Bright Days Finally

Sunday December 16, 2012
Site 4 Gamble Rogers State Park
Flagler Beach, Florida

 

I hope you aren’t sick of sunrise pictures yet.

 

 

  I’m up at dawn every morning and out to greet the day.  I love being up when no one else is around.  I really enjoy this time alone on the ocean front. No noise but the waves. Today is a wonderful morning.  No sunrise as usual since it seems as soon as dawn comes the clouds gather at the horizon to do battle and keep the sun from burning through.  But the colors change as the battle goes on.  The sun lightens things and they turn from orange to pink.  Then the clouds cover it all up and the colors mute and it becomes foggy.  I never tire of watching this morning show.

 

 

I stay to see who wins.  Today it again is the clouds as the fog remains until after I am out running.

   

 

I’m a beach bum, it’s true.

 

 

Today it’s warm enough to sit on the beach for the first time since we got here over 10 days ago.  I am SO excited!

After I run,  I head right down with my beach chair to read and write on the water front.  But I end up watching the waves.  I can never get enough of their beauty and power.  You don’t even want to know how many pictures I have of waves. 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m still hanging out at the beach when the brightest thing of today happens.

 

 

  Paula and her family, husband Robert and daughter Olivia, come to visit. 

Paula writes the blog  Our Year Outdoors.  She and her family are visiting every state park in Florida and trust me that’s a bunch.  I think 161.   Paula knows tons and tons about the parks and the flora and fauna of Florida.  She really loves her state.  Lucky for me she comments on my blog and educates me as I go about asking questions about the things I see.

We had a delightful afternoon swapping stories and just getting to know each other.  Olivia is a charming 8 year old whose idea of a great birthday is to go camping.  What’s not to love about that?  She is a member she told us of a wonderful girl scout troop which does all kinds of interesting activities.  She was wearing a necklace she had made at one of them.  The necklace was a Fairy Dust container.  Now I personally love Fairy Dust and glitter of all kinds so Olivia and I definitely have something in common.

 

Robert has a really interesting job in Daytona which he enjoys.  I’m not sure I can explain what he does but in essence he works with the media requirements for the 8 or 9 venues that they manage at the speedway.
I can see the eyes of my friend Mike light up.  I’m sure my stock just went up with him now that I know Robert!  Too bad you weren’t here Mike you could have found out all the inside stories.

 

St. Nick at the beach?

 

 

We are all talking and enjoying ourselves when someone yells “It’s Santa”.  Olivia and I take off and run together over to the overlook just in time to see him come down the beach.  And not in his usual sleigh.  Paula got this picture of us.  Thanks Paula.

 

Here are the pictures I managed to take as he zoomed by presumably on his way back to the North Pole to get ready for his big night.  I guess he was just warming up like the rest of us.

 

 

 

  Too soon they have to get on their way to do some things for Robert’s mother so with hugs and handshakes we said….we’ll see you soon.  And it won’t be long actually since they live not too far from Blue Springs State Park where we will be in the spring.

 

Being mere steps away from both sunrise and sunset is just about as good as it gets for me.

 

After they leave, we close the day the same way I  opened it.  With the sun. 

Sun-set this time on a lovely day.