The beach, 6:30 in the morning ...

... and 6:30 that night.

Before the sun rises on November, I want to say thank you to October.
We spent 10 glorious days down the shore early in the month. Only one rainy day kept me off the beach.
Unlike last October, it wasn’t quite warm enough for me to head into the waves. I left that (mostly) to surfers in wetsuits and little kids channeling their inner seal.
Just like last October, I could sit by the shoreline in that magical hour before sunset, when the sky blends blue with pink and yellow and orange. 
Sometimes it was only me and the seagulls, sharing the sand.
What’s not to thank?

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About that beach chair below …
We needed a new one this year, and took a walk one day in search of a replacement.
Along the boardwalk and the main street in town, prices ranged from $25 to $40.
Something told me to check the Acme, a few more blocks out. You never know.
As soon as I walked in I spotted them: a row of beach chairs perched atop a grocery aisle. 
We saw a tag, but couldn’t see a price. We stood on tiptoe, squinted, but no luck.
We asked for help, and a kind (and tall) young man from the self-checkout area lifted a chair down.
He couldn’t see a price either, so he carried it to the scanner.
Beep.
“Nine eighty-six,” he said.
Wait. Is that all? I asked.
“It’s October,” he replied. “Do you want it?”
Absolutely!
We thanked him — and October.

My happy place