Angelica Grace Designs Blog

Friday, December 18, 2009

DESOLATE SECRET BEACH

I found it.
The secret beach spot here in Naples that my friend, Lacey, told me about.
Oh yes...I found it.

And she was right. It was just me. All alone. Well, with the exception of a rare passer by, my beach B/F/F's (the birds), and the shells...

Oh yes...and of course GOD was there too.

Everywhere he was indeed.

To say that I had a glorious afternoon would be an understatement. I loved rolling up there with my beach parking pass on my car window - confirming that I am a Naples resident now and that there is no need to stuff the meter full of quarters now (.25 cents for 10 minutes - ACK!). I proudly parked my vehicle at the southern most parking access and smiled as I got to drive past the meters and park in the "locals" parking area. It doesn't take much to excite me.

Lacey had instructed me on which beach access to park at and then she told me to walk out onto that beach and begin walking even further south. Which I did. When I first got out there though, I began seeing signs like these everywhere...

Needless to say, as a photographer, I don't follow instructions very well. LOL!
The reason for the private property signs...??? Well, they were there for these BIG, bad, mama-jamma's...

These are multi-million dollar homes that sit right on the sea line. Right on the edge of the ocean - overlooking the gulf. And yes, these are homes - not hotels. And trust me...these are the "smaller" homes. Because my wide angle lens is broken and in the shop being repaired, I couldn't get good images of the HUGE sprawling homes like I wanted to. These puppies are the "smaller" ones on the beach. (if that is even possible)

Homes on the gulf here will run you approximately $20 million dollars. (give or take some additional pocket change) And if that doesn't fit your budget, how bout' maybe considering a house one street over on gulf shore blvd. It will run you oh say...a mere 10 million maybe. I don't know about you guys but a cardboard box is sounding real good right about now. Put it straight in the sand on the beach and it will be perfect actually. :)

Yes, these homes are stunning to "look at" and they are even more fun to go by and try to guess what the homeowners do for a living. However, in the end, just give me a small 2 bedroom cottage shack on the beach with as few rooms to clean as possible and that would be my dream home. No joke! A fixer upper that would require "our" finishing touches. A dump that we could make our cottage by the sea. Yup...when I'm old and all the kids are gone...you'll see me peddling on the streets of Florida so that I can continue to save up for my dream lot for my dream cottage. Hee hee! Gosh knows the land/beach front property alone would take me my whole life and then some to save up for. A girl still has to dream though, right?

While on my walk, I saw many, many birds. Lots of my beach B/F/F's were out and strutting their stuff for my lens.

It cracks me up how they are never scared by my existence. They don't even flinch when I walk up...

These were some rock formations that were out there. It's rare to see rocks like these on the shorelines of our beaches. Reminded me of the west coast or something.

More struttin'...


I loved this next succession of shots...

Like little ducks...all in a row. The sailboat in the top right corner just made the shot even that much more fun.

Again...in a row...

This little dude just followed me down the beach as I walked. Jumping on top of the wood stumps as we went. Cracked me up...

These birds are great because they stand on one leg most times when resting. This TOTALLY cracks me up. Anyone know why they do this?

This guy just appeared to me as though he "thought" he reined as "king of his castle..."

And this dude...he sat - perched with his wings wide open - the whole time. He literally sun bathed like that. Never moving. He made it look like he was ready to take flight the whole time but he just sat there completely still. Hilarious!

This image below just yearned to be shot. The roughed up, tattered and torn nautical ropes, the barnacles on the wood stumps...just all of it. Loved the "beachy vibe" it gave as the water came rushing in on top of it.

When all was said and done. I had followed Lacey's directions to a "T" and walked all the way down to the southern tip of the beach. It took me about 20 minutes to get down there. Well, really more like 40 because I kept stopping to take pictures. Either way, when I got there, I ran into a pack of dolphins again. I tried with all of my might to capture them but each time they popped up, I missed them on camera. Talk about frustrating. Either way, I sat down after my walk down there and spent some time just taking in the sights. At ground level, this is what I saw. Just a coconut and me...

