"Remarkable!"
I sit atop my favorite dune at Carmel Beach.
This is the most glorious time of the year to be in Carmel, with the remainder
of “Indian Summer” yet to come!
The bay shimmers like melted turquoise.
Sea otters bob up and down on the gentle waves.
The rolling greens above the cliffs at Pebble Beach resemble emerald velvet.
Tiny mussels cover the rocks cascading down from the cliffs below the golf course. Intent on their game, the golfers seem unaware of the beauty at their feet.
Point Lobos juts out from Carmel Bay and points across the Pacific towards China.
Pieces of driftwood, washed up from who-knows-where, dot the pristine beach.
Pelicans glide by providing a prehistoric profile against the intensely blue sky.
The sand at my feet is as fine as sugar. Even the sea gulls are content and do not pester me for scraps from my lunch.
Honeymooners stroll along the shore and stop to snap each other’s photos against the magnificent background. Unencumbered with children, and so in love that they hold hands, step by step, with each new footprint in the sand. They have picked the ideal season to celebrate their love in Carmel.
Dogs run and play, unleashed with joy. They frolic indiscriminately in small packs chasing frisbees, tennis balls, waves and wary gulls. Dachshunds chase Great Danes.Border Collies cavort with terriers. Without leashes, yards, fences or property to protect, they are free to be themselves, reverting to puppyhood, regardless of their age,or pedigree.
I collect delicate samples of lacy seaweed to dry, press, and add to my collection.
Against the reflection of the pale sand, I am sunburned, as I have been so many Septembers here since childhood, producing more additions to my collection of freckles!
I have walked the length of the beach today. Remarkable! It is remarkable that I am alive and walking at all!. No, I can no longer jog along the surf, nor can I climb the steeper dunes, but I can walk along the water’s edge, and walk it very well indeed!
Truly remarkable!
What did the oncologist tell me in March of ’98 when I chokingly asked him whether
I would live another year, perhaps another eighteen months?
“Remarkable” he answered. “It would be remarkable if you lived that long at all.”
As sunset approaches, the locals come out for their evening stroll, savoring the blending of the brilliant colors as the sun melts into the Pacific.
Even when I am inland and away from the shore, I am compelled to turn towards the west at sunset, like a flower straining towards the last rays from the beautiful sun, until the moon and stars beckon me to sleep.
An excerpt from "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies" and "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Cancer Can't Defeat Us!" Copyright (c)2000 by Gabriella Graham/Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/All rights reserved.
This is the most glorious time of the year to be in Carmel, with the remainder
of “Indian Summer” yet to come!
The bay shimmers like melted turquoise.
Sea otters bob up and down on the gentle waves.
The rolling greens above the cliffs at Pebble Beach resemble emerald velvet.
Tiny mussels cover the rocks cascading down from the cliffs below the golf course. Intent on their game, the golfers seem unaware of the beauty at their feet.
Point Lobos juts out from Carmel Bay and points across the Pacific towards China.
Pieces of driftwood, washed up from who-knows-where, dot the pristine beach.
Pelicans glide by providing a prehistoric profile against the intensely blue sky.
The sand at my feet is as fine as sugar. Even the sea gulls are content and do not pester me for scraps from my lunch.
Honeymooners stroll along the shore and stop to snap each other’s photos against the magnificent background. Unencumbered with children, and so in love that they hold hands, step by step, with each new footprint in the sand. They have picked the ideal season to celebrate their love in Carmel.
Dogs run and play, unleashed with joy. They frolic indiscriminately in small packs chasing frisbees, tennis balls, waves and wary gulls. Dachshunds chase Great Danes.Border Collies cavort with terriers. Without leashes, yards, fences or property to protect, they are free to be themselves, reverting to puppyhood, regardless of their age,or pedigree.
I collect delicate samples of lacy seaweed to dry, press, and add to my collection.
Against the reflection of the pale sand, I am sunburned, as I have been so many Septembers here since childhood, producing more additions to my collection of freckles!
I have walked the length of the beach today. Remarkable! It is remarkable that I am alive and walking at all!. No, I can no longer jog along the surf, nor can I climb the steeper dunes, but I can walk along the water’s edge, and walk it very well indeed!
Truly remarkable!
What did the oncologist tell me in March of ’98 when I chokingly asked him whether
I would live another year, perhaps another eighteen months?
“Remarkable” he answered. “It would be remarkable if you lived that long at all.”
As sunset approaches, the locals come out for their evening stroll, savoring the blending of the brilliant colors as the sun melts into the Pacific.
Even when I am inland and away from the shore, I am compelled to turn towards the west at sunset, like a flower straining towards the last rays from the beautiful sun, until the moon and stars beckon me to sleep.
An excerpt from "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies" and "Where the Red Tailed Hawk Flies: Cancer Can't Defeat Us!" Copyright (c)2000 by Gabriella Graham/Red Tailed Hawk Publishing/All rights reserved.
Cypress at Carmel Beach CA photo'd by GG