At the Beach But Not On the Beach

So, here we are, back in Santa Rosa Beach, this time for Fall Break.  It's our first trip here in the fall and, unfortunately, it's rain, rain and more rain.

Jude texted me from the beach this morning on her morning walk and suggested I bring the boys down to see the waves after last night's storms.  It was cool, actually, with waves bigger than they have ever seen at the beach.  As I walked up from the beach to my truck to go to Ama Vida for coffee, I passed three surfers in wet suits.  Smiling, I told a couple of them that my boys were going to be very excited to watch them surf.

One thing about the beach, for me, is it's always relaxing yet rejuvenating to be here.  In a different life, when I used to regularly go to Litchfield Beach, SC, it was always so nice to be there.  It didn't matter if it was in summer or in December - just being near the ocean, even if I couldn't swim in it - calmed and centered me.  It's still that way.

Our trip down was the easiest so far.  We left at 6 p.m. and drove straight here.  The boys slept a good deal of the way down and the drive passed quickly.  Jude and I listed to a couple of podcasts and just talked.  Our lives are so busy, it's hard to find time to just talk.  About politics, raising children, social media, etc.  It was nice.

Thursday morning, Jude and the boys went to the beach while I nursed a head cold.  I rallied after lunch and went for a 6 mile train run on the Longleaf Pine Trail near our house in Old Florida Village.  I felt strong and had a great run.  I listened to Marc Maron on his WTF pod interviewing Woody Harrelson.

Great interview that inspired me to watch, last night, Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri.  Dark, comedic and powerful movie that I meant to see when it was released a couple of years ago.  Frances McDormand's performance was breathtaking and worth of the Oscar for best actress she won in 2018.  So good.

The boys and I have had fun watching the NLCS (sweep by the Nationals) and the ALCS (3-2 Astros lead over the Yankees) together.  It's great that they're at an age where we can watch, really watch, baseball together.  As such a big baseball fan, it's special to me just to sit with them and watch baseball, especially when it's not the Dodgers playing.  If you love the game of baseball, like I do and like I think they do, you watch the playoffs and the World Series.  Always, regardless of who is playing.

So, I'll finish my coffee, walk out into the October rain and drive back to our house in Old Florida Village in Santa Rosa Beach.  Cinnamon rolls to eat, board games to play, college football games to watch, trails to run (if the rain stops) and books to read.

Beached and soaking up every minute of it.