Showing posts with label Emerald Isle. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Emerald Isle. Show all posts

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

"V" is for Visions....

perceptions + quotes + reality =
A to Z Challenge



“There are always flowers for those who want to see them.”
By Henri Matisse


“Vision is the art of seeing what is invisible to others.”
By Jonathan Swift

 “Only those who look with the eyes of children can lose themselves in the object of their wonder.”
By Eberhard Arnold quotes




 “Most people are not really free. They are confined by the niche in the world that they carve out for themselves. They limit themselves to fewer possibilities by the narrowness of their vision.”
By V. S. Naipaul




Friday, August 26, 2011

a letter to Hurricane Irene...

Dear Irene,


Geez Louise, someone or something must have really ticked you off for you to be acting as you are; thrashing about and whirling around causing panic, anxiety and disappointment to countless people. It’s not OUR fault you were scorned and left for another. It’s not OUR fault you are PMS’ing and it’s not OUR fault you experienced a bad day!

You know Hurricane Irene, I always heard you catch more flies-- or is it bees with honey? Anyway, you are more likely to get your way when you are nice and pleasant with others; certainly not by creating enormous waves that cause beach erosion to our lovely coastlines. And while we are discussing your outcomes, how about those anticipated downed tree and power lines that will most likely wreak havoc to numerous communities? Just as important Irene, the flooding that may occur as a result of your insidious winds and rains? Is that really what you want? If I were you, I may re-think my behavior at this point in time before it’s too late.

You DO have worthy and valid reasons to be angry--we humans don’t treat planet Earth very respectively. I do understand that because numerous times when I’m really pissed at the world, I desire a good old-fashioned explosive thunderstorm that projects and conveys my feelings of humanity by lashing out with fierceness and intensity. However, I must admit when I long for a tumultuous cloudburst, it doesn’t ruin property OR anyone’s vacation.

You see, that is what I am most furious with. Call me selfish but our vacation at the beach is a time when we get to eliminate worries and struggles of everyday life and just be…be with our family where the peaceful waves and vast beauty invites calm and serenity within. The ocean has a way of settling our insides and brings forth peace of mind to our psyches while encouraging full presence to our surroundings.

Irene, the infinite sands and sea incites refuge from the hustle and bustle of our daily routines and provokes inner harmony with our God and each other. So please understand, this is more than a vacation; it is sanctity.

So in closing Irene, I just felt a need to relay these thoughts to you. If you find it necessary to invoke such fury, please take it out east and release your troubles elsewhere.

Sincerely,

The Spaine family

Sunday, February 6, 2011

Pages of my Life...

When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea, and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds, cleanses me with its noise and imposes a rhythm upon everything in me that is bewildered and confused.

It's been a very pleasurable weekend as I spent some time scrapbooking and living vicariously through memories of our moments spent at our favorite vacation spot: Emerald Isle. So for your viewing pleasure, please find below sprinklings  of well, 'Beachin' it!' although I took the photo with the spread backwards. Oh well...you get the picture!

No Hurricane in sight~a lovely day!

Beach Bocce Ball...

Playing...

At the fishing pier~

Shark!!! ..thank God it wasn't a big one, but big enough!

Sights and Sounds of the Sea...

Speed Racer...


Rejoice with your family in the beautiful land of life!


Sunday, September 19, 2010

My Life as a Dog....and hurricanes~


I know, I know…. I haven’t been on the computer for well, in like forever, because it has taken me quite awhile to recover from our vacation to Emerald Isle and I’ll tell you why. The beach was exquisite with all the opportunities to play chase the birds and Little Daddy, search for crabbies in the sand, all my walks, and games of tag with the waves and WOW! What gigantic waves they were! There is something I don’t understand though. When we got to the ocean someone called ‘Hurricane Danielle’ had been there so there were these scarlet flags hung and Big Daddy said they were there to tell us not to swim in the ocean. Well, no one told me I could have met and played with Danielle if I had been there a couple days earlier. I bet she was pretty just like her name but evidently I missed meeting her; DARN!


Anyway, I was amused from sun up ‘till sundown. I took daybreak strolls on the beach with Big Daddy because he wakes up really early. I wonder if it has anything with me giving him licky-lickies on the face when just a hint of light peeks in the window? Ummm, anyway, he gets out of bed mumbling something about ‘Devil-Dog’ …there he goes using that word again when I know my name is Hurricane. So since he’s awake, we go frolic on the seashore with the waves. Big D. will locate a shell and fling it in the water and I will sprint after it. Once I ran too far in and this humungous wave appeared and took my feet right out from under me like I was being hog tied, and then one more wave rumbled and landed right over my head. I had to close my mouth so I wouldn’t drink any of that salt water; BLECK! But really I was frightened, I couldn’t find my feet for a split second! Big Daddy said Hurricane Danielle made the waves big; WOW, did she ever! She must have been really strong. I changed my mind; perhaps I didn’t fancy meeting her after all.

