Have You Ever Seen the Sun Rise on the Ocean?

     Another gorgeous sunny morning in OBX, this one starts minutes before a magnificent sunrise above the ocean. Someone made this morning better than the others so far; my phone alarm is buzzing at 6am, time to get up, find my running clothes, empty my bladder, take a big drink of water all the while continuously asking Greg if he is getting up to watch the sunrise and take photos of it.  He does make it out of bed but very unmotivated.  The sun is to rise at 6:21am according to wundergrounds website, my second alarm starts buzzing at 6:15am...time to head out, walk the small distance to the beach and find a great spot to watch something I have never watched before, the sun rise above the ocean!  I start to put my running shoes on but quickly remembered my solitude run yesterday without shoes; the shoes came off quicker than putting them on.  

     

     It was then Greg said he hates mornings (no new news here) and he doesn’t have the energy to see the sun rise and drag his Nikon to the beach for it.  With his words I start to fell a pinch inside but knew it was his decision and I could not act of outside of my dignity and show my disappointment.  With a smile I tell him to go back to bed as I still was settled on seeing the sun rise.  He crawls back into the noisy and not so comfortable bed pulling the sheet and comforter on top of him as I grab my iPhone, carrier and sunglasses and sneak out of our sliding door which leads me past the maze of chaise lounges, past the pool, and through the wood gate where I am walking on the sandy and grassy path to the wooden walk and stairs which drops off at one of the most amazing places my eyes have seen.  

     The first person I pass is a lady sitting atop the stairs, she was mesmerized by the rising sun I think I startled her a bit, the next person was a man walking his dog, the dog saw me coming, acted as if he wanted to meet me but his owner wasn’t acting the same.  I look straight ahead to the East and get excited, more excited than when my alarm went off at 6.  It hasn’t fully risen yet.  I look to my left and there are a few people standing on the beach full body toward the East, there are a few fisher people setting up for the their next few hours of waiting for the bite of the fish on the end of their line.  Joggers and walkers concentrated on their regime yet glancing to the East every few seconds.  I take my iPhone out of the carrier and charge up the camera icon and immediately start pressing the capture button.  Photo after photo the large red and yellow glow starts becoming a great light, then it starts forming a brilliant ball of orange and yellow and red, all mixed into one, yet all distinct colors of themselves.  

     I continue snapping photos of this image, in awe, when I hear someone right behind me say, “That looks like a good shot.”  I jump because I was not aware of anyone behind me...scary.  Then my face beams into a huge smile as I see it is Greg!  He made it out of bed and dragged his butt and Nikon to the beach for the sunset!  I was happy he didn’t miss it and I was ecstatic to watch it rise with him.  

     The light from the newly risen sun dancing on the water, waves and wet sand, seagulls chasing the waves as they bring the birds breakfast right to their beaks.  The small amount of people on the beach enjoying their walks and runs before the sun heats up the sand and air, those carrying their coffee in to-go cups strolling along the water line, moving away from the water as it sneaks up closer to their feet every few waves in between.  The joggers with shoes on are farther away from the waves, the joggers without shoes, like me, are more eager to run through the waves of almost any size as they come in.  

Finally a Vacation!

Early to rise to board a plane with leg room any size person would scream to be cramped up in.  Layover was not bad but then into the next plane with the same amount of leg room...next to none!  By the last hour of the ride, my knees started to ache, I can only imagine what his legs and knees were feeling being a foot taller than me.

Arriving at the beautiful beach house yet not being able to enter for five more hours, we found some of our party at a nearby hotel and hung out by the pool until the heat became too much.  Once in the hotel lobby everyone realized how hungry each was, good thing we were heading out to grab lunch at that moment.  Ending up at a delicious pizza house, me having two large slices of cheese pizza while the rest shared two extra large pepperoni pizzas.   The many shops surrounding were a fun distraction from the heat and humidity while we continue to wait for time to speed up to 3pm.

Yesterday, lying on a beach towel in the hot sand in the heat of the sun, hot, humid sweat beading down my body, chatting with the girls, we saw a small pack of dolphins swimming north, not too far out from where the mass of beach goers were playing in the water.  Magical sight!  These beautiful creatures jumping out of the water as they travel and probably feeding at the same time.

Today, with the mighty rock he is, I ventured into the ocean.  Walking and bobbing past a set of waves, we were out where the waves were small followed by medium then followed by big; this repetition was continuous, of course not every wave the same as the last.  The water was cool and the sun was hot, a refreshing mix to have the salty water splash my face as my body was near submersion in the coolness.  Wave after wave, Greg held my hand so I stayed near him as each wave had the intentions of sending me back to shore.  After each large wave, he pulled me closer to him them we preceded to walk a few steps further in...that's how far these waves carried us.  His sturdy stance, his caring hold, and the huge smile as it raced across his face!

This morning I ran bare foot on the beach!  Amazing feeling throughout my body and mind.  Even though there is a blister on my second toe, left foot, from the sand; wet and firmer as well as dry and soft, my feet hitting the sand, and occasionally the tide, a new sensation for my feet; therefore, a blister.  This will not stop my run tomorrow or any other morning left here.

So far, each morning we wake the heat and humidity are rising, of course by midday the heat has increased greatly, by late afternoon, after being in the sun and water all day, the air inside and out have cooled.  Climb into bed, feeling the chill, then by about 2 or 3am, wake up to heat and that's when it begins again.  I can't remember when I have felt these extreme temperatures, but I love feeling it and noticing it all.

Four more wake ups in the beautiful place, three more days at the breath taking beach and ocean.  How can I live near the ocean?  First, finish school!  Second, find a job...that will take me here!