BY THE SEA, BY THE SEA......

A series of short stories.....

Beach At Cape Canaveral At Dusk

.....as seen through my eyes!

By: Jacqueline E. Hughes



.......By the beautiful sea!  This has been my life for the past week or so; Label me a total beach-bum!!  And, I am loving every sandy/sunny minute of it.

I live in Paradise here in Florida, let's face it, and I have few things to complain about.  The past seventeen years, give or take a few months, in Orlando, have provided an entirely new perspective of my life, one that I'll never take for granted.  Just the mere thought of slipping on a pair of capris or flip-flops 365 days out of the year is a gift!  Having the butter yellow sun shine down to help brighten the day and cheer-up your life with its warmth and glow for an average of 236 days each year.....hello!?  As my husband has reiterated more times than I have had the patience  to calculate, "This sure beats shoveling snow!" 

Beach Wind Surfing

My point is this.....Just when you think it doesn't get any better or, when the short thirty-minute drive to be able to walk the Atlantic shoreline and kick-up the beach sand in pure joy and contentment is never underestimated.....something comes along, if you're lucky, and one-ups an already 'good thing.' 

Three years ago a friend of ours introduced us to his rental condo on the beach at Cape Canaveral, a short drive from Orlando.  Cliff told us to relax and enjoy ourselves.  Since it was off-time between his regular renters, we were handed the keys and, with the gods cooperating weather-wise, life has been good to us and we never undervalue this 'special' time together at "Cliff's Condo!"




Brenna.....Our Ukulele Baby

The first year we stayed, our daughter and son-in-law graciously agreed to let us bring Brenna, our three-year-old granddaughter at the time, with us.  The memories created here with her are ample and guaranteed to appease the crustiest of hearts!  With Brenna around, that's pretty much a gimme anyway. 

A trip to Ron Jon Surf Shop in Cocoa Beach provided her with an Hawaiian print dress (complete with matching lei) and her very first ukulele.  I told her about a song I recalled from my childhood entitled Ukulele Baby and downloaded it to my cell phone via iTunes.  I remember her entertaining the luncheon crowd at the Mom & Pop restaurant we stopped at and afterwards, Brenna selected a homemade cupcake to bring back home for her Mommy.

The three of us took long walks on the beach and scoured the sea for signs of dolphin, whales and exotic, scaly sea creatures.  And, if we couldn't spot anything unusual while standing 'Popeyesque'-like with flattened hand above our brow, eyes skimming the undulating horizon.....we would just keep looking harder and harder the next time!

Life is good! 

While swimming in the pool last year, several condo owners who live here full-time were discussing the extreme peacock population, not only within the resort, but throughout Cape Canaveral.  (I felt like I was hanging over a fence listening to the scuttlebutt about the mating habits of this exotic bird.)  Having noticed the inordinate amount of peacocks we were sharing space with here, I drifted even closer and tread water just a few yards away.  "Not long ago, several peacocks were found protecting their unhatched eggs and many residents thought it was adorable to see," said the lady wearing the black-skirted bathing suit.  "Without thinking about the future, the neighbors unanimously decided not to tell anyone or disturb the nest," added the lady in the brown-skirted suit.  Now, the blue-skirted lady added the most poignant information to my eavesdropping conversation by stating the obvious, "We all allowed it to go too far and now they are everywhere, a huge nuisance and protected by the law!!"

One of the Local Residents

I am well aware of their awesome beauty, however, the squeals, squawks and screams emitted by the peacock (24 hours a day) are enough to haunt you for the rest of your life!  We've compared their sounds to cats fighting, a child desperately screaming for help and a B-Movie, Prehistoric Bird swooping down on its unsuspecting prey.  Let's just say, I appreciate the vibrant iridescent plumage of the male's covert feathers......however, please don't find your way to the Orlando area anytime soon!  We'll visit you once a year.  Thank you so much.

With A Dove On Top

I was sipping a cup of tea out on the small back porch late one morning and heard what sounded to me like someone playing the saxophone.  I recognized the tune immediately......and then it stopped!  What?  It didn't take long to realize my 'saxophone player' was actually one of the Disney Cruise ships announcing its departure from port by playing "When You Wish Upon A Star" utilizing its horn signal.

Two years ago Eliane Closset entered my life while she was doing a photo shoot beachside and I was reading in the sun.  She asked if I would keep an eye on her sandals as she barefooted it to the surf for some close-up shots.  When she returned, given her accent, I asked where in France she was from.  "Non.  I live in Belgium," she replied.  The next hour or so we compared cameras, families, countries (France  vs. Belgium) and the benefits of living in Belgium over France.  We exchanged e-mail addresses, phone numbers and continue to communicate to this day.  I am seeing her later this week!

Yes, life is good!

Dan and I walked the beach last Sunday and headed for the fishing jetty that overlooks the cruise ship channel, as well as the launching areas of our many space shuttles that began their missions right here for so many years.  It remains a most amazing sight.  Sporting my Bay Hill visor to protect my face from the sun (something Floridians deem exceptionally important), I soon realized that taking my hand off my visor in the strong cross-breezes should not have been an option.  As if caught in a mini-vortex, my visor swirled up several feet only to plunge sharply down into the water between jetty and stone wall.  I succinctly bid adieu to my favorite visor as it merrily bobbed around in the salty surf.....

The Jetty

A gentle voice interrupted my sad thoughts as I heard someone say, "Would you like me to snag that for you?"  "Really.....you would do that?" I asked.  A young man to our right cast out and snagged the 'dancing visor' on his second try.  Thanking him profusely as Dan disconnected two small hooks from my hat, the young man admitted that after several hours, my visor was the first substantial thing he'd caught all morning!  I hope things looked-up for him as the day progressed!

There's something about being at the beach that brings out the "Happy" in all of us!  We relax in a way that only fresh sea breezes and warm sand between our toes can make us feel and, it's an experience  that reverberates joy and contentment throughout our bodies and souls and awakes all of the 'positives' within us.  For these reasons, plus so many more.....I, simply, love the beach!




Blue Skies

After working on my writing quite early yesterday morning, I packed a small, canvas bag with water, camera, the current book I'm reading (Citadel by Kate Mosse), sun lotion and a small blanket.  Slinging it over my shoulder, I was beach bound at last.  The sky was cloudless and so alarmingly blue that when it kissed the horizon and blended with the sea you could almost imagine a heavenly vapor form in the distance.  Yes, it was that kind of morning....magical!

The walk back to the condo is brief (five minutes...tops) and guests must unlock a gateway to enter the complex from the beach.  Upon opening the gate I noticed someone coming up the beach ramp behind me so, I waited for the gentleman to pass through before he shut the gate behind both of us.  As we proceeded to walk past the swimming pool together, I heard him politely inquire, "Have you had enough of the beach?"  My mind registered his question and I knew he was just being polite given our close proximity.  But, when I turned to face him in order to properly supply an answer, the only appropriate reply seemed to be in the form of a question, a practice I personally try to avoid.  Looking directly at him I asked, "Is that even a possibility?"  When he smiled back, he slowly moved his head side to side and said, "Never in a million years!"

Do you have a favorite beach that soothes your soul, recharges your energy and makes you.....happy?

.....You and me, you and me...Oh how happy we'll be!!

















Copyright © 2014 by Jacqueline E. Hughes
All rights reserved