damp and still cold. Luckily, there was a general store that was open. He tried not to look too relieved when he found out they also served coffee and snacks. As he sat at the tiny service bar, he noticed that the ferry schedule was posted on the wall. None going out for four more hours because of the fog. Even Earl’s mail boat was hung up. “Don’t worry honey. Fog will lift soon. Earl was just asking about some biker over the two-way. He’ll be happy to bring you back once I get the mail sacks from  ‘im.”

While he waited, he drank more coffee and read yesterday’s news. He tried not to think about her and the sense of abandonment that he felt. He only wanted to feel warm again.

“Good gosh you old son-of-a-gun. You look like a lost puppy.” It was Earl.  “Time to get you back to the mainland, my friend.”

The ride back was quiet as the fog cleared completely. When they reached the pier, Tom noticed that the vessel that had been undergoing repairs was gone.  “Word is they left just after dawn. Needed to get ahead of those ocean storms.” Earl talked as if he were to trying to explain the situation. Well, what did he expect?  They treated one another like friendly strangers at best. No more. No less.

When he finally got back to his room, it was nearly 2pm. His phone was noisily vibrating with messages from home. He listened to his children sing their “Daddy I Miss You” song. Then there was a message from his wife.  Her tone was serious. “Tom, call me when you are not too busy with those endless meetings.  The kids and I are headed to Karen and Joe’s  until you get back.  But we NEED to talk.”

Geographical Escape 2.5: Open Water

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Flash fiction2 Comments

photo credit: www.thesurvivorsclub.org

She was gone again at dawn. Another note- a map  with a big red X and the words  “Meet here at 1 and bring your pack.”  His body was feeling worn and sore so he rolled over and slept for a few more hours. When he awakened, he texted his wife saying that he had landed safely and he would be in meetings so he would be hard to reach. He showered, then headed for the diner and wolfed down the lumberjack special.

The route was easy to follow and ended at a lobster boat pier. Few boats were docked given the hour. The area looked deserted save for the mail boat and another vessel that was undergoing repairs. A fit guy of about 30 was working on the engine. Tom noticed that he sported a bike tattoo on his upper left arm.

“Hey, you here for the ride to Stonington?” The voice was coming from the mail boat. Tom looked over and saw a  wiry old man at the steering wheel.  “Lauren told me to be expecting you. Climb aboard but take off those dang shoes first.”

As the old man revved the boat’s engine, he waved to the man on the pier. ” Good old Mikey. Getting that old girl ready for the sail south. Spends his winters doing triathlons. Plans on heading out sometime tomorrow.” Tom couldn’t help but notice the piercing look Mike gave him as he left the shore.

He had no idea where they were headed. The old man gave him the lowdown about the journey. Fifteen miles out from the mainland lay a small island whose mountains rose hundreds of feet above the water. Few people lived there and those who visited were ones that wanted  to hike its challenging trails or bike its winding roads. “Lauren is the perfect guide for this place. Knows every nook and cranny no doubt.”

When they arrived, Lauren was at the landing. “Thanks Earl. See you soon!”, she said. “Ready?” she asked Tom.

The ride was majestic as they made their way through the twists, turns and places with names like Trial Point, Duck Harbor and Sheep Thief Gulch.  The day’s light was just beginning to dim as they arrived at a small cove. It was completely private- a lean- to was off to one side of the beach. Before them lay nothing but sand and water.

“Take off your clothes. We’re going for a swim.”

The water was icy and nearly stopped his breath. She brought him close to her and wrapped her legs around his waist. They kissed long and hard. His body was numb with the cold. They fell into the surf at the water’s edge each taking turns with their knees in the sand. Their union was long and satisfying. He felt baptized by the experience.

Soon, she lit a fire in the sand and brought down blankets from the lean-to. They joined one another again and then once more before the flames died out. They fell asleep to the sound of the roaring waves.

Geographical Escape 2.2: Coming Up for Air

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Flash fiction6 Comments

photo credit: warmnotes.com

He let out a sigh. Time to refocus. He looked at his watch: 6 AM. Good. He would drive into work and be home in time to see his wife and kids. A quick shower would wash away the remainders of last night’s  encounter. He dressed, put the note in his wallet and hit the road.  As he entered the highway a wave of nausea hit him like a Mac truck. He pulled over on the shoulder and crawled over to the passenger side of the pickup, opened the door and bent over. Must be the beer from last night, he thought.

He arrived at work earlier than usual and had a very productive day-meeting his deadlines with relish and very little pressure. He gave himself enough time at the end of the day to stop at the store and buy all the ingredients for dinner-wine included. He missed his wife suddenly and without a second thought, bought the biggest bouquet of flowers that he could find.

