Light

The Saturday after Thanksgiving Paul and I awoke as the sky was starting to fill with light and walked to the beach. In 42 years I had never seen the sunrise so we grabbed the camera and headed out to watch it rise over the Atlantic Ocean. I have of course been up before the sun and spent nights without ever going to bed, but I've never sat and watched the sun rise over the horizon. We arrived at the beach where families with children, seniors with dogs and couples were also waiting for the sun. It's nearly impossible to describe the exact moment when the sun first appears on the horizon...one minute the sky is soft shades of pink and blue and then you blink and the sliver appears, the most vibrant color, like fire. It grew brighter as it changed from a sliver to an orb and the brightness increased until you couldn't look directly at it. It is truly one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen.

Our trip to Florida was an experience of light. The evening before we woke to see the sunrise we attended an oyster roast at the home of a friend of Paul's family. The house was set on a point overlooking the water, the home itself was built in a southern low country style around large oak trees dripping with Spanish moss and lush palm trees. The party was outdoors and lit only by the lights in the pool and the light that spilled out of the open doors and window in the main house and the pool house. On the boat deck was a table where our hosts would spill the oysters they were roasting on the shore. Guests were free to shuck their own oysters, indulge and toss the shells back into the sea. As an oyster lover, these were obviously the freshest I've ever had.

If you haven't experienced watching the sun rise over the Ocean or eaten oysters in the dark, I highly recommend both.