A Single Grain of Sand

Posted on by mikepeercy

The beach is made of sand. Anybody knows that. What difference does a single grain make?

It seems that depends on where it is. When you eat a bowl of clam chowder on the coast, when the clams are very fresh and not out of a can, you will find a grain of sand now and then in your soup.

If you spend the day frolicking by the sea, you may find a grain or a few in some uncomfortable places. And if you find a grain of sand inside an oyster after it’s been there for a good while, you may be very excited indeed.

A grain of sand by itself is, for the most part, insignificant. It is blown around by the wind and thrown every which way. It is tracked along by people or animals. It has not enough weight to stay put.

But when you gather a few billion of those grains, it can withstand the great crashing waves of the sea.

On our last morning at the Oregon coast, my wife and I wanted to steal away for a last brief walk. It was our most windy experience of the week as the scattered raindrops and loose sand were blowing in a stinging combination. It was less exfoliating and more irritating than I would have expected.

The wind off of the sea was blowing the sand (and Tori’s hair) pretty wildly. The light colored waves on the beach are actually waves of sand being blown along (lighter in color because it is dry, not damp).

Continue reading A Single Grain of Sand

And I’m Not Even a Vegan

Posted on by mikepeercy

It may seem a surprise to some who know me well, but I have been trying to retrain my appetite for food, to eat more of the things that are good for me and less of the things that are not (or, as I try not to think of it but cannot escape thinking, more stuff I don’t really care for and less that tastes good).

It’s a work in progress.

Anyway, we’ve been on vacation and that effort to reign in the appetite has not fared well. We ended up in an interesting little place up the street from our hotel called, “The Irish Table.” I suppose that’s irrelevant, but true nonetheless.

We wanted to find something relatively light, so we ordered an appetizer and soup. The appetizer was a really nice cheese board. But the soup? That was something to write home about.

Continue reading And I’m Not Even a Vegan

Hurry Up And Wait

Posted on by mikepeercy

The regulations and margins needed for air travel are there for a reason. I recognize that. But something so directly affected by weather is always a little unpredictable. And there always seems to be a ripple effect.

Our first flight was out of OKC and it was held up, naturally, by the late arrival of the plane on which we were to travel. That’s not altogether unusual, I suppose, but air travel, in general, is unusual to me. I generally fly once or twice a year, occasionally more.

But the connecting flight in Dallas was not being delayed. So it was tight. So, while we hurried into the airport and checked our bags and hurried through security and on to our gate, we still had to simply sit and wait our turn.

Hurry up and wait. Continue reading Hurry Up And Wait