Salty Sunday

The gusto was lacking today.  At four o'clock this morning (actually three o'clock "old time" if one ignores the Daylight Savings Time change overnight) I tore myself from under the sheets and plopped myself before the computer screen to complete some literary changes about which I had been ruminating. It was after all Sunday morning so I had nothing better to do. Even if it were not worth the slog it at least satisfied the nag.

At seven o'clock I again buried myself beneath the duvet and slept soundly until shortly after nine. After breakfast I rode my bicycle to Bayfront Park as usual. It was an effort.  I was still tired and the hemp CBD I have been taking was making my heart race somewhat. I'm determined to finish the four bottles which I recently purchased.  I will take as much as seems to provide relief. There is always Tylenol Arthritis.

On the ride homeward it was work. I longed to park the bike and get onto a chaise longue at the beach. When at last I landed there almost all the chairs and umbrellas were already taken.  There was one chair remaining next to two chairs, one of which was occupied by a woman whom I knew.  When I approached her about the third chair she kindly said it had my name on it. Apparently the second chair was for her visiting daughter. We chatted at some length and then I removed my chair a respectable distance from her and her daughter's. I wasn't however immediately comfortable. The CBD was still disturbing me somewhat.  Because there was no wind the small sand flies were more annoying than usual.

Later I got off the chaise longue and went for a walk along the shore towards the Beaches condominiums. It too was a struggle.  I just hadn't any energy. Tomorrow I plan to give myself a rest from the regular bicycle routine. Nonetheless I pushed myself to my customary target at the Beaches then turned back, passing the same young couple who have parked themselves on chaises longues adjacent one of the mansions on Regent Court for the past several months (getting remarkably browner by the day). My speculation is that they live on the Bay side of Gulf of Mexico Drive and have placed their chaises longues in that location as a form of privacy on the beach. I have regularly seen the young woman walk from the beach onto the pathway beyond our condominium leading to Gulf of Mexico Drive. It is curious to me that two young people are as frequently on the beach throughout the week. They appear always at the same time so they may not have commitments until before or afterwards. They do not appear to be romantically involved.

When I recovered my perch on the beach I trotted to the shore then walked into the sea for a swim.  There were cooler water circulations today than yesterday, which I found peculiar since the air temperature today was higher than yesterday. But the sea wind may have pushed deeper water towards the shore. Nonetheless the water was uncommonly fresh.  And beautifully salty as always, a cleanliness that comes with the salinity. The colour was jade. When I first entered the sea I made a point of splashing sea water onto my face, cherishing the salt on my lips.  I swam under water with my eyes open, a resolve which I find purifies my vision.

Towards the end of the day - after two further swims in the sea - I chatted with my adjacent beachcomber friends.  The daughter returns to Chicago tomorrow. It was a pleasant exchange dominated by discussion of travel in Asia and real estate here.