LauderBlog
Apr 18: Ocean Evenings
Posted On: April 17, 2008 12:04 PM
Posted By: LauderBLOGGER
Related Subjects: Greater Fort Lauderdale
When I lived in San Francisco many years ago, I rented an apartment just three blocks from the sea. I often found myself heading to the rugged Lands End area in the northwest corner of the city at twilight, sitting for an hour or more as the setting sun smeared the sky in orange and red and purple and then, at last, black. Now I’m on the opposite side of the country, where I can watch the warming, hopeful sunrises that were invisible to me on the Pacific coast. But even on the Atlantic, sunset by the ocean is a glorious time of day. Lately, for whatever reason, I find myself heading frequently to Fort Lauderdale’s beach during this hour. I’m not really sure why. Maybe it’s just a good escape after a long day indoors at my desk. Or maybe it helps me unwind and process some of my thoughts and problems. But I suspect that somewhere, in the back of my mind, these times also feel like a counterpoint to those youthful moments in California.
In many respects I’m a different person now than I was then. Experience has taught me who I am and what I am in ways I couldn’t have known at 21-years-old. But I still deeply love the sea. Probably more than ever. And I still love the sea at sunset, whether at the Pacific or the Atlantic. In the past week alone, I’ve parked along the northern, quieter stretches of the Fort Lauderdale beach three times just as the sun began its last descent. Always alone. It has been wonderful.
We’ve had some stiff breezes in recent days and that brings out the kitesurfers. One night last week especially, their rainbow kites billowed and raced over the waves as the shaded white clouds behind them started to turn rose. I love to watch the subtle shift in sunset colors, sometimes so gradual that I don’t notice it happening until those white clouds appear rose and those rose-colored clouds suddenly seem violet. In Fort Lauderdale, I enjoy seeing the people pass along the sidewalk behind me, the walkers and runners, the couples out for a romantic stroll and the singles out clearing their heads just as I am. Sometimes I say hello as they pass and usually they say hello back. Last Thursday night, I happened to be at the beach as the grand cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth 2, left Port Everglades for the final time on its way to retirement as a hotel in Dubai. In many ways, this is all far more pleasant than those beautiful but lonely twilight times of mine in San Francisco. I remember them fondly but I’m glad to be here now, right where I am in South Florida, exactly at this instant in my life. Besides, it doesn’t matter whether I’m facing west or facing east – my ocean evenings feel just as beautiful now as ever.
In many respects I’m a different person now than I was then. Experience has taught me who I am and what I am in ways I couldn’t have known at 21-years-old. But I still deeply love the sea. Probably more than ever. And I still love the sea at sunset, whether at the Pacific or the Atlantic. In the past week alone, I’ve parked along the northern, quieter stretches of the Fort Lauderdale beach three times just as the sun began its last descent. Always alone. It has been wonderful.
We’ve had some stiff breezes in recent days and that brings out the kitesurfers. One night last week especially, their rainbow kites billowed and raced over the waves as the shaded white clouds behind them started to turn rose. I love to watch the subtle shift in sunset colors, sometimes so gradual that I don’t notice it happening until those white clouds appear rose and those rose-colored clouds suddenly seem violet. In Fort Lauderdale, I enjoy seeing the people pass along the sidewalk behind me, the walkers and runners, the couples out for a romantic stroll and the singles out clearing their heads just as I am. Sometimes I say hello as they pass and usually they say hello back. Last Thursday night, I happened to be at the beach as the grand cruise ship, Queen Elizabeth 2, left Port Everglades for the final time on its way to retirement as a hotel in Dubai. In many ways, this is all far more pleasant than those beautiful but lonely twilight times of mine in San Francisco. I remember them fondly but I’m glad to be here now, right where I am in South Florida, exactly at this instant in my life. Besides, it doesn’t matter whether I’m facing west or facing east – my ocean evenings feel just as beautiful now as ever.
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