We are headed to Florida and the beach. Nicole used her crazy haggling skills on a family she found on the internet and scored a deal on their beach condo. I can't tell you how excited I am. I grew up on the beaches of South Africa's east coast which are simply gorgeous--white sand, blue sea, and big waves. We even lived for three years so close to the sea, we could watch whales coming up to breath and from our front porch see the famous "seal island" that is often on the Discovery Channel. We were on the beach several evenings a week to eat dinner, play, and swim. We ate fresh fish, shrimp, crab, and squid as often as Texans eat beef. We were trained young to recognize the markers of the shark nets on the other side of which swam Great Whites and Tigers and to be aware of rip tides. Well before 10 we knew how to get beyond 15-20 foot waves that will slam a grown man into the sand, to the large rolls of water on the other side where we would float for long periods of time. Gale force winds blowing in from the sea and salty air were a way of life. I'd lie in bed on foggy nights and listen to the sounds of tugboat fog horns as they brought ships in and out of the harbour. Yep, it was rough living in deep, dark Africa ;). Then we moved to Houston and quickly realized that when God called us to Houston, beach living had become a thing of the past. But it is still in my blood. I think about the beach often. I miss beach life. I hope one day to retire on a great beach somewhere--like the Florida panhandle, South Africa's garden route, Cassis, France, the Cayman Islands. Any of those places would do. ;)
So, tomorrow we head out. I can't wait to get there to experience three of my favorite things at the same time: the Lord, my family, and the beach. For me, it's a hard combination to beat. The only thing missing will be NEHBC. But, I'll be back....
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