A Cabin By the Sea

 
Last night when we arrived at the cabin by the sea, clouds had gathered on the western horizon and thunder ran across the whitecaps echoing against the shore.  It was eerie.  The sun set through the gray, billowing clouds muting the sunset’s normal brilliant colors.

There is nothing like falling asleep to the rhythmic sounds of the waves beating against the shore.  Due to the storm out in the Gulf they boomed against the rocks which captured the sound in their depths bouncing them all around inside the spaces between.  This loud crashing happened infrequently but when it did it sounded like a kettle drum which made me jump.  Falling asleep was so easy even though in an unfamiliar bed, the sound of the sea a soothing melody.

Somewhere in the depths of my unconscious about 7 AM an idea began to worm its way along the sleeping synapses of my brain jolting me awake with the first line of what I imagine was either a very bad poem or a children’s story.  “Crash & Roll, Crash & Roll, the mighty waves upon the shore”, it said in my head and I knew that there was no denying the call to wake.  So, I did and was able to witness a beautiful sunrise which reflected on the western ocean’s surface.  Pelicans flew by, gulls cried, a Hairy Woodpecker churrred from the pines.  Insistently the ocean called to me and I climbed down the stairs to dip my toe in the foam of the ebbing waves.  Surprisingly, it was not so cold just brisk.

I sat on the screened porch composing the story until the waves worked their magic on me and I rolled back into bed to sleep another hour.  That is the luxury of vacation, to heed the call of the rolling waves, their siren call safe and sleeping inducing.