Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Tough life

Sunday afternoon, the sky clouded over, and thunder drove us out of the pool. It was amazing. I fetched the camera and took pictures!


I was astonished to realize that I cannot remember the last time it rained. I, who lived in Florida, Mississippi and Louisiana, three states whose coastal locations pretty much guarantee a heavy shower at some point every afternoon in the summertime--I now live in a place that is so blessed with sunshine that I cannot remember the last time it rained. I was pretty excited.
It didn't actually rain. The clouds moved on and took their thunder with them. I admit I was disappointed.
I also realized it is going to be very hard to leave when they make us move in a few years' time.

Now that we have confirmation that we aren't getting the early boot, we splurged on a fancy pants umbrella and outdoor table. We eat three meals a day outside in the summer, but the evening sun was often too vicious for comfort at dinnertime. No longer! Also, that fancy pants umbrella swivels, so we can sit out in the grass and still have sun protection in the afternoon. Ooo baby! I tell ya, it's gonna be hard to move.



I realize you Northern Hemisphere people are in the throes of the coldest part of winter right now, so just one more reason to make you want to smack me before I sign off. For the past three mornings, I have started the day with a swim in the Indian Ocean. This is no small thing, given my deep-rooted, very real fear of sharks...and the very real presence of sharks in the Indian Ocean. Not three weeks ago, the beaches had to be closed five afternoons in a row because of tiger sharks and hammerheads. Believe me, this was not far from my mind a single moment I was out there. I do better when there are other swimmers nearby to provide more dining options for any unwanted visitors. After I spotted the great white a few months ago, I didn't think I'd be in the ocean at all this year, but for some reason completely unknown to me, I woke up three days ago with a strong urge to swim in the sea...so off I went! The first morning was very satisfying, but also quite scary, so Markus brought the girls along so they could play in the sand and he could scan the water for me so I could swim in peace.


Part of the swimming-in-the-sea package is scooting there. Here's what that looks like:

2 comments:

quinn said...

I love the mellow song (and Marcus singing?) in the background of your scooter video. Makes it seem like a very peaceful ride to the beach. :-)

Anonymous said...

Well this is all so dear to me, I can't begin to tell you how sweet it is to see you in action, to see you in the ocean, to see your wonderful backyard. I hope you will enjoy all of it, but, PLEASE be careful! I am scared of the sharks for you! Not trying to make you more spooked, just being a Mom who will never stop worrying about her sweet babies! If I were there, I would go in the water with you, I really would, but I would be hearing the "bum bum bum bum" shark music from Jaws the entire time I was in the water!

Scaredy cat Mama