Deep Sea Fishing, Footprints and Outdoor Grilling

Yesterday was a fairly exhausting day. I fell asleep before I could chronicle it.

It started with my sister and the boys going deep sea fishing. Which was interesting to me since the last she went - over 20 years ago - she and our boy cousin spent most of the trip down below seeing how many shades of green they could turn and upchucking over the side of the boat. But apparently there is some incredible new motion sickness medicine that worked like a charm and they ended up catching 14 King Mackerel.

Which I grilled for them. Not all of it but a great deal of it. And no I didn't dress them, the boat company did that.

The plan was always that I would cook for "my kids" one night. And while they wanted some of my spaghetti it was determined that shish-k-bobs would be better. At least then we would be consuming most all of what we purchased whereas with spaghetti I'd be buying spices and stuff that I'd have to carry back home. So I loaded up the skewers with beef, chicken, veggies and shrimp and covered the grill. Several times. Teenage boys can put away the groceries! Add salad, green beans, corn on the cob, and rolls and we had a veritable feast! We also tossed their fish on the grill and it was very good. I think they got a real kick out of eating their catch.

They really appreciated my efforts to cook for them and it warmed my heart for them to tell me so.

Good kids.

They also went parasailing yesterday. My sister figured while they had the good motion sickness medicine they should put it to full use. For that excursion we switch my younger nephew for my niece. They really enjoyed it. I watched from the shoreline. Seemed like the safest place to be.

The last trip down memory lane are the footprints. (Side note - my mom is not mentioned much in these memories of growing up because she usually spent the entire time in the house - typically sweeping sand. She hates sand. I can see her in one of her one piece "uniforms", curlers in her hair, and broom in hand. She is unequivocally not a beach person. Although she is better than she used to be. This trip she came down to the beach on day one for a couple of minutes and again today for about an hour.)

I've started each morning with a 2 mile walk down the beach. And I've looked at a lot of footprints along the way. I remember taking a similar walk when I was maybe 13 or 14 and my dad was walking behind me. He commented that it was the first time he'd ever realized that my right foot turns out a little when I walk. He'd never before seen my footprints.

Footprints are interesting. You can see where you're headed or where you've been. If you're quick. Because in the blink of an eye the tide rolls in and washes the footprints away.

Happens to a lot of things in our lives - past loves, old friends, first jobs. There one minute and gone the next. The important thing is to examine your steps along the way - even the ones that turn off the straight and narrow a little bit. Appreciate that which is uniquely yours and enjoy the walk.