Day Ten - Adventures on the Beach

Internet is back up! The shaking hands and foaming at the mouth has stopped now that I have my internet connection back. It's extraordinary how much I rely on this relationship I have with the world via the World! Wide! Web! I know I should be concerned about it and worry about it being pathetic or something, but I'm not at all. I love the internet. And I love television too - I even have one in my BEDROOM - gasp! I see no problem with it and remain unapologetic.

I wasn't feeling very well today and it was a bit overcast and blustery so I just watched the ocean from my balcony this morning instead of going for my usual walk...


But later in the afternoon I was feeling better so I thought I'd just go down there and stare at the waves for a while. When I got down there I had a treat waiting - a rainbow! Unfortunately, I didn't have my camera (stupid) but it sure was beautiful. The last time I saw a rainbow was when I was preggers, two weeks overdue and getting discouraged. My sister, brother and I were playing the waiting game and we happened to look out the window from my apartment and there it was. For some reason, it gave me hope and reassurance then. It did the same for me today.

After I stared at the rainbow for a while, I decided to walk a ways and came upon this odd sight...


It's the rubber insole from a boot and it must have been floating around the ocean for a while now because there are about two dozen little clams stuck to it and they're alive. I put it in a bowl of ocean water to show Emma when she gets here this weekend. I can't help but wonder who this boot belonged to though. I wonder if there's some interesting story to it or if it's just a careless tourist that dropped a shoe overboard while on a fishing excursion.

After my walk I decided to take a drive on the beach and found this...


A dead armadillo! Who knew they had them in Florida?! It was so strange.

Then I drove along a little further and saw this poor fella. I was so stunned because I had been to this part of the beach a couple of days ago and he wasn't there then so this must be a very recent death. It looks like his shell is cracked on top so I wonder if he got hit by a propeller blade or something. Poor thing. Looks like he lived a long life though and I hope he didn't suffer.



A little farther still...



A huge bamboo log and it was covered with dozens of the same kind of little clams I found on the boot insole. It was amazing to watch them up close....

Okay, enough of Back To Nature With Rachel. Life and death though...it's amazing to witness it up close. What a fantastic gift to be here.