By Brenda Black
My heart skipped a beat when first my toes touched the powdery soft sand that gradually sloped toward the Pacific. A ferry ride and a two-mile hike in cowboy boots landed me the closest I've ever been to salt water and sea weed. I couldn't peel those boots and socks fast enough!
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Boots in the sand
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| Toes in the sea |
The air was fresh, the sky and water
blending together in hues of blue. Then it happened. A wave rushed in
faster than we had imagined and billowed up our rolled up pant legs,
leaving my husband and me wet, shocked and giddy! I'm not a beach
girl. Don't really have any desire to set sail across the deep blue
seas. I've seen pictures of the creatures they continue to discover
under all that water, and frankly it gives me the heebie jeebies!
After my first encounter this past week with real sand and ocean
water on my feet, I've come to understand the appeal. But as for me,
I plan to keep on the shore.
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| Pacific Ocean Blue |
Our visit was delightful, but Missouri
and solid earth beckoned. So with the imagery of foamy waves and sea
gulls lingering on my mind, we boarded a plane and took flight,
homeward bound. Between the coast and the Heartland, stretches a
whole lot of territory! From 37,000 feet up, the immensity of our
country and its incredible diversity is incomprehensible. Each
mountain range and desert, every winding river, barren rock and
snow-covered peak heralds individuality and the thumbprint of a
divine Creator.
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| From 7 miles up |
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| Finger Paint Compliments of God |
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| Just a little puddle 37,000 feet away |
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| Las Vegas strip |
From ground level, they look the same.
From a bird's eye view, not a single boulder or sparkling lake is
shaped alike. The colors are remarkably varied with stripes of
orange, green, red, blue, brown and yellow painting carved out
bluffs. Others will “oohh” and “aahh” over the Las Vegas
strip with all its man made lights and glitz. As for me, that massive
city seemed insignificant in the middle of God's great wilderness.
From seven miles above both city and rugged landscapes, I have to
grant the wow factor to the Rockies, the Painted Desert, the Sierras
and the Grand Canyon!
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| Grandeur as far as the eye can see |
For many, a stroll on the beach or a
plane ride for a thousand miles is common place. But even if you're
an expert on sea shells and have been up in the air a hundred times,
there should remain a sense of wonder. That is how I choose to live
on this great and gorgeous planet! Whether by land or by sea, she is
lovely and masterfully designed. This I have seen and I remain amazed
and moved by its grandeur.
photos by Brenda Black
