A Day At The Beach

The day started like any other. At the sound of the alarm, Roxy does a quick stretch then shakes her ears. She immediately beginnings to lick my face and wag her tail. It amazes me that she gets so excited to see me in the mornings even when she sleeps at my side all night.

For a Sunday morning, it is early. I like to get to the beach before the crowds get there. Corpus Christi is a two and a half hour drive. If I were riding my bike, it would be one-hundred and fifty mile route. Minus the wind, a perfect MS-150 route.

There is nothing like a day at the beach that cleanses the spirit. Something about the rhythmic sound of the waves and the warmth of the sun that is so calming. I have mastered the perfect setup. An umbrella stand that doubles as a tie down for Roxy, an umbrella, two chairs, an ice chest, and a towel.

It is against the rules to let a dog run without a leash but Roxy barks up a storm at the sea gulls. Only when there are not many people around, I let her run loose. An on looker says, “Wow, she runs like a jaguar.” It is like her ears turn to wings and she flys off the sand as her legs reach to a full spread. The most fun of the day was watching her chase birds. My fear was that she would actually catch one and bring it to me.

Sand ends up in places you really do not want sand. Neither Roxy nor I mind. Roxy even rolls her body in the sand and every strand of her coat must have sand on it. It is rare that she is too tired to hold her head up. This evening is one of those nights where she does not drop her ball in front of me or pace the hall until I grab her leash. She has exhausted herself. When we arrive home, she goes straight to sleep.