Always Bring the Camera and Maybe the Rod?

I’ve started my 10-K training program this week. I’m only walking, but my body is finally healed sufficiently from both the back and shoulder surgeries for me to get back into some beneficial activities. It still hurts, but at a tolerable level. I walk on my treadmill, but now that I am retired and live just 15 minutes from the beach I am “beach walking” as much as practical.

I walked the beach Monday and had my camera with me. It was nice and sunny and I took several pictures of sand and water and dunes – but not much else. So today, Thursday turned out to be hazy sun – not good for pictures of dunes and water so although I brought my camera, I left it in the car.

When I go for a beach walk I try to get there between 7 and 7:30 AM. It’s not to hot and beach / work traffic out to Destin isn’t bad. I found that the stretch of beach from Beasley Park east on Okaloosa Island is the most isolated at this time of day. In my hour walk I only met 5 people. One group of 3; a dad and two young daughters (reminiscent of my past) and a couple a little older than me. Those meetings came early resulting in about 45 minutes of just Paul time on the beach – with no camera. This time besides the dunes I see 4 herons, 2 of which flew off and landed at the peak of a dune and posed there for me. Then the next one doesn’t fly but just struts about 20 feet in from the water and watches me go by, again posing nicely with the dunes for a backdrop. Heron #4 went deeper onto the beach and drew the harassment of nesting terns. That was another difficult but potential photo opportunity. Then there is this big crab standing in the surf trying to catch fish.

All along the way there were small Jack Cravale feeding on smaller baitfish. They have their technique down to an art. As each small wave breaks on shore they slash through the baitfish driving them up into the shallow wash almost beaching themselves trying to escape. Then as they are washed back over the ridge to the deeper water the predators swoop in for a second attack to get the fish that are dragged right into them by the retreating water. Some of the attackers were big enough to make consider grabbing the old fishing rod again.

As I’m climbing the stairs to leave the beach I see what appears to be a wallet under them. That is what it is- with a driver’s license, memory stick (?) and more than $250 in it. So I kept the money and mailed the license. Only kidding. I turned it in at the sheriff’s office and headed home.

This sure beats the treadmill!