A Day at the Ocean

Cape Canaveral National Seashore, FL

Only one picture. But anyone who has stood on a lonely beach knows the sensations this scene evokes. A deserted beach on a winter day is something everyone should experience. Long pants and a wind breaker replace the bathing suit and sun block. The gray sky, the wind, the roll of the sea, the squawking gulls all seem to me to be God talking. Whenever I get to walk a beach in the winter, even for an hour, I feel refreshed, humble, and thankful.

Three days after Christmas, all the family has gone and the few days of quiet before the New Year hubbub seem like a good time for a reflective walk on the beach. Michelle and I enjoyed that today. It felt good.

The story here is interesting. When NASA set up the Kennedy Space Center, they bought a lot of empty land around the center to act as a security buffer -- housing developments near a rocket launch site would not be a good idea. A rocket explosion during launch could take out many houses and lives. As time progressed, most of that land became the Merritt Island Wildlife Refuge and the Cape Canaveral National Seashore. A wise choice for all of us.