Veja Du, What Works For Me Might Work For You

Beaufort  

A quiet morning quickly became chaotic when Barry asked, "Do we have any mayo?" Although as a rule I avoid the stuff, he needed it to make his tuna salad for lunch. I checked my inventory sheet and sure enough it was in the starboard commissary cabinet. Soon thereafter, one paddle board, four crates, five bags, and several cases of drinks were removed from the below floor storage so that I could get into the commissary and open the cabinet doors. In the third lidded plastic bin was the elusive jar of Duke's. He was happy and made his lunch as I repacked the commissary with way more food than we will ever use on this trip. All of the special crackers, nuts, and hors d'oeuvres purchased for anticipated sundowners and appy hours have gone unused. Don't even ask how many cans of green beans are still down there. Once everything was stowed out of sight, it was definitely time for a walk.

We decided to try a new spot and stopped at the public access parking lot for Atlantic Beach. There were several cars in the lot, but it was not full. I can't imagine the line of cars circling and waiting for a spot to become available during the summer months. There were no dunes between the parking lot and the surf. We walked straight toward the water, passing an inactive lifeguard tower. Posts for several volleyball nets lined the sand. The net was up on one court and a group of guys were hitting the ball around in the bright sunshine. The beach was flat and broad. The tide was low and gentle waves broke far out on a sandbar and rippled up to where we walked. Little sandpipers flitted along clean virgin sand. I find it fascinating how some areas are covered with shells, and others have nary a trace. The occasional object in the sand brought additional excitement. A plastic lizard was easy to spot, as was a bivalve still safe from the birds in its closed shell. 

After picking up the lizard, a Jimmy Buffett song got stuck in my head. The chorus of Off to See the Lizard played on repeat: Deja deja deja vu / Believe it and it will come true / Veja veja veja du / What works for me might work for you. Most folks are familiar with deja vu alluding to the strange looking familiar. Veja du, in contrast, is looking at a familiar situation with fresh eyes as if you've never seen it before. Maybe that's why I enjoy beach walks so much. Most folks see it as the same stretch of sand, but I enjoy noticing subtle changes whether in the position of the tide on the sand, the small ripples as the waves' energy is finally depleted, or new sights in the wrack line. New today, were crab parts which we had not seen before.

I'll always be fascinated as to how a fragile open shell can land on the beach intact. Birds continue to grab my attention with their walks through the sea foam in search of a snack. Folks were out and about today, trying their best to transport themselves to the warmth of summer. Sitting on the beach bundled up in heavy coats and blankets is not ideal, but bonus points go to these folks for making the best of the day. I removed my jacket for close to a half hour and tried to soak up a few rays while the faded whiteness of my skin tried to reflect those same rays. The shadows grew longer across the sand and we headed back to Crossroads, passing the sign asking us to "visit us again soon." We will, and again will walk the sand with fresh eyes scanning the scene as if we'd never seen it before.

The sun now sets after 6:00 pm and is positioned under the bridge. These signs indicate both how long we've been here and that spring is coming. Fingers crossed we'll have our canvas finalized and installed by the end of day tomorrow. If/when we ever get to cast off from Beaufort, I'll put together a comparison of this nightly sunset view representing the very interesting passage of time.