"Completely Revitalized"

Yesterday Jacque asked me if I had a certain day that I posted on this blog and my answer was that I did not - I just write when I feel the urge or maybe when I feel that I might actually have something to say that you, who read this (I have no idea who reads) might enjoy it. Hopefully, today will be one of those days.

I have just spent a marvelous week in Gulf Shores, Alabama. The week was spent just as I had desired that it would be - lying on a chaise lounge under an umbrella on the beach, enjoying some tasty, fresh seafood, reading another Stone Woods book, and visiting with my friends, Kay Hudson and Judy Woodruff. Actually, I did not know Judy until this trip - that is to say that I had met her but did not "know" her. She turned out to be a lovely woman and I now feel that she is a friend. Kay, of course, has been a friend for many years. I preach and preach to my children when they go to the beach - "don't get blistered - use lots of sun screen". Well, I went to the beach on the first day with some sun screen but did not reapply as the day wore on and as you might suspect I did get extremely red in places. I say "places" because I have never had an even tan in my life. I must sit wrong, lay wrong or do something that other people don't do because I will get red on one arm and the other leg, etc. but never a pretty sight. Anyway, after using Aloe and sitting under the umbrella for the next five days I never did get more red but I didn't get the pretty tan that Kay and Judy came home with. I will peel and be ugly and then be back to my original color skin and who cares anyway. I'm not a young babe wearing clothes that would show off a tan anyway! This trip was the most relaxing trip that I have ever had and I have come home, as my caption states, Completely Revitalized. Ready to meet the world and all that it will hold for me this week and the weeks to come.

There were two outstanding things that happened on this trip that I want to relate to you. Two young women were sunning on the chairs next to me on the beach and I noticed that one of them had a palate of brushes and paints and was painting on a drawing pad. Quite naturally, with my inquisitve nature, I went over and introduced myself and asked to see her work. She is a new student of art, but quite good actually. I can see that she will never be a Picasso but she will do some impressive work and more importantly she loves what she is doing. She is a hair dresser by profession. My friends and I enjoyed these two women, Trudy and Debbie, every day and really enjoyed watching them parasail on afternoon. On the last day of their trip Kay and I happened to be on the beach in the late afternoon and they came over to our chairs and sat down to exchange addresses, etc. One of the women, Debbie, looked at me and told me that she had only been married for a year and wanted to know what I would tell her about life from the perspective of an elderly woman. It seems that she had been married once before and made a mess of it and was quite eager to "get it right" this time. I guess you might say that I was surprised at the question, but I started right in to my "sermon" and told her that she would make mistakes along the way and that I certainly did - plenty of them as a matter of fact - but if she would put God first and foremost in her life all the rest would fall in place. Of course, I told her other things about the joy of children, grandchildren, great-granchildren, etc. I also mixed in a few tales of experiences that I had enjoyed. Kay and I thought that it was quite interesting that those two women would be interested in anything that we, old folks, might have to say. The other wonderful experience was on Thursay evening we went to Fort Morgan (a Civil War fort) and parked the car and walked out on the pier to watch the sunset. Well, it was certainly worth the ride and the wait because it just took your breath away. God was turning off the light for the day and getting ready to hit the light switch for the night. If anybody could stand out on that pier and watch that wonderful sight and not be touched there would have to be something wrong with them.

Well, I have rambled on for way too long for you to enjoy and now I must close and get ready to meet the day and the week ahead. I just wanted to let you know that I had a great time at the beach and, of course, the best part of any vacation for me is coming home. When I drive down my driveway and walk into my house and my beautiful Cleo comes to meet me I say "it just doesn't get better than this".