When his family arrived, the table was set, wine was poured and dinner was ready. They all looked relaxed after their respite on the beach and greeted him with joy and laughter. He felt good. At bedtime, the kids went down with ease-salt air does have that effect-so it was a pleasant surprise to find himself wrapped in his wife’s arms without either of them collapsing in exhaustion. She talked of their trip to the doctor’s and the home grown remedy for their daughter’s barking cough. How Karen and Joe opened up their home to all of them and of how the sea air had been a  rejuvenating experience. He listened attentively smiling inside and out. He kissed his wife tenderly and held her close. He loved the feel of her skin, the small rise in her stomach and how he could hold her breasts with his hands.  When he entered her he felt whole again.  She smelled like home.

The Getaway

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Technology2 Comments

 

Happy Friday!

The blog is taking a  week long  respite to  head for the mountains and roaring ocean for some much needed rest and relaxation with my fiance’. I will not avail myself of any technology during the trip short of my very outdated cell phone (in case of emergency). I will, however, bring my writer’s notebook and many books! The list includes Kellie Elmore’s  Magic in the Backyard and Francis Guenette’s Disappearing in Plain Sight !!

In the meantime I am republishing a post from October. Those who joined my following after March will find it timely I hope!

 

Unplugged

Beyond Grateful

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn Family, Independent Woman3 Comments

fwf1

 

 

These are days
These are the days you might fill
With laughter until you break
These days you might feel
A shaft of light
Make its way across your face
And when you do
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
See the signs and know their meaning
It’s true
Then you’ll know how it was meant to be
Hear the signs and know they’re speaking
To you, to you                                                         ~ 10,000 Maniacs

Well, we have officially entered the holiday season. All around me, I am hearing snippets of conversations of how Thanksgiving is approaching too quickly or arriving too early  this year. Within the same conversations lie the predictable follow-up of how the Christmas season is fast on the heals of the feast-for some as early as midnight when they begin their Christmas shopping. Most likely the reason that some of us are feeling a sense of dread is that the holidays have become just another thing to do on our already overloaded “to do” list.  These exchanges obviously miss the point of our annual celebrations. As I have gotten older, I have become more and more cognizant of the materialistic and falsely cheerful feel that these holidays are supposed to imbue. Let’s be real: some of us don’t like our relations! Let’s be even more real: some of us have split families and are in the annual psychological juggle of whom we  choose to spend time with.

When we allow ourselves to get into this weird time warp of unhealthy thinking and situations, we are stealing our own joy. I remember the extraordinarily difficult time that my boys and I had with the changes in holiday traditions once their father left the house. It was so ridiculous to have to split time or have them choose between mom and dad. Now they are older and able to make their own choices that fits their desires so that the days are filled with celebration, laughter and emotional warmth.  They can begin their own traditions so that they can create life long memories of the season.

I want this year and every year to be an Appreciation Celebration. I want to dig deep and reflect upon what has really mattered in my life and savor it.  I was thinking about this recently as I drove up the highway to a favorite port city of mine. I was on a gift purchase mission for my sons and boyfriend.  Interestingly enough,  I had never driven alone to my destination and I found myself taking a different exit. I was not panicked by my detour in the least; I knew the city well enough. Also, since I only had a dollar bill, I would need to find parking on the street as opposed to a garage. So, I was quite proud of myself when I arrived at a near perfect parking spot that charged just a buck for 1 hour of parking and was close to the store!  One of the best parts about shopping at small businesses are the personal connections you can make with the store’s owner. During my shopping, the owner and I had a meaningful conversation about relationships with our children and even a bit about our own lives. He struck me a person who had experienced some of life’s hard knocks and had come out a better person as as result. I was so delighted by our talk that I left the store ready for another solo shopping adventure in yet another port city! As I traveled south, the sun was setting. Sunsets on the coast are huge-the whole sky looks like it’s awash in a golden orange. I remember thinking that I started the week basking in the sunrise and now I was doing the same with the sunset at the end of the week-very fitting. So onward I drove until I arrived at yet another terrific specialty store. And of course, my experience there was equally as positive-having made a connection with the store manager around the miracle of finding love the second time around and the challenges of a long distance relationship.

When my shopping was complete,  I felt energized by the experience. Not only had I done something by myself for the first time (on a Friday night in the dark) but I had enjoyed an authentic connection with 2 strangers!  All of us crave some form of connection to others.  Of course, I cannot expect everyone to be like me. But I do believe the we can at least be kind to one another or give a person a smile. Often we are too caught up in our own personal agendas to take the time to perform simple acts of kindness. And, of course, this is exactly what gets lost in the holiday rush.

