The past several weeks have all been days of record-breaking high temperatures. Today, however, we got a break; the high was only 98 degrees above 0. Yes, it is true, a cold front blew in last night and cooled the area. As I sat in the shade, where it was only 94, I recalled those wonderful days last year spent beside the shore in Some're Surfin,' our beach home off the beach. Some of you may remember me talking about the house with the view of the neighbor, who had a view of the neighbor, who had a view of the neighbor, who had a view of the beach. Even though I had a poor view of the beach, I could walk only a couple of blocks and step in the sand and the surf. I really miss the waves and the little sea creatures that frolicked just in the waves. Even the occasional little shark.
Well, it is hot and sandy in Midland, but there is no surf waiting just off the sand, no seagulls begging for the friendly handout, and few cute ladies in bikinis other than at the two public swimming pools in town. I was was sitting by the small pond at my place of work today, watching the birds drinking and playing in the water as schools of fish swam past, dimly visible below the surface. The birds were singing and squawking, but alas, not in the comical notes produced by the greedy seagulls fighting over bits of picnic residue or the gifts of the incoming tide. Boy, how I would love to be in a chair at the beach, sipping on something tropical, instead of sitting on this porch and drinking a glass of tea with lemon.
My lunch hour drew to a close, and my melancholy meanderings along Surfside Beach had to take back burner to the job at hand. But the hot air and dust did not fade away. I am afraid the hot is here to stay, for today was the first day of Summer. Now it will start getting REALLY HOT every day. Oh wait, it has been really hot since March 31st. I think the heat may have gotten to me, at least a little. I started thinking, as I was walking through the beautiful West Texas sand, that if I just kept walking...just a little further...just a little further...the surf would come rushing to meet me over the next rise. Oops, there are no "rises" within fifty miles of here. This place is very flat. And that was no seagull, that was a raven. But I can STILL imagine. And I can hear my wife laughing. She is laughing because she will go to the beach in a couple of months. I, however, will still be here in the burning, drifting, shifting West Texas sand. And NO SURF.
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