Wading into morning

My friend Ocean Breeze believes in pampering her guests. The night that I arrived, she made my bed with ironed cotton sheets that had lacy edges. I love the smell of ironed cotton: it reminds me of when I was a little kid and used to take naps while my mother was ironing. I am far too lazy to iron anything myself, but I love it when my friends do.

As comfortable as the bed was, I soon abandoned it to take my pillow with its fancy case out to the deck, where I could hear the ocean waves and see the constellations. The deck to the beach house is up a whole story, which makes it feel a bit like a tree house. I turned a lounge chair into a cot by folding it down, settled down to stare at the stars, and fell asleep to the surf rhythms that came through the night air.

Birds woke me at dawn. Seriously, they were louder than any alarm clock I've ever owned, although admittedly more pleasant. I like getting up early when I don't have to. Grabbing my camera, I stumbled down to the beach, where the ocean breezes swept the dreams out of my head. I walked ankle-deep in the cold water, enjoying sunrise at the edge of the world.



Sunrise on the beach.