Beaches and Babies

As I was driving around on Friday in Maurine's 'hometown,' seeing the signs, and words, and names of cities, streets, and sites that often enter the conversations I have with Maurine, I was thinking about how nice it was to be amidst the words in Maurine's world. Even as I drive back East-I feel a little closer having driven down their new street, stepped in Donovan's nursery, patted his little milk belly, wandered through Maurine's scrapbooks that we usually have to share digitally, and chatted on the couch in the living room so many of the parties I miss are hosted in! It's hard to live away from so many good friends, and I wish my world would just move to Dallas! Everyone is too far away!
It was a short visit with Maurine and the family, but it was filled with lots of baby holding, talking, and picture taking. I appreciate Maurine for many reasons, but especially because she 'gets' the need to take 50....thousand or so pictures. Just another reason we are friends to the end. After a little running around the town Friday morning, I met Donovan, and his extended family (Grandma, Aunt Joy, Derek, and Maurine) for lunch and catching up. Even Donovan partook in the eating festivities while we talked, thanks to Aunt Joy.

Day Two I can report: He was still cute. He was still laid back. I really think they should keep him. :O)
After lunch, I decided I wanted to see the beach one last time. I stopped at the first beach I hit past Tampa. My plan was just stick my feet in the sand one last time.
The little area I stumbled upon was called Sand Key and I knew nothing about it, except it's in a line of beaches along this part of the coast (some of the other beaches I've visited in the past, and knew were beautiful), but what I discovered while taking a picture and watching a rather large shell tumble up the shore....this beach had tons of shells, sponges, and other sea life continously sweeping onto the shore.

This is when I totally lost track of the scenes around me, the waves, the shore, the people, and started to live my life in macro through my camera.

I have no idea what those open shells once held....let's pretend it was big pearls, but they were everywhere, along with a ground covering of smaller 'cute' shells. I'm a fan of cute, pink, and pearl colored shells...this beach had these in abundance.
The beaches I usually head to require quite a hunt for even the littliest shells, and this is what the entire 'grounds' were covered with on Sand Key. MUCH better than that scary starfish I encountered on the 'other shore' at the beginning of the week. I love shells.

I was sitting on the sand, taking shell pictures....and for the first time ever....my camera battery died. It was a tragedy, I sat in stunned silence because I was just about to try to capture a rainbow reflection on the insides of those 'pearl baring shells', and then it died. I was going to cry....but then I remembered this means I'll just have to go back to Florida so I can take more shell photos, and maybe a few more of these...

..since, you know, they go hand and hand...and as ROUGH as that sounds, a girls gotta do what a girls gotta do. So, I picked myself up off the sand, and headed back over to hold a baby.

He did his baby exercises, and I told Donovan all the important things he needed to know before I returned to remind him, and add to the list: Just say 'no' to drugs. Don't take candy from strangers, EVEN if they offer you skittles. Don't eat yellow snow. A few more hours of holding, pony color negotiations, and talking with the 'rents, and I headed back down the road. It's hard to leave a friend that lives so far. It's hard to leave a baby that'll grow so fast, but I know how much 'easier' life is with facebook, and blogs, and unlimited cell phone minutes, and I'm grateful I'll watch Donovan grow through cyber space, and Donovan will just give us more reasons to make this trip back and forth across the country in the near future.