Awesome Expectations

I had a really cool realization this evening after an experience on the beach. I have fun, interesting, new rendezvous every time I go out. The same way I have the expectation of meeting friendly people everywhere, I have the expectation of these exciting experiences. I adore the variety, diversity and range of them. I love the brief conversations or moments with animals or whatever it may be. This week alone, I’ve had several and it has me wanting to venture out even more often because it is so fun and satisfying. I love time and physical space to myself and I love connecting with others. I love being awake and I love being asleep. The ebb and flow and ease of it all is enjoyable. 

That said, here are some of the examples of these rendezvous of late. 

I was driving an EZ Go (that doesn’t have a windshield) and a butterfly came right at me. I ducked so it wouldn’t hit my face and had a good laugh. I love seeing so many butterflies happily fluttering around. 

A different location and butterfly that same day. Kudos if you can spot it there, somewhat central and left. 

Remember that post about my evening beach walk where I said it was an eagle I’d spotted, then corrected it as a hawk? It WAS an eagle. I saw one at the beach again today and got some pictures as it stood eating something it had caught. That was cool because I knew it was an eagle and not a hawk and now know I can be sure there are eagles here, at the beach. 

Eagle, right? It was big! I zoomed in quite a bit so as to keep my distance and leave it be. 

I have had some very nice short conversations with people who have had lovely things to say and have complimented me on some things I’ve been doing. Without getting into the specifics of that, I take a lot of pride in what I do and to have multiple people notice that and comment was incredibly fulfilling. 

I love excellent customer service and people who are kind and professional and that is always nice to meet with. I got some propane the other day when the weather was grey and storms had been passing through and this particular place is one I like returning to because, despite it being a fill station I need to go the “wrong” way into for them to reach my LP fill, they are always friendly and professional plus I can pay via credit card right there and the price is fair. Yeah, some places may be cheaper, I haven’t looked. I like paying for good service and the ease of it being nearby and I’m happy to return to this place. I was told they will not fill if there is lightning as that is considered dangerous for them. Thankfully the rain stopped for the bit of time it took and she got exactly the amount I asked for in! 

And then there is this evening when I was walking the beach, closer to the end of the walk. I saw some folks fishing and recognized a shark fin. The reeling it in was also noticeable as I’ve seen other-than -fish caught enough times at this point and I know what this looks like. It was a nice sized shark. I watched from afar, wondering what they’d do. Long story short, they tagged it, measured it, and released it. I took one picture since my camera is full and that was all I could get. I passed them but then went back and one saw I was going to ask a question. I asked if they’d tagged the shark and he said yes, they are volunteers with NOAA. He then explained that they get postcards from NOAA and, when they catch and tag the shark, they send the stats to them for tracking. This isn’t the GPS kind of tracking. I thought that was interesting and I was glad to have this experience as it was totally new to me. I also learned it was a lemon shark! I said I thought it was a great white and he laughed and said no. I know what great whites look like and hadn’t really looked at lemon sharks before. I can clearly see now that they are rather different and now I know how to tell them apart. 

Lemon shark. 

So… I have more to share about sharks at some point. For now, I will simply say that during a beach walk the other day I saw a fin very nearby me, close to where I stood with just my feet in the water. It was a shark moving swiftly and deliberately. I had thought it was a great white that was young but larger than the babies I’d been seeing. I now think it was a lemon shark. 

I love the beach! 

I love having these experiences. I love having awesome expectations for fun and satisfaction to be a part of my days in moments like these. I love learning new things and making connections. I love walking the beach and I have the expectation of enjoying it every single time. Each night especially, when I walk it, I look around so thrilled to be in such a beautiful place. It's one of the easiest places I know to be. I love it. 

Sunset Tonight

It was rainy and windy for much of today. I put on my raincoat and ventured out to walk the beach in the morning and, once I got to the end of the boardwalk before the sand, I stood there looking at the crashing waves with gusts of wind, salt water, and rain coming at me. It reminded me so much of a snow storm. I thought how it'd be good to have goggles as well as rain pants. Instead of a beach walk, I came back to the RV, soaked.

