By the Sea

I am grateful that I now live in a place where I can see the ocean daily. There is something about the ocean that calms my restless soul. There is something in the regular rhythm of the waves and tides that reminds me to breath deeply and slows my heart rate. After the snow storm 2 weeks ago, we're now having a wonderful stretch of 60 degree weather. This morning I rode my bike to the Portland Y for a Body Pump class in shorts and a light long sleeve shirt! And I was hot by the time I got to the top of the hill on High Street. I'm warming to the instructor. When I went to his boot camp last week, I was pretty turned off by his personality. He is an ex marine and very brash. At Kristen's bootcamp in MA, I felt like she expected a lot and was tough, but ultimately was on our side. This guy seems to mostly think we're idiots. But I think I won his respect a little today when I mentioned the Antarctica Marathon. I've been taking advantage of the weather and being at home this week to explore the amazing parks during my lunch break. Monday I went to Fort Williams Park. This is the home of Portland Head Light, which is the oldest (and most photographed) lighthouse in Maine. I spent a wonderful hour meandering along the cliff path, walking around the lighthouse, and looking at the remains of Fort Williams.

Today I went to Two Lights Park. It was a stunning day. The bright sun made the surface of the water look like it was covered in diamonds. There is a nice variety of trails, from pine needle covered trails through the woods, to crushed gravel paths along the cliffs overlooking the water, to rocky coast itself. I spend half and hour walking and then tucked myself into a little nook in the rocks that was sheltered by the breeze, but in the full sun. The rocks were smooth and were warm from soaking up the sun all morning. I spent a blissful half hour reading. At one point I looked down at the water and a few little seals were playing in the surf.

How lucky and I to see this everyday??