Surfers and Dolphins

The day after Thanksgiving was clear, bright and unseasonably warm in Virginia Beach. It brought the surfers out in force; a convoy of Jeeps, Hummers, and pick-up trucks rumbled along the ocean road, halting in front of the stilted houses that line the beach. Surfers of all ages jumped out of their vehicles, slid into wet suits, grabbed their boards and headed over the dunes to the sea. The waves were breaking in a rolling surf -- drawing cheers, feet running faster toward the water, diving in and paddling out to the point where the waves began to form. Reaching an invisible line just past the break, in unison they waited, watching the waves gather strength, swell and race landward. At some just right moment, the boards turned, arms reaching out, splashing to propel the boards and surfers forward. The wave catches them and then with the power of gymnasts, grace of dancers, they were standing, gliding along the white crest of the surf. Every twist, turn seemed effortless yet purposeful. Closer to the shore, they jumped off the boards, did an end zone dance and turned to paddle out again for the next perfect ride. And this time, while they waited, a pod of dolphins leapt out of the water, surfing the swells and swimming amongst the humans in communal delight on this gorgeous late November day.

It just doesn't get much better than this.

Photo taken on Friday, November 28, 2008 in Virginia Beach, Virginia

Thanksgiving

An Excerpt from ‘Letter to My Daughter’
by Maya Angelou

"The ship of my life may or may not be sailing on calm and amiable seas. The challenging days of my existence may or may not be bright and promising. Stormy or sunny days, glorious or lonely nights, I maintain an attitude of gratitude. If I insist on being pessimistic, there is always tomorrow." 

Today I am blessed.

A Pot with a Lid

My grandmother woke me up this morning. She touched my shoulder and said 'you'll have to find a lid for that pan.' The command was loud enough to make me sit up and, just for a minute, I thought I might be back in my grandparent's house in Albin. The comprehension that it was just a dream was immediate. Just a dream. Maybe because our bedroom in Virginia Beach sits just off the kitchen like the room where I slept in her house. Maybe because the first task on my list this morning was to make an applesauce cake and my grandmother made so many applesauce cakes and I can't bake like she did. Maybe because the grief of her passing just two months ago yesterday still sits like a raw onion. So, I got up while it was still dark and everyone was sleeping and found the apples and a knife and a pot with with a lid and sat in the quiet peeling apples.

The cake finished baking before the house woke up.

The Space Between

From our vacation house in the southern end of Virginia Beach, we wake up to the sounds of the Atlantic to our east and the birds that habitate the marshes to our west. Here is the early morning view looking west; the photo was taken just before sunrise this morning. I'm reminded of a lecture from a photography class taken some years ago, where the professor stressed that the richest, deepest, truest colors could be found in pre-dawn, in that very fleeting space between barely light and sun up. And those early risers willing to brave the dark or chill and lay in wait are well rewarded.