Happy Halloween! This day brings up memories of my own kids dressing up in costumes, making the trek through our neighborhood to fill bags with candy, sorting through it to separate the good from the bad, and of course, eating it. In central Illinois, Halloween weather was a mixed bag. Some years it was pleasant and they could trick or treat with no coats over their costumes! Other years, there was snow on the ground. And everything in between.
Today, we're in South Carolina and yes, it's a little bit different. It's beautiful and hot and sunny. We've yet to see a trick or treater, but we hope we do, so we don't have to eat all that chocolate by ourselves!
So it's odd to me that this late in the year, I'm writing a blog post called "Beauty at the Beach." But in my new home right here near the coast of the Atlantic ocean, it's appropriate. Every day, I go to the beach. If it's warm enough, I'll go in a swimsuit, set up my chair, occasionally an umbrella and I'll soak in the sun, the waves, the breeze, the sights and sounds. It brings me not only joy, but inspiration. My books take place at the beach, and being at the actual beach feeds my muse and my soul. I'm the happiest when I'm at the beach. The most peaceful. The most serene.
Even when it's too cold to swim or sunbathe, I can always walk. I strive for daily exercise, and my favorite form is walking the beach. Fortunately I live only a short drive from an absolutely gorgeous oceanfront state park called Huntington Beach. It's magnificent. Armed with just my eye and my cell phone I've captured some remarkable photos that document my sights of the day. Although I've taken hundreds, I just picked out a few of my favorites to share with you from this past week's walks. I believe you can click on each one to enlarge it and see its caption.
So wherever you are for Halloween, whether it's hot or cold, whether you have trick or treaters excited to hit the streets, or you're waiting for the doorbell to ring to hand out candy, enjoy!!
Laurie