Sunset Time

The children have come and gone and it was so much fun to have them here. Owen was a bit stunned to discover that Mer and Bop have another house and that Jessie and Vergil were here too.
Are you kidding me? Next thing you're going to tell me is that Mer used to be an exotic dancer! Why didn't anyone tell me this?!!
He loved it. The bay is perfect for kids. It is shallow and calm and there's plenty of white sand to dig in. He ended up naked as all kids should, happy as the prince of Dog Island.

Gibson was his happy self and ate and napped and grinned and cooed.
When they left, Owen was sitting in his grandfather's lap driving the Jeep.

And thus, yes, the ghosts fade away.

I took a nap after they left and I slept so hard and woke up to find Julia and Hap and Mr. Moon and Jessie and Vergil sitting on the back porch eating cheese and bread that Julia baked yesterday in Asheville and drinking a beer, everyone happy and content and now the fellows are out in the shallow bay, fishing and Jessie's wading in the water and Julia is playing fiddle and the skimmers fly by and the pelicans fly in formation, glide, glide, glide, flap, flap, flap and the mullet jump and we saw a pod of dolphins way off, lazily making their way to wherever they go for the night.

Once again I learn.

It never ends. If we allow ourselves.

Thank my lucky stars I have this man, these children, these grandchildren, to force me to remain open, to force me to keep my options open, my heart, my soul.

The air smells of salt and iodine, blood and iron. This is life.