The real voyage of discovery consists not in seeking new landscapes, but in having new eyes.
Marcel Proust
To do my dream travel I don't have to pack a suitcase, take identification, or get time off from work. My car gets me to my destination in minutes.
When I lived in the desert for thirty years I did my dream travel to the ocean of the Pacific Northwest. My heart burst wide open when I first saw the ocean at sixteen. Here is a poem I wrote shortly after.
The sea was calm that day
but my heart soared
We stood together letting the wind grasp out mind
Then you were gone
and I
ran along the beach alone
letting the waves pull me out
hoping they would pull me to you
I saw you there
standing at the window
but time put too much space between us
Later
the sea became like me
lonely
The wind whistle through the driftwood
while the ocean
silver with sun
met the sand to leave it damp with remembrance
Now I live minutes from the water and my dream is to see it many times during the week. God provides a palette of breath taking colors. In the early mornings the colors can be pinks, blues, oranges, and reds. Each morning, each moment can be different. I find that endlessly interesting.
At midday the sun turns the sky into steely colors of silver, pewter, gold, and bronze. Add some clouds and wind and it becomes a Turner landscape.
There must be contrast in all things and black in contrast to color is visually alluring. I find the twilight hours send me into a reverie. What beauty!
When I visit the water's edge I am never alone. The space is full of life. My favorite locals are the birds. They don't tire of the place they live so why should I? I can always tell if I get bored with my life I have not been to the water.
I am joining Ann Dee Ellis and other writers in using a prompt to record memoir moments. If you don't write your story, who will?
I miss water, but am blessed by sky and mountain. Lovely. Thank you.
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