Where we are staying is unimaginably beautiful. We all agree that we could live here and never leave. We each have our own space, and the pool enclosed in an English garden is magnificent. Bird song is consistent, and bunnies abound. Anchovy is the primary bunny resident. We are secluded on our one acre piece of land, at the end of a dirt road. Our only problem is finding it again when we leave. We are not on the beaten path, which we all love, and the property lives up to its name, which is "get away from it all." Why would one want to leave, but we do, and we spend the day at the beach, where the weather is perfect, the water is warm, and the waves just strong enough to be fun, but not so powerful as to hammer you, except once in a while to be sure you are awake. : ) I stay covered except when I'm in the water, which is a great deal of the time, as it is amazing, and, so now, I am fresh as a morning daisy.
I read yesterday in the shade under a tree, by a Japanese landscaped area of the yard, with a tiny windchime over my head, going "ting," "ting," "ting." Two cardinals and a bunny kept me company.
We had dinner at a lovely restaurant with a view of the ferries going in and out, which is my idea of Heaven. There were nine of us for dinner, as friends of theirs who have three beautiful children dined with us. 11 year old Thomas ordered lobster. His dad helped him figure out how to eat it. It was quite something to see on the plate with its antennae sticking up. Now I understand Nantucket red. It is the color of a cooked lobster. His 12 year old sister, who is a strict vegetarian thought she was going to throw up, and did not appreciate sitting next to her brother with his lobster on the plate, but he was beaming.
On the plane, I read Timothy, or Notes on an Abject Reptile by Verlyn Klingenborg. It is written by a true eighteenth century turtle who presents life from his very wise and slow-moving point of view. Timothy and I agree on the pacing of life, and the need to dig at times, and retreat. He also likes to explore, and understands clearly in and out, and who is confined, and who is not. Tis good to know, be clear, and expound on what is true for you.