~ Cindi

I can’t believe I have not written in this journal since March!  Yikes!  Doesn’t mean I have not visited the beach, that’s for sure.  Although, it did take a long time for the air to warm up, the rains to stop, and especially for the ocean to warm up!  Even in July the air was still cool and the water was really toe-numbing!  Ah, but then the dog days of August arrived and it has definitely been a true hot & humid East Coast summer month.

A few beach highlights from this year…..well, the dolphins, as usual.  I love the show-off crew.  The last time we went to our favorite beach, there they were with several babies in tow.  The dogs have had their fun meeting new beach dogs and just chilling out either behind the sand chairs or under the umbrella.  Not as many storms as usual, and so I haven’t been able to get as many stormy wave photos!  I do have a favorite wave photo from this year that is featured on one of my greeting cards… see my Web site (www.cindisaadi.com).  It is called Sea Spray ~ you’ll know it when you see it!  That was about the wildest I have seen the ocean this year.  A pretty calm year all around.

The jellies were out and about in July, but then they disappeared.  Fine with me.  Once the air and the water warmed up, we had some perfect days to play in the waves and just float!  Nothing like the feel of that perfectly cool, smooth water on a hot day!  I also met a sand crab friend earlier this season and got some video and photos of him as he dug out his new space.  He is also featured on a greeting card!

The ocean gives us so much.  For me, it is a magical source of healing and relaxation and inspiration.  Of course, environmentally, it gives us all SO very much.  And there is still so much of it that is unexplored!  So many amazing creatures live in the depths of the ocean.

I am looking forward to lower humidity as the summer winds down and smaller crowds too.  After Labor Day it is always interesting to visit the beach and notice how much louder the surf sounds because the crowds have left.  It is a gorgeous place ~ all year round.  I hope you have had some great beach time this summer!

Happy Floating!

March 1, 2009 ~ Sunday night late or actually – early March 2, 2009,

I am dying to see what the waves are like at the beach.  But it is the middle of the night and we are having quite a snow storm.  The winds are wild and the waves are supposed to be 7 to 10 feet!  I would love to get some video tomorrow, but we’ll have to see how the roads are, etc.

I have not written in this blog each time I visited the beach this winter, but suffice it to say, I haven’t gone for very long without making a trip to the beach…. even if only for a few minutes.  My sister and I especially try to make it there on special days.  For example, we went on Christmas Eve and on New Year’s Eve when it was FREEZING COLD AND WINDY.  We also always go for each of our birthdays (dogs’ birthdays too!) We’ve made several visits to Rehoboth Beach to walk the boardwalk with the dogs and take a stroll on the beach and even the occasional visit to OC.  And we’ve make many trips to our favorite spot in the State Park – especially on the strangely mild winter days.

I’d have to say the most memorable recent visit was on Evie’s b-day.  The waves were VERY COOL that day.  They were huge and the spray when they crashed was beautiful.  I took many, many photos that day.  It was SO cold, yet my adrenaline was going a mile a minute and so I didn’t feel cold at all.  I realized how happy I am when I am taking photos of waves.  Can’t wait for the next incredible one.  I paid for it later though when my fingers were frozen!

Maybe tomorrow I will check in with a report from the stormy seas!

Roll on,

~ Cindi

I’ve recently been to the beach for some short visits of great importance…

For example, on Wednesday, November 19th, 2008, I took the dogs to the beach to get some priceless ocean air and healthy beach-tonic before going to MD for Evie’s surgery.  I always like to visit the beach before leaving town, but this was even more important.  We went for a blessing of sorts for Evie, from our dear friend, Ms. Ocean.  And if being there wasn’t enough…. a gorgeous, big Whelk shell washed up while we were there.  It had beautiful colors inside and it definitely was a gift from the sea, for sweet Evie.  The waves were absolutely gorgeous that day ~ big and majestic!  Very impressive ~ although a very, very cold day.  And yet… there were about 5 people surfing!  Die-hards, that’s for sure.  My hands were frozen and I had gloves on.  Though I did brave the cold long enough to give the dogs their snacks!  A cold, but beautiful visit!

On Sunday, November 23, 2008, I visited the beach on my own to briefly thank the sea for her part in wishing Evie a successful surgery.  Thankfully, Evie did fine during the surgery and they got all of the growth from her foot.  The first part of the battle is done.  The ocean looked a lot like the bay that day, very calm with sweet little waves lapping the shoreline.

Tuesday, November 25th, 2008, I returned to the beach with my Stella as Evie and my sister had gone back to MD for a check-up.  It was a gray day and it kept trying to rain on us.  But we got a nice little walk in and then visited our friends at the bookstore/coffeeshop.  Nice bonding for me & Stella.  The water was calm again with little waves and not much wind.  The air felt great and later, the sun came out!
As always, I am just so grateful and blessed to be able to visit the ocean so easily.

Peace,

~ Cindi

Sunday, November 9, 2008 ~

After a week of mild temperatures, rain, and just plain old dreary weather, we finally got to see the sun again today!  We took the opportunity to visit the beach with the dogs this morning and it was a simply beautiful day there.  The sky is a beautiful blue, the water was calm with various shades of blue and green occurring due to some clouds, the sun was WARM, and only a slight breeze!  A perfect day to bring your chair and sit and read.  We walked with the dogs (in bare feet!), picked up shells, met a few other dogs, and then sat for a while so the pooches could have their picnic!  It felt so great to be there in the sun and sand.  I also felt the water with my toes and it didn’t feel that cold. A few surfers were out there too, but they had wetsuits on.  A wonderful treat after a week of London-esque type weather.  Wish we could have this all winter!

