crash bam boom

weather conspired to keep her away from the beach for much of this weekend. mom's rain gauge said about four inches over the last two days. this morning, we got lucky. up and out by 9:30, we got a picture perfect beach excursion. blue skies, small crowds, hot sand, warm surf.

early on, little kids running around. no screamers, just cute ones toddling about. a toe-headed girl that was the spitting image of her mother. actually, she looked a lot like the coppertone girl, bare butt and all! two year-old boy wandering up the beach to the parking meters with his dad's hat on, oversized kids' clothes, gait like a fawn on new legs. independent little fella was captured after a walking up the dune and negotiating unsuccessfully with dad to amble down the road. a mother teaching her early elementary daughter how to dog paddle in the surf. me wondering if i'd either recognize any of these young moms as classmates, or if they'd know me.

as the morning shifted to afternoon, the teenagers, stumbling out of bed, looking angst-ridden and hungover showed up and flopped down, promptly asleep in the sand. right about the shift change occurred, the clouds started to roll in. she and i made it back to my parents' just in time for the afternoon rains to start anew. perfect time to pop in a dvd and fall asleep on the couch.

here i sit, her back in virginia, me still awake, my equilibrium still bobbing in the surf, my soul sated from the calming waters of the atlantic. how i missed them so!