Skip to main content

The Beach

Living in Clearwater, Florida definitely tops the list of places we have lived. The two years that we lived there gave us so many more memories than seems possible for that amount of time. Being water people, we know of nothing more powerful than the call of the ocean, more peaceful than toes sunk into the sand, water overlapping occasionally, and nothing more exhilarating than watching the sun singe the horizon as it sets in an explosion of oranges, reds, and purples. Spectators applaud these sunsets...literally. The Pinellas County side of the bridge is laid back with no worries, and there are always, always plenty of activities going on for everyone to enjoy, often for free. When I close my eyes, I can feel the humid and salty ocean breeze, the dried salt on my skin and in my hair left after from a dip in this endless pool, and the cool fine grains of sand surrounding my feet. So, why are we here? Why, oh why did destiny bring us back to Ohio? I've heard some say that Ohio is a black hole that few escape from. I prefer to believe that destiny brought us to Ohio to open the door to ECOS for Shelby, and to confirm our feelings for our home away from family. The Island is calling, and we will be back (LOST reference - you're welcome). Back may be Florida or some other location, but it will be a place that we can be confident as our own family unit and confident in who we can be. Granted, Florida would be awesome, but Florida will be a part of our lives whether we live there or not. Destiny works in funny ways - we have accomplished many things in Ohio since we returned, the most important being that we know what is right for us and our future. Look back at this from wherever you end up, and tell me that I was right!
Labels:

Comments

  1. Fresh Eggs FarmOctober 3, 2010 at 9:39 PM

    I am amazed at the overwhelming joy we feel when we start to talk about the ocean, the beach, the dolphins and manatees and Clearwater in general. I miss it dearly - it would be amazing if the reason we came back to Ohio brings us full circle back to Florida. We will just have to see what time and fate does for us. I love you forever and am excited to see live our future.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Things I Love About Our Farm

One of the reasons that we bought a house in rural Ohio was to finally start our farm. Our 1.3 acres is just big enough to house us, some animals, and our plant food, with room left over to play. So, here are some of the reasons that I love our farm: Fresh milk! The best product, in my eyes, that we have harvested from our farm is goat milk. I never thought I would drink it, but I like it, and we get half a gallon on a bad day (a gallon on a good day). Beyond milk, we've made cheese and plan to make soap and other products. Major score! Our farm animals are fun to watch and take care of. So entertaining and full of personality, our alpacas, sheep, dairy goats, and angora goats are our pets that give us company along with the fiber and milk for our home. Fiber. I haven't found the time or patience to knit or crochet yet, and I probably won't be a great spinner, but I do love the different textures and colors of our fiber animals. Alpaca fiber is so soft, as is angora, ...
5 comments
Read more

Happy New Year 2015!

I love our Christmas and New Year's break because it gives us time to celebrate, time to relax, and time to take inventory of life - the past, the present, and the future, or at least hopes and direction on what we want our future to be. I feel like this past year was a deep breath to prepare for our future home...we had our share of projects, but there is so much to do to make our home what we want it to be. Things that did happen in 2014: We bought our pellet stove and had it installed! This old house is drafty and cold, but our stove keeps our parlor and living room the warmest, and gives us a toasty place to warm up in when winter is its coldest. This is now our primary heat source and, so far this year, our only heat source. We've had some animals give birth and some animals pass. We lost Steve our sheep and Josie our alpaca, and Ollie the fall prior. We sold some of our non-producing goats to a land owner for clearing brush, a life I'm sure they will enjoy. S...
3 comments
Read more

Things I Love About Shelby

In honor of my wife, Shelby, and her birthday, I would like to share just some of the things that I love about her: Shelby loves with all her heart and loves unconditionally. She is not judgmental but will neither accept judgement of her or her family and friends by others.  Living life fully, Shelby is always up for new adventures. We've been to college, lived at the beach, and started a farm. Life is exciting, and balance is key - we need to have the means to live, but it is essential that the whole family enjoy new experiences together! She has the intelligence and drive to make it happen, and she has, many times. Shelby's sense of family has kept ours strong from the beginning. I had two children when we married, and she managed to get custody of them for us, accepting them as her own. Since then, we've had three more of our own. Lots of love in this big family of ours! As dedicated as Shelby is to living life, she is dedicated to her job. I admire the effort t...
5 comments
Read more