I've been really missing the ocean of late, and not just the Gulf of Mexico, where the above photo was taken, although I miss that too.
I took this photo at Indian Rocks Beach, about ten minutes due west from my old house in Largo, Florida, on a trip with Marek a couple of years ago, in early May 2019.
In the 25+ years that I lived in the Tampa Bay area, I spent a LOT of time at Indian Rocks Beach, although my personal favorite beach in the area was at Fort de Soto, on the southernmost end of Pinellas County, near the Skyway Bridge, in the area by the wooden footbridge over the inlet.
No houses, more wild, Australian pines everywhere, and just a gorgeous place with a wonderful vibe. It's a great place if you want to truly relax.
But the sea I've been missing is the Pacific Ocean, having been born and come of age in Southern California, where the Pacific and its rocks, cliffs, canyons, and wildlife, were among my earliest and greatest influences.
And I really, really miss the California grey whales, the Pacific whitesided dolphins, elephant seals, California sea lions, sea otters, the massive and ever-present kelp beds, and pretty much all the other marine mammals, seabirds, and wildlife that inhabit the Pacific coast.
I love our place in Middle Tennessee, but I'm an ocean baby at heart, often spent my lunch breaks from work body surfing at Playa del Rey, and the sea is calling to me.
And I am seriously missing ocean sailing.
Ah well, for now I'll remain where I am, but there it is.
My wanderlust, never far from the surface, is kicking in again strongly, especially since Marek fell in love with the Oregon and Washington coasts, and BC.
C'est la vie. Maybe one of these days.
In the meantime, I've been greatly heartened by the fact that competent and empathetic adults once again inhabit our White House.
We the People no longer have to be glued to our TVs or phones in dread of the next hourly scandal erupting from the vile administration of the Traitor-in-Thief and his minions.
In fact, I found myself laughing out loud this morning at the GQP's pathetic attempt at their latest Biden "scandal."
Evidently, on a leisurely walk across the White House lawn, President Biden bent over, picked a dandelion seed head, and presented it to his wife Jill, in what most empathetic humans would recognize as a sweetly romantic gesture.
But not the GQP. No, to them, this was at best an insult, and I really rolled laughing when the author questioned why Biden didn't even wait until the dandelion was blooming . . . which makes me question if the author was actually human, or simply poorly programmed AI, because what grammar school child doesn't already know that dandelion seedheads come AFTER the flowers?
As a number of commenters noted, in American custom, he was presenting her not only with the flower seedhead, but also with the opportunity to make a wish, making it a doubly sweet gesture.
Several women noted that they wish their spouses were as considerate.
And, even given how little I know about Dr. Jill Biden personally, I have little doubt that she used that wish wisely. ;-)
And of course, had the #FormerGuy tried the same thing, not only would he have likely been unable to bend over and pick it up in the first place, but even had he succeeded, it's likely that Melania would have brushed it aside, as she did his hand, on many occasions.
Then again, I have no illusions that such a thing would even occur to him.
Naturally, the primary complaint of the GQP was that Biden was presenting his wife with a common weed, yet again betraying their fundamental lack of knowledge, as anyone who knows anything about natural medicine knows that dandelions are both highly nutritious AND contain some of the most powerful natural plant medicines known to mankind.
Back when I was still writing for www.examiner.com, I wrote a very detailed article about how amazing and beneficial dandelions are, explaining many of their most beneficial uses, how to use them, and why NO ONE should ever eliminate them from their lawns; at least, not by poisoning them.
It was my most popular and highly rated article that I ever wrote for them, which was gratifying, in that it meant that many others also saw the value in dandelions and their many uses, and hopefully at least a few learned something new.
www.examiner.com no longer exists, or I'd link the article, but I'm pretty sure I still have a copy on one of my hard drives, and since I wrote it before Marek and I had even met, which means over 15+ years ago, I guess it's high time for me to revisit the subject and come up with an updated version.
Dandelion wine, anyone? ;-)
In any case, Marek sent me the following cartoon last night, which again had me laughing out loud, created by my absolute favorite cartoonist, Gary Larson, who created "The Far Side."
And, although I nicknamed it "Republicans in a Nutshell," it is just as descriptive of pedantic and stuck-in-the-mud politicians of EVERY stripe, not only in the U.S.A., but from virtually every nation on our planet.
The primary reason for ALL political quagmires: small brains, and little to no creativity or problem-solving skills, coupled with unbridled greed and avarice.
Politics in a nutshell. But I digress.
The bottom line in all of this, although I readily admit that the past five years of constant anxiety haven't yet entirely left me, is that I am greatly enjoying having a president who is competent, who cares about ALL our people, and who is just quietly getting about the business of doing his job.
What a marked difference from the #FormerGuy, who did EVERYTHING in his power to keep from doing a lick of real work, the entire time he was in office.
Good riddance to bad rubbish.
Here's to four years free of scandal; to having those who placed our nation - and their own colleagues - in harm's way indicted, tried, and sentenced; to investigating EVERY federal judge that was placed on the bench under #traitortrump to ENSURE that they are actually qualified to mete out UNBIASED and IMPARTIAL justice; and to ENDING qualified immunity, AND the militarization of our police, and other law enforcement agencies.
Let's get back to a nation that allows people to live their lives without undue government interference, without having to live in fear, and with a government that supports creators in starting and growing new businesses, as small business has ALWAYS been the LARGEST employment sector of our nation, not to mention the primary driving force of our economy.
Life is wonderful, and is getting better, better, and BETTER!!!
I love you all, and thanks for sticking with me, even when I fell in a hole for a while.
#earthtribe #tribevibes #naturalmedicine #tribegloballove #poetsunited #isleofwrite #tarc #yah #ecotrain #smg #ghsc #spunkeemonkee #thirtydayhaikuchallenge #teamgood #steemsugars #teamgirlpowa #womenofsteemit #steemusa #qurator #music #rock #steemitbasicincome #bethechange #chooselove #photography #beauty #love #culture #peacemaking #peacemaker #friendship, #warmth #self-respect #respect #allowing #animals #community #unity #love #loss #mourning
CommunityIIDiscord
Your title really grabbed me @crescendoofpeace. I can totally identify with that statement. Lived (living) inland and lived by the sea. The sea ALWAYS calls. I have to admit I'm so relieved not to be American or live there right now. Although we aren't without our twisted politics here in SA. Personally, I'd rather politicians threw themselves into the sea and left me to explore the world and appreciate the adventure of life. Just like you "My wanderlust, never far from the surface......."