Walk, saunter, run, swim, wander, feel the sand and warm water between your toes. Or close your eyes and cyber-stroll. Enjoy every tiny treasure of your own personal paradise …
Posted tagged ‘beach’
Time and Tide
April 17, 2012From Boots to Banana Bay in One Beautiful Day
December 9, 2010You only get a handful of occasions to really justify wearing winter boots on Grand Bahama Island.
Yesterday was one of those days.
Unseasonably low temps in the upper 30s kicked off the day. Clear and a couple degrees warmer than our U.S. neighbor, Florida, (just 68 miles to the west), but still nippy for those of us more accustomed to the kind of warmth and humidity that keeps air conditioners running all through the summer and early fall.
But by mid-afternoon, the thermostat had buoyed up to what I like to call “Goldilocks” weather … not too hot, not too cold …. it’s juuuust right.
I picked up my daughter and her friends from school and decided we would savor this sumptuous high-blue sky, silky-sunshine, and flat-calm, low tide afternoon at a casual beachfront restaurant called Banana Bay. It’s a laidback, delightful place where boots are seldom seen, and shoes in general are quite optional …
We claimed a spot overlooking the wide beach, put in an order for some burgers and salads that the attentive staff cooked while the kiddos explored the eddies and sandbars that emerge at low tide …
… all sorts of shells and sea patterns, sea weed and driftwood glisten …
… a sturdy hammock slung between two palms becomes an imaginary high-seas swaying ship with some help from youthful imaginations …
and then the magic of the low-slanting rays of late afternoon sun start to glow …
bathing everything in a golden winter warmth …
glowing everywhere …
with a dazzling finale!
If you’re reading this from somewhere that’s seen more than your fair share of snow already … I do heartily apologize.
But I just had to capture the soft enchantment of this best-of-both-worlds kind of day. Boots and Beach. A taste of two winter paradises in one.
And if you are in the midst of a snowy winter wonderland type of paradise, please make a snow angel for me. I love snow angels. They’re best friends with the sand angels and mermaid angels that live here by the sea.
Enjoy the wonders of wherever you are. Tra-la.
Let’s Dance!
August 4, 2009
Oh, sweet life.
Swaying to a samba beat.
A sheaf of smooth writing paper.
Eclectic embraces of everyday exquisiteness.
Aqua ocean vistas.
Chilled mangoes.
Basil and tomatoes plucked from the garden patch.
Succulent stories.
White sand beneath my feet. Movies screened on a moonlit beach.
Books. More books.
Veni. Vidi. Visa. (I came. I saw. I shopped!)
Luscious Italian everything.
Abundant wispy plumbago plants.
Gardenias. Night blooming jasmine.
Mary Anne Radmacher’s word gardens of inspiration.
Anne Lamott’s writings.
A freshly sharpened bouquet of pencils.
The Beauty & Truth Laboratories of Rob Brezsny.
Daffodils.
Dallying.
The light in my husband’s eyes.
That little inside joke that makes my daughter laugh every time.
Seriously silly stuff.
Long, deep kisses that last three days. (And the movie, Bull Durham, where that line came from!)
Playing with words and images and impressions and ideas.
Dreaming.
Having fun making art. Supporting art.
The steady thrum of a printing press.
Grey’s Anatomy.
iPhone ingenuity.
Vintage wines. (And whines!)
Memorable martinis.
Movie therapy.
Extravagance.
Exuberance.
President Obama!
My dear, dear wonderful family and deeply fabulous and funny friends,
(each enchanting in their own way).
Merrymaking.
Meandering.
Merengue.
Making a difference.
A lot of alliteration!
High tea. High heels.
Serendipity.
Passionate purposes.
Time and tides.
Into-me-see.
Soft landings.
Deep breathing.
Gentle lessons.
A tender touch.
And writing. Yes, definitely writing!
Those are just a few of my favorite things. (I really did start out to make a succinct list of just a handful of things, but then one happy thought leads to another, doesn’t it?) It’s hard to stop once you start to put a list like this together … so many pleasures and inspirations to ponder. I love it all. And I want it all. And writing that down helps me remember that I already have it all when I take a breath and really look and sit still long enough to simply enjoy and reflect on the swaths of sumptuous blessings that flow both through me and to me every day.
That’s what starting this blog is about for me. I am inspired by the wisdom, wit, and whimsy that wing their way through the web and keep us all connected when we’re brave enough to open our hearts and share all the things we love about life, as well as all the things that haven’t quite made that list just yet! We can talk about those another time; right now I’m just pleased to be giving this blog a first twirl ….
The mysteries and marvels, musings and music, are tuning up. Let’s dance!
Paula's Paradise 