Beach Bash 2008!

Our week at the beach is always a special time. Time to recharge our batteries, time to sleep a little later in the morning. We have time with family members we don't see often. Time to gaze out at the great expanse of water and look for porpoises joyfully jumping through the waves. Pelicans diving from the sky for fish. Listening to the caw and cry of the seagulls. It is indeed a precious time. Saying good-bye to my family, I felt the gear grind beneath me, the firm hard sound of leaving, another parting of many--too many--and I felt the very road beneath me give way. Days with them now are precious jewels I take out and savor and fondle long after they've left. The ache in my heart is like a thorn, and I feel like a lost kitten until I accustom myself once again to the empty space they leave behind in my wounded heart.


This is Mya after swimming and riding the waves on her boogie board. Mya paints my world with sunshine. What fun she and I had!

I like to take in the spark and light of her, soft mouth and round eyes and an intense innocence.

I have been afflicted with a heart so dangerously tender that now even the smallest of transgressions, a loss of a pet or sharp word from someone dear causes me to crumble.

There will never be enough time to be with the people I love. There never is. But we make the best of the time we do have together. I just wish it didn't hurt so much when our time together is over.

Steve, my favorite brother-in-law and I doing a little dance to Bruce "The Boss" Springstein"on the 2nd floor deck.

Sunrise from the 2nd floor deck

Lovely Heather, trying her hand at surf-fishing!

Heather and I. She's truly the sweetest teenager on this planet. I'm so thankful to be her aunt and Godmother.

Heather and I.

Mom with Steve.

What's better than the beach? Being barefoot on the beach. Here's the Verhaest tribe's!

Heather and her devoted Dad, Steve

Beach walking: Mom, Steve and Catherine Jumping for joy--The Verhaest family: Heather, Jody, Tony and Steve

Enjoying a quiet time, us 3 girls: Mom, Jody and myself.

Another sunrise taken by Steve while everyone else was sleeping....There's nothing more beautiful than the ocean at sunrise!

We all dressed up to celebrate Jody's birthday. We ate dinner at "The Reef" restaurant that night and it was wonderful. Mom went along but missed out on getting her picture taken with us. We had a great time that night...our table was overlooking the beach and the food was great too. Jody looked so beautiful that night, she took my breath away.

Richard and I....what a kiss!

Tony surf fishing. You have to be pretty patient to stand there and do that....but he proved to be a very worthy fisherman!

Heather relaxing and trying to work on her tan; that's the beach house in the back ground. A prettier, more intelligent and sweet girl I have yet to meet. How lucky we are that she's our niece and Goddaughter.

Our kayak, sitting and waiting for someone else to take out for a ride.

Tony took the dare!

Kimberly, Tony,Mya, Heather and Catherine

Catherine wrapped in a towel in between dives into the ocean!

Jody and Steve dancing on the deck!

Jody and I.

A heron at the Mission, the site of the first established church on the east coast. We thought the bird was a statue until we startled him upon our approach. He (or she) was enjoying a cool afternoon drink from the fountain.

Mya....clearly she loves the beach!

Hey look at this....
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Footprints in the sand!


Getting ready to take Mya out for a ride on her boogie board; she loved it so much we did it over and over and over and over and over and over.....

I held Mya close to me and felt her heart thumping against my skin. I will give anything for the love of this beautiful child.

She'd had a bit too much water and needed a reassuring hug which I was all too ready to give her. She's a joy in my life I wouldn't trade for anything.

Me, the photographer, with Steve. He's the greatest guy in the world.

Mom, looking for shark teeth and sea glass. I think she enjoys the ocean's roar, the call of the shore birds, scavenging for food: gulls, terns willets and sandpipers. The sandpipers scurry like little ghosts across the sand, probing for tiny mole crabs and multicolored coquina clams as the tides advance and recede across the sand.

Oh how we love to traipse around on the beach, I mostly barefoot, my hair windblown and tangled, my skin drawn tight by the salty air!

Heather and her dad. What a special moment captured on film. I do so miss Heather, and the warm bath of her laughter. I remember looking at her as we talked and her eyes would crease merrily at the corners. I breathed in those moments, hoping to never forget them. She too, paints the world with sunshine.

The Verhaests with Catherine on top!

Heather and Catherine

Mya

Richard and his favorite niece, Heather

Look what Steve did! Take his driver's license away! He hit Richard's truck!

Silly Mya!

The Verhaests with the family matriarch*, Mom.

* A woman who rules a family, tribe, etc. A Woman who rules a family, tribe. A highly respected elderly woman.

Kimberly and boyfriend Mike.

Mike and Tony playing a round of ping-pong.

Richard and I "puffing it up" for the picture!

Well our Summer Beach Bash 2008 is over too soon. No more morning walks searching for beach glass or shark teeth, no more sitting under the beach umbrella watching the pelicans dive and fly gracefully over the waves. No more evening sunsets as we walk the beach again after dinner. No more ping pong games, wet swim suits lining the deck, flip flops scattered here and there....It is gone too soon.

What we have now is another wonderful year of memories. I hope these pictures capture a fraction of that....I will hold on to those moments until next time and hope everyone else does the same.

Mom, Jody, Steve, Heather and Tony: You are more welcome to me as flowers in May. Our vacation would not have been half the fun without you. Thank you so much for joining us. It was a peaceful time, a happy time. And I wish we were still there!
No regrets! We made memories to last a lifetime!

Catherine on her boogie board!

Tony, Catherine and Heather at Alligator Farm!

Nothing is worth more than this day." -- Goethe

Mya Turns Four!

"It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all." --Laura Ingalls Wilder

What a big girl our granddaughter is getting to be! What joy we shared in being with her this week, though her big day was on the 8th. She continues to astound us with her sweet laughter and adoring love. Her arms were made for hugging, her heart is so full of love. Here is a sampling of my favorite birthday pictures. She is our special princess and always will be.