I feel like I have finally arrived in the life that I was meant to be living. I have an unbounded sense of freedom. I am surrounded by love daily. The other day, I needed to call my youngest son while we were both on our way to work. When he answered the phone, I could tell that he was glad to hear from me just by the way he said hello. For the past two Saturdays, he and his girlfriend have asked if I have dinner plans.  What nearly 20 year old wants to hang with his mom on a weekend night? (Great way to stay out of trouble, though!) My oldest son and his girlfriend are now regular attendees at Sunday dinner. When the five of us are together, we relax, talk and chow down. What especially strikes me is how my sons’ girlfriends love the boys for who they are. As a mother, I could not ask for anything more.

Life is not only short, it is fragile. Go out and live this season and every season with purpose, love and good intentions.

 

Please note that this post was originally published on 11/19/12 as my own free write and well before I had so many wonderful and inspiring followers of my blog. It fits well with today’s prompt. I am grateful to all of you for your unending support. And I am forever grateful to Kellie Elmore without whom this blog would not have grown. HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!

#FWF Free Write Friday: Gratitude

by Kellie Elmore

Time Out

On By buildingalifeofhopeIn UncategorizedLeave a comment

See the world in green and blue
See China right in front of you
See the canyons broken by cloud
See the tuna fleets clearing the sea out
See the bedouin fires at night
See the oil fields at first light
See the bird with a leaf in her mouth
After the flood all the colours came out

It’s a beautiful day,
Don’t let it get away
It’s a beautiful day… ~ U2

This morning I woke up and did a rare morning ritual; I sat on my back steps and watched the sun rise. Normally, I would be out running and catch the start of the day with a mile to go. By then the sun (if it is not to become an overcast day) awakens in a glow of orange and grayish green.  As I sat in my robe sipping my hot coffee, the rise was clearly pink and blue.

I have the day off from work today, but there is always work to do.  However, the forecast for today promises to be warm and sunny; a rare occurrence in November! So, do I spend it inside reading articles for a meeting later on this week? The answer is an obvious and resounding “NO!”  Darkness begins to descend up here at about 3:30 in the afternoon. You can almost feel everyone beginning to hunker down. I guess that is why I get up so early; I want to grab the light and soak it in for as long as possible!  Fresh air is also vital to my well-being and staying indoors for a long period of time makes me feel like a caged animal. So, instead of reading or raking ( I am so done for the season), I am going to the beach with my girlfriends!

I do not feel one ounce of guilt about this decision either! My profession can be all-consuming at times and lately I find myself getting annoyed about the expectations that are placed upon both me and my colleagues. I love to work hard and I even stay late (sometimes this is the most productive part of my day-no one is around), but my job is not my life. So you can imagine how thrilled I was when I received a message from one of my friends who is a beach bum like me.

On days like these, you can expect the shore to be visited by diehards like us. Two notable contrasts from the summer are dogs and horse back riders. The no animals rule does not apply at this time of year and it truly is a beautiful sight to watch the dogs play and the horses sprint in the surf.  The sky is huge and there is even a sense of calm here as the three of us took a long walk at the water’s edge.

Strolling in the sand and surf with my soul sisters provides sustenance and a kind of emotional energy for me. All three of us are moms and working women who are equally involved in our faith community.  Finding time to tune in to one another is a challenge.  When we get together, there is a constant flow of conversation and we always pick up where we left off.  Interestingly, we also find ourselves discovering new insights into each others lives-past and present!  When you reach our age, all bets are off-no judgements, no secrets-we support one another in worries big and small and in the good stuff too.

Today we took time to notice the world around us. We climbed the rocks to watch the November sun shimmer on the water. We stopped to watch a little girl play in the sand with her bathing suit on and kids flying their kites in the breeze. We paid attention to the changes in tide and the way the ground felt beneath our feet. We watched a family climb the jetty and release a bouquet of balloons into the wind.  We marked this day by taking photos of our footprints in the sand.

Spending a few hours with my friends at the ocean has a way of raising me up and removing me from the daily obligations that at times just wears me down. I feel renewed, fulfilled and centered when I am with them. When I am in the company of my girlfriends, I find myself smiling on the outside and inside.

So as much as I would like to think that I took a time out from things today, I really took a time in. As the rest of my day unfolded, I discovered that I could get things done more easily and with a more positive attitude. I can now look to the week ahead with a fresher perspective.

So soul sisters, I bow to you!  Thank You Thank You Thank You for a beautiful day!