Bring on the sun!

~ Cindi

Monday, October 27, 2008 ~

Was at the boardwalk this afternoon to check on something at a store there and made sure to head up to see the beach.  It was a cloudy day and the wind was picking up, so the waves were making themselves known!  The pounding surf relaxed me and the smell of the air was refreshing.  I noticed a stray beach cat scurry into the dune grass as I got closer to the edge of the boardwalk to see my ocean friend.  Always great to know that I can drop in for a quick visit.  What a gift!

Peace,

~ Cindi

Sunday, October 26, 2008 ~

Got to visit the beach around sunrise and it was quite a peaceful, beautiful site. You actually couldn’t see the sun though! A big wall of clouds hid the sun and looked a lot like a mountain from a distance. The shielded sun gave the beautiful ocean that stunning darker, velvety smooth blue look. The waves were impressive, especially the contrast of the velvety smooth, glass-like blue wave and its resulting crash of puffy white foam. The sky above the “mountain cloud” was pinky-orange and gradually began to lighten more and more. I took a few photos and stood there just taking time to appreciate the beauty around me on such a quiet fall Sunday morning.  I also noticed how my body IMMEDIATELY relaxed the minute my feet hit the sand and I got my first glimpse of the Ms. Ocean and her incredible waves.  It’s great to know that the beach never loses its magic, no matter how many times I go there.

Grateful,

~ Cindi

October 15, 2008 ~

Yep, you read that right – it was mid-October when my sister and I went for what looks to be our last swim in the ocean for the season.  It was during a gorgeous fall warm-spell and we took advantage of it.  We took the dogs to the beach for the day on our day off and although it looked like it might be cloudy at first… the clouds eventually moved out and made way for lots of warm sunshine.  We relaxed, had our picnic, gave the dogs their picnics, closed our eyes and just enjoyed the warmth of the sun.  It was just after high tide and so we also did a lot of treasure hunting in the big areas of stones and shells on the beach.  We each found some great shells and even a few pieces of smooth sea glass.  Then we decided to try out the water.  I knew in my gut that the best way to get in would be to just DO IT quickly versus easing our way in.  And that’s what I did!  It was chilly, but all in all, felt pretty good.  We jumped some waves, floated a little, and shook off the cold!  As I floated in the water, I looked up at the pretty blue sky and was thankful for this last swim in the ocean until next season.  It was really a perfect day at the beach.  Not too warm and not too cool.  We all enjoyed our last true “Beach Day!”

Waiting for warmer waves!

~ Cindi

Week of September 29-October 5, 2008 ~

We ventured to the beach on Monday the 29th with the dogs in tow.  What started out looking like a warm-enough day, didn’t quite pan out as we had hoped.  We ended up sitting by the rock jetty again in an attempt to shield ourselves from some of the wind.  It did help, but the lack of sun still made it pretty chilly.  The clouds kept rolling over and getting thicker, with just a few breaks that let the sun shine through.  Still we had a relaxing time.  Stella still found it necessary to sit behind my sister’s beach chair to stay cool? And Evie tried to sit under the umbrella, though it harder and harder to see where the shade was!  Creatures of habit I guess.

Sunday, Oct. 5th, we went for a late afternoon walk at the beach with the dogs.  The sunset over the dunes was very pretty and made the sky over the calm (warm!) water a sweet light pink color.  We strolled for a while (slowly for Stella who is still recovering from pulling her back leg) and looked for shells and other treasures.  The waves were very small and the water had that dark, glassy and sometimes velvety look to it. The water felt warm to the touch, but I didn’t get my whole body in of course!  Always a beautiful way to close out the day!

Peace,

~ Cindi

Week of September 22, 2008 ~

We started out the week by taking the dogs for an afternoon visit to the beach.  We took everything, hoping to be able to set up camp for a while.  We did, but we eventually had to move our stuff to an area near the rock jetty to try and get some relief from the wind.  It was nice when the sunshine stayed out, but quite chilly when she hid behind the clouds.  No one ventured into the water, except of course for the brave surfers.  The surf was pretty revved up.  Gorgeous, as always.

For the rest of the week, I stopped by the beach either on my way to work or on my way home to see how the waves were growing with the approaching storm.  On Thursday, I went in the height of the rain and wind to get a glimpse of the crazy surf!  It was coming up onto the dunes already.  The wind was not as strong as it had been back in May when we got photos of another crazy storm.  But it was pretty fierce.  I got as many photos as I could before needing to dry off my lens.  The waves really are gorgeous during weather like this. Really impressive and worth getting soaked for!  by Friday, things were definitely calming down.  Still windy, but back to a manageable surf for the surfers.

Roll on,

~ Cindi

Wednesday, September 17, 2008 ~

After 9 holes of golf, Dad & I joined my sister and the dogs on the beach.  It was relatively cool, but thankfully, the sun stayed away from the clouds and kept us warm.  We all enjoyed the warmth and Dad even snoozed briefly.  The water was not that cold, but none of us were venturing in.  We nearly had the beach to ourselves. It was a very peaceful visit to the ocean.

Peace,

~ Cindi