Beach Birds

 We went to the beach today, cause I needed some good old Florida therapy after being trailer bound for a week since being home. Okay, I have not really been trailer bound (no it’s not a prison sentence ( tho I think I have been trailer bound my whole life)), but I’ve been home more than I like to be, and I think it was high time we hit the beach, and it was just what I needed. Not all Floridians are beach bums, but if you’re going to be one, this is the best place. A bum, I mean.

Guess who else decided to hit the beach? Two of our old neighbors from the park. What are the odds? We ran into them at practically the same time. Okay, they ran into us really, as we were parked on our beach towels, and they were walking. John and I were just smoking cigarettes and doing a crossword (like usual). Not one, but two old neighbors. As my friend Ray would say, “that’s nice, real nice.” 

Really it was, cause I really like the woman who lived behind us. She’s a recovering alcoholic (can I say that?) like me, except she’s got way more sobriety time. She has given me clothes and books, we have talked, and I just think she’s a fabulous person. I was kind of bummed that she moved out (alcoholics gotta stick together). 

I told her I had been out of the state, and now I was back, and why I had left. She said she was sorry and gave me a hug. And that’s the best response you can get. I don’t like to advertise it like news, but it comes up. The important thing is that people care and people are there for each other. 

Now our other old neighbor stayed and talked to us for a while. He lived in the park for a long time but he decided it was time to find greener pastures. I’ve been to his new apartment and he has taken me out to eat. Great guy. Likes to travel and will give you the scoop on the best place to eat. He gets around (I mean that in a good way). Also, he reads my blog, one of the few people I know who reads it. So he knows my life story, lol…jk.

“You know those cigarettes you wrote about? [my montegos]” he said (wow he really does read the blog, and is up on current events), “I think that brand is sold locally, I looked it up online.” Now, that is cool. And I had no idea.

So John was throwing the birds food while we chatted. Oyster crackers and bits of an everything bagel. Oh the birds, again. I was too caught up in the moment to realize the significance of the birds. They hopped and fluttered in the sand to get little scraps of bagel and cracker crumbs. Small birds, seagulls, and one shimmery black bird. I think.  I did a little bird research when we got home. There are several Florida beach birds, but I need pictures to identify them. There are terns and plover varieties, gulls and wading birds. And the pelican, of course. I’m not saying Im going to become a bird enthusiast; I just want to know what I’m working with.

We finished the crossword. Finally. Probably took a good hour or more. Time went by so fast. That’s what happens when you work puzzles — it’s like a time warp. I did not get in the water, as I didn’t want to wash off my sunblock. I didn’t come all the way back to Florida to get burned, lol. I’ve been through enough.