But like I was saying, I went for a jaunt every morning, then another in the afternoon. This was typically when Little D and I amused ourselves by him rushing ahead of me into the waves and after that he’d shout to me to come get him. I’d get so excited sometimes I’d knock him down. I’m so sorry Little D.  I didn't mean to, but I just love this!


Our third spree was when that life-size ball in the sky was coming down just about to touch the dazzling sapphire water. My, that was sure a pretty part of the day. Being a dog, I’m not real good with my colors but I think there were yellows, reds and oranges that streaked crossways through the sky making a beautiful backdrop for that golden ball, but then the sphere would vanish and the heavens would get dim. We’d sit on the soft sand to gaze at the birds and the people. Often the people would come to a standstill, pat my head and utter to my family, ‘He is such a beautiful dog!’ Thank you very much I’d say in my head because that’s what my family always says to them. But then, it would get too shadowy, and I would want to go in the house because well, I’m afraid of the dark and the shapes it makes, but don’t tell everyone because it’s kind of a secret.


At any rate, there were plenty of walks and times that long strap that goes around my neck which I do not like, was taken off and I could just dart, dash and scurry about…AHHHHH, I love the blast of air in my face and when it tickles my nose, it makes me sneeze! ‘Bless you!’ they’d shout in my direction! But just when I was having so much fun with the waves, and the birds and all the strolls, on Thursday my family started to put all our things in bags and boxes and place them all in our van. What was going on? We can’t leave yet. I’m still having fun! Little Daddy mentioned Hurricane Earl was coming. Well, I know I didn’t invite Hurricane Earl so why is he coming? I just don’t understand all this use of my name. And if we didn’t invite Earl, why do WE have to leave? But Little D said something about a mandatory evacuation and so the flurry of activity continued. I was anxious they were going to depart, leaving me behind so after awhile, all I really cared about was that they put ME in the van with all my treasures. Hey, Little D, don’t forget my sock under that table! UMMMM, now where did I see my ball?

PHEW, they DID situate me in the vehicle on top of my soft lamb’s wool bed…but I was so despondent and so miserable. I love my time at the beach, and I love my time with my family and I’m still wondering; why did I never get to play with any of those other hurricanes?



Saturday, August 28, 2010

My Life as a Dog...and Emerald Isle~

Is there a word that describes beyond excited? Like ecstatic? Ummm… maybe Euphoric? Well, that’s me today because I’m told we are heading back to the beach, Emerald Isle to be specific and I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE the ocean!!!


In July when we were there I didn’t even wait for the car to be unpacked before I made a mad dash through the gate on the back deck toward the sparkling sapphire water. I turned around to glance back to see if my family was following me because I wanted them to enjoy it too and they had their ‘mad’ faces on so of course, I kept on running down the beach as fast as my legs could carry me. One little girl in a bright pink polka dotted suit put her hands out trying to stop so I could play, but I just turned my head her way to indicate, ‘not now…gotta run to the end of the ocean! …but love your suit!’

But you know what? There IS no end to my ocean…it just kept going and going and going….oh no, where was my family? Well, as I turned to search for them I remembered the water…ahhh, love the water except for the taste; BLECK! That’s gross! But I reminded myself to just keep my mouth shut so I wouldn’t indulge in its bitterness. Hey, I think those waves are playing tag with me…it came and got my feet. ‘Okay, now you’re in trouble’ I bark. I run toward and it chases me back and wraps itself around my legs as if to say ‘YOU’RE IT!’

We play this game until I tire of being ‘it’ and my family finally discovers me. I’m wondering, ‘hey guys, what took you so long?’ They are so jubilant to be here, they don’t even reprimand me for my grand escape as we continue to stroll along the Oceanside with the sand collecting deep in my paws. I stop and dig my mitts into the sand and send it flailing back in a shower of particles until I plop down into the cool bed of ginger grains. I gaze up at my family to tell them, ‘AHHHHH, This is the life!’

Yeah, I remember those exceptional times and more, so it’s with great exhilaration in my heart that I observe my family collecting their things so we can embark upon our journey. Nee Nee said something about the beach being tranquil, peaceful and an invitation for the stress, whatever that is, to wash into the vast ocean, but to me, it’s a never-ending playground for fun. I love this life….