To dream.....

Heaven defined: the roar of the ocean and your toes in the sand.

I tend to work, a lot.  I love what I do and it's hard to turn my mind off.  I'm great at telling my employees to take time off because your mental health days are important to stay fresh, motivated and emotionally healthy.  But me?  I'm the last to let work slip from my mind.  The older I get, the more determined I get to conquer this.  I talk a good talk sometimes, but.....

We discovered North Beach in Corpus Christi a few months back.  We have been to Port Aransas and North Padre for vacation often, along with the rest of the world.  Great locations, sure, but always expensive and lots of people.  I decided to try out Air BnB for our September vacation and it kept taking me to North Beach.  Fine.  We will try  it.  The prices were good and the promises of a nice beach were appealing.  I think we found our secret getaway as it's now December and we are back for our second visit.

North Beach Corpus Christi coastline on a rainy day.

We stay in an older condo complex that no doubt needs a LOT of work  The condos themselves on the inside vary.  We have been very fortunate to stay in two condos that are nice - the first was smack on the beach.  Jump off our balcony onto the sand on the beach.  The second still has a view of the ocean, but is as far as you can get from the beach in the complex, which really isn't bad at all.  It's much nicer than the first on the inside of the unit.  So.....excellent location and a complex that is needing and being worked on (oh....because of Hurricane Harvey a few years ago and some normal age repair).  Not shabby!

The "worst" view we've had in our escape condos.  Not shabby.

The best part?  The beach.  Clean, sand, shells.  People?  Not so much.  I constantly wonder why were are so fortunate to always be here when almost no one is around.  The locals are nuts for not using this beach and why more people haven't been here during our two visits I'll never know, but i will NEVER complain about that.  Even in December, we are completely enjoying our beach walks and sitting on the sand being mesmerized by the ocean.

For much of my life, I've lived near the water.  Elementary years were spent on the east coast near the Chesapeake Bay where we'd go get live crab to cook.  Newport News, Virginia Beach....memories of summer.  From age eleven through eighteen I spent an idyllic life in Hawaii on the island of Oahu. My mom insisted I get my lifesaving certification due to the amount of time I spent in the ocean body surfing, snorkeling and scuba diving (uncertified but shhhh!).  California in later life and now Texas.  Each time I wander away from the ocean I get involved in life and forget its magic.  When I'm back on the shoreline with my toes in the sand, I vow that I will never let that happen again.  We have made a commitment that we will be coming to the beach every three months minimum.  It helps to keep our souls in line, help maintain the connection to the call of the ocean, to find peace.

There definitely is something magical about the beach and ocean for me.  I find a true peace I've never felt elsewhere.  Weather doesn't matter.  Sitting with the rain spitting on me yesterday afternoon was breathtaking and emotional.  This morning as I type and listen to the waves, my heart is full and happy.  The music of the waves sings and makes me smile.  I don't want to leave.  Each visit makes me ponder giving up even more of the worldly possessions I have, which are not many, and doing everything I can to live on the beach.  Yes, in one of these tiny and somewhat rundown condos.  I've contemplated purchasing.  But for now, we will continue to visit and adore every moment here.  Will we end up on a beach or very close to some day?  No idea, I'd love to, but the cost isn't in our future I don't believe.  Is the desire enough to try and figure it out?  That is what we are dealing with now.  Until we figure it out - we will make the 2 hour drive often and pay for our weekend getaways.  That's a great compromise to our dreams at this point.