we eventually piled into the rental cars, made the sunscreen/ice chest pit stop at Publix, and headed toward Cocoa Beach, about an hour away from where we were staying. I love the beach. I'm a little afraid of going out too far, because I've been caught in a rip current before and it scared me half to death. (I also fear the 'under toad'... World According to Garp, anyone?) that and I have a thing with sharks. crazy, I know, but I still subscribe to the thought that if there are people out further than I, the shark will probably choose them and I'll have time to wildly flail to shore. all that aside, I really do love being near water. it calms me and reminds me of how small I am. one of my best remembrances of this trip will be walking along with momo, marmee, and others looking for sea shells for mo's green bucket. we must've walked along in the surf for a couple of hours... long enough for me to still feel the rhythm of the water on my feet hours later. I also tend to like the dirtiness of the beach, the grittiness... sort of how I enjoy the particular dirtiness of working outside in the yard. I know, sand can be a total pain. still, I like forgetting about what I look like for awhile and feeling windswept and salty in the space between the land and the wild ocean. and the shower later feels so good.
not that the day didn't have it's share of minor catastrophes... poor daddy went headlong into that ocean with his cell phone in his pocket, and the sea gods also chose to swipe his prescription sunglasses. he was really a trooper, though. it was mostly just a really lovely day. if I haven't mentioned it, or if you can't tell in the photos, mo really loves her marmee and pawpaw. oooh, and M found a live sand dollar!
we thought we'd get to pull over and see the shuttle lift-off on the way home, but it was cancelled about 10 minutes from take-off due to inclement weather. we drove a bit further and found a fantastic local seafood restaurant... they had delicacies called corn fritters that looked like hushpuppies but tasted like sweet and crispy corn beignets and between that, the fried alligator, and my delicious blackened fish, I ate until I was stuffed.
then there was a crazy long drive home, because of Florida toll roads. no joke, we thought there must be a wreck up ahead, and it just turned out to be people trying to get through toll booths. yikes. Houston seems downright zippy to me now.
2 comments:
Y'all are the cutest family ever. I am loving reading about your trip!
The first pic of your s-i-l and niece is so very cute. And I am totally jealous of the sand dollar. Ever since my mother told me about them when I was a little girl, I have wished to find one.
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