Peacock Blue
When I’m retired I’ll walk the beach, collecting seashells. I’ll drop them like other people drop coins into a glass jar at the end of each day. ~ Colleen
I’m the only one on the beach collecting shells. The whole beach? For me? When I was young I only picked up the perfectly formed shells. Now I’m drawn to bits and pieces, worn down into unusual shapes. I scan the shore with my eyes like I do at the thrift shop looking for clothes. Even though I think I’m being discerning, soon all my pockets are bulging with shells of the right color and quality.
The camp ground we’re staying at has peacocks. Seeing them reminded me of the ones my sister Sherry and I saw at a zoo in Florida when we were teenagers. A few years after that, I bought several long peacock feathers and put them in a wine bottle for a decoration in my very first apartment. Now I was picking them up off the ground, free and plentiful like shells. I wore one in my hair all day.
Joe and I got into a deep discussion regarding the color of the ocean. I thought it looked marine blue, becoming almost indigo dark in places. He saw the colors teal and aquamarine. In reality, it was hard to tell where one shade of blue, green, or purple began and where it ended. The ocean is a sea full watercolors changing with the play of light, accented with the crashing of brilliant white waves.
The waves roll out on the horizon like the mountains of the Blue Ridge. They’re big enough today to draw lots of surfers. Trying to photograph surfers in the act is like trying to photograph butterflies. I chased many butterflies around my yard this summer pursuing the perfect shot, the way the surfers now wait for the perfect wave. Sometimes it happens.
My jeans are wet up to my knees. While trying to get a perfect shot of the wet-suit-less surfers on their brightly colored boards, a roaring wave caught me unaware. I’m about to head back to the camper to change because the sunset is next on our schedule. It’s already creating a glow of spreading lavender where the sea and sky meet. Here, on the outer banks of North Carolina, watching the sunset is the best show in town.
September 23rd, 2006 5:38 pm
Ahh, to be at the beach again! The feeling of sand between your toes, the salt taste in the breeze, the wonderful sounds of the waves, the ever changing colors of sea and sky. Enjoy!
September 23rd, 2006 7:26 pm
Walking on a beach sounds divine. I like the idea of collecting the imperfect shell. Somewhere in the basement I have a bucket of sunrise tellins (sp?) with little creatures’ shells on their backs.
September 23rd, 2006 9:09 pm
What a beautiful post and memory you brought back to me Coll.
You bought the peacock feathers at “The Flower Show” in Boston. Plus it was Grampa Freddie who told us all about the water that year ….he said, it is the sun’s rays that give the water color, because if you took aqua, blue or greenish water in put it in a glass it would still be colorless.
Have fun watching the show of the sun setting. xo
September 24th, 2006 12:03 am
Lucky, lucky you, to be in the Outer Banks in autumn.
September 24th, 2006 7:10 am
I don’t get to an ocean often but I can relate to picking up shells. I am afraid however that I still concentrate on the “perfect”ones.
September 24th, 2006 9:33 am
Ah-h-h-h, the Outer Banks….my favorite “Shore Spot”. The only thing that is missing there is lobster.
It sounds beautiful, Colleen and I love the picture of your feathered headdress. Imagine peacocks in a camping ground!! Don’t they shriek and wake everyone up???
Enjoy your visit there….
September 24th, 2006 9:40 am
i love the outer banks! our family vacationed there every summer during my teen years. i haven’t had a chance to go back since then. have a great time!
September 24th, 2006 11:37 am
Love the peacock feather in your hair and the debate about what color blue the ocean really is. Loved the pictures, the thoughts and that the world actually comes to Floyd. Your T13 is always delightful and your blog always makes me feel like I’ve had a good visit with a wise and gentle friend. (Same time next week?)
September 24th, 2006 2:58 pm
Collect enough peacock feathers to make a large bouquet…. then you’ll have a rainbow all year round. Have fun.
September 24th, 2006 4:20 pm
Lucky, lucky you!! My husband and I drove the length of the Outer Banks in Dec. of 1980 and brought back a huge piece of driftwood that resembles a whale rising from the ocean. I have it adhered to the side of my house near the back door. Enjoy…
September 24th, 2006 7:21 pm
It sounds sooo wonderful Colleen. And looks glorious too, as do you!
Trying to describe colors of anything, but especially the sea..is near to impossible, isn’t it? The subtle changes just make it almost impossible to capture too, with a camera…
It sounds like a wonderfully relaxing weekend…Sunet, here you come!
September 24th, 2006 10:11 pm
There’s something magical about a beach and the waves coming in …a constant rhythm. I collect shells and all kinds of rocks. I used to call them, “my beauty stones” when I was 5! I still do.
September 26th, 2006 6:09 pm
Great photos and I can sure relate to the water, being surrounded by it here on the island. And I love how it changes constantly depending on the time of day or the weather. Sure hope you’re still planning to come visit our little slice of paradise this winter!
Sounds like you’re having a great seaside escape, so enjoy!