At The Beach
by James Glaser
November 3, 2009

Yes, I'm at the beach, Orange Beach, in Alabama to be exact. Wanda had to go there for work, and I tagged along to walk the shore of the Gulf of Mexico. We got up early and saw the sun rise, and then I headed down to the shoreline to look for pirate gold and big sea shells. I didn't find either, but one fellow beach comber told me I would have to get out earlier if I wanted to find those things.

I'll tell you what I found—miles and miles of white sand beaches that are lapped by turquoise blue water. It is the off-season, so I pretty much had the beach to myself, but there were foot prints from somebody that was there before me. No doubt that was the guy that got the pirate gold.

In this day and age where all you hear about is pollution, Orange Beach is a nice change. I walked for about 20 minutes each way in front of the hotel (Perdido Beach Resort), and I found no litter, no little pieces if plastic, and no cigarette butts. I did find a few pieces of colored glass that had been warn smooth by the sand and wave action.

I also found quiet. Other than the soft sound of the waves hitting shore and a few cries from birds, there was nothing but silence. The resort had wooden lounge chairs near the water's edge, and I sat and thought how perfect it was. A little breeze picked up, and it looked like a hundred sea gulls were floating in the air and heading toward me. They landed all around me, but after a while they figured out that I had nothing to feed them, and they moved down the beach.

I found no big shells, but there were thousands and thousands of little ones. I don't know how many different ones there were, but in the time I was down there, I never got bored looking. I figured out that God is without a doubt an incredible artist, and his work is ever changing. The beach is a great palate.

Walking in the sand tires you out a lot faster than on pavement, and in the afternoon I was a bit sore. Tomorrow morning I am going to get out there early and see if I can get to the treasures before anyone else does, but I think yesterday I found the best treasure, and that is a place filled with God's wonders—and the peace and quiet to enjoy them.

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