Later in the afternoon, I felt convinced that the rain had let up long enough and the sun was shining more clearly. I wanted to walk. Off I went, satisfied by my feet in the water as I made my way down the shore. I especially love the sensation of walking on the newly wet sand as the tide rises. It was a happy surprise that I walked for a few hours considering I thought it might be short when I set out. Of course, I was smiling when I saw the big, bright sun and felt its warm light on me. The birds I came across were many and happy, too, squawking and staying where they were despite my nearing them as if the food they were finding was well worth the close proximity to me.

I was so thankful for the storm to clear and glad to be back out at the beach. Here are some photos from the walk this evening which ended with a beautiful full moon.

That lovely and awesome liminal time of sun and moon at once. The moon is there within the clouds.

I love walking the beach.

Turtle Takes to Sea (Video) and Some Experiences While Walking the Beach at Amelia Island, FL

Turtles in a parking lot at the beach.

While visiting Amelia Island I saw several turtles, mostly in the sand and grass by parking lots. I watched one walk much faster than I'd have imagined a so-called "turtle's pace" to be.

Then one day as I walked the beach, I saw one making its way to the ocean. I watched as it approached the water and went between moving forward and waiting as the waves came in and out, sort of like it was getting a feel for it. I saw its feet catching the beach beneath it, attempting to stay belly down, sometimes successfully and sometimes not. I watched the waves flip it over and wondered if I should "help" (or perhaps this should be "interfere.") I got something to help turn it, yet hardly made an effort before backing off. I watched and sensed this turtle knew what it was doing. I didn't need to help it and I don't even think it wanted my help. Someone passed by and told me it would make it, unless a bird got it first. I figured as much and continued to watch.

Another wave came and it flipped back over. This repeated and the turtle was deeper and deeper in. I could still see it and had enjoyed viewing it so much. The clawed feet made much more sense to me; they help to maneuver in the sand and hold steady in those waves. I began to walk again, glancing back a few times and noticing someone else who was now watching. The turtle was and would be fine. 

Turtle taking to sea.

This might be a Pink Meanie Jellyfish.

I also saw many jellyfish on the beach and briefly looked up some information on them. I found that they let the waves take them and carry them. This contrast reminds me of the turtle entering the water. It was still grounded, wanting to keep in control, while also going with the flow of the crashing waves. It had greater control of where it was going, in that respect- resistance VS utter acceptance of the moving water so it would simply be taken in completely. At the same time, it was not trying to control the ocean, something outside of itself. It was working with it, using it to its advantage as it could and staying true to itself in the process. 

The bird by the water.

And then there was a small bird I spotted one day. It appeared to have gotten wet, just at the area where the dry and wet sand near the water meet. A big wave would have touched it. Unlike with the turtle, I got the strong sense this bird would accept some help so I went to get something dry and helped it on. It watched me with a sideways glance as I carried it toward the grass. I put it down in the shade so it could dry off and rest. Then I thought I could move it to a different spot and when I tried, it hoped off and then away a bit, showing me it was and would be fine. 

Walking the bird to a dry, shaded place.

Resting spot.

You can see more pictures from the beach on the sidebar via my instagram account. I saw lots of cool things!

Yesterday afternoon I felt inspired to play with some of the videos I took on my phone of the turtles and beach at Amelia Island. I discovered I had the footage to make a short piece and used an app in my phone to put it together. I watched a lot more than I filmed, still was pleased to find what I had captured the story of a turtle taking to sea. 

This video is straightforward and simple and includes the first song I wrote and recorded using new to me software earlier this year (the imperfections and rawness of both seemed so fitting for this.) It was fun making it and playing with the programs. My first time using the time lapse feature is also included. I have reduced from the high quality HD to upload it here and will likely upload a higher quality at some point.  

I loved my time on Amelia Island. Here's the video: Turtle Takes to Sea!