The view was magnificent. I was in complete awe. It was such a secluded area of beach that no one was around. It was extremely peaceful and provoked many thoughts. I had two dear friends who I've met via blogging that were extremely heavy on my heart yesterday. I spent some time praying for them and their families. Unfortunately I came home to not good news from one of them. However, I know those prayers did not go unheard for their family. I am confident that God has his hand in all of this and that he has the master plan. After some time alone on the beach, I turned to look back at the path I had traveled to get there. This is what I saw...


Needless to say, when I awoke to the sounds of a massive thunder storm rolling in off the ocean this morning, I put the kids om the bus and went back to.this.same.spot. I just couldn't help it. I felt a pulling to go back so I did. I carried an umbrella in one hand and a towel in the other. There was one other nut job on the beach with me. We passed at some point and I wondered what thoughts were filtering his mind at that moment. Was he there to regroup, to calm his inner being, to think thru a major decision, etc.? Truthfully I felt that he had to be there for some reason other than to walk thru the rain. Maybe this elderly gentleman felt the same way I do about the sea. That it is his place to seek answers, listen to God, to set himself straight. I didn't know but I prayed for him as he passed. Prayed that God would give him direction if he was there seeking it. Wisdom if he was lacking it. Guidance should he need it. I then sat down just long enough to blog a few words from the moment which most of you probably saw earlier today. (found below this post) And yes the beach was gorgeous there in the sunshine yesterday. However...today in the rain...this area of desolate beach - this magnificent creation of Gods - was even more stunning.

I've found that not only are things long walks on the beach with God good for my spiritual soul but they are also good for my 1000 lb. hippo hips. Yes, the trudging thru the sand does a number on your calves and leaves you feeling like you've just run the 500 meter dash 100 times over again. I'm enjoying this insignificant state of exercise. It is an "exercise" I can handle because I don't associate pain with having to do it. Ha ha! In fact, I look forward to it. So...until my next walk on the beach, enjoy your weekend. Florida is experiencing a "cold" front over the next couple of days. You know...seventies...70 degrees. Yeah, a cold front. Come on now...you gotta' laugh! Instead of our normal 85 degrees, we are getting 70-75 over the next couple of days. And they really call that a cold front. Seriously! I hear ya'll laughing with me. I better go break those winter coats out of storage, eh? NEVAHHH! :) xoxo, Angie

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12 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

You sound so happy Angie. I think the beach agrees with you :)

I hope you have a fabulous Christmas.

deb williams

12/18/2009 9:29 PM  
Blogger Tonia Hobbs said...

I agree with the blogger above. . . you sound so at peace and content. I know that "feeling" that "the water" can bring. ONLY the water can do it. It is amazing. . . I know this sounds silly and extremely rude probably. . . but I would love to have a shell from you from there!

12/18/2009 11:12 PM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Thanx Deb and Tonia. You ladies are so sweet. And Tonia, I'd be more than happy to pick up some shells from my beach walks and send them to you. I'll start a collection and you can send me your address. Sound good?

PS...Not rude at all. :)
Angie

12/18/2009 11:45 PM  
Blogger Nickki said...

HA! I was going to ask the same thing! Next time you see feel like picking up some shells I would love to have them. Wondering if you were feeling pity for us West Coast gals and our rocky beaches with no shells. ; ) It looks so beautiful down there and you sound very content. God is good.

Nickki

12/19/2009 12:27 AM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Nickki,

I'd love to send you guys some as well. I'm thinking I might make this a journey with the kids. It will be fun for Brennen especially to help me pick up shells that he knows will be shipped to someone across the country.

How about we do this...? I'll start collecting the shells and once we have a good collection, I'll post a note here on the blog telling everyone who might want some shipped to them. If you guys wouldn't mind just paying a few dollars for the shipping, we don't mind picking them up for everyone at all. It will be a fun little job for our family that I'm sure will bring much enjoyment. I'll look into/research what it would cost to ship a small bag of shells and maybe a baggie full of white sand too. I'm guessing it would be around $3 or $4. I know priority mail shipping is $4.80 but it might be cheaper to ship them just regular, plane old, snail mail. Ya know? Total guess though. I'll have to get some, weigh them, then get the general quote from the post office. Sound good?

Stay tuned...watch the blog for more details. Either way, I'll make sure you (Nickki) and Tonia get the first batch since you were the first to ask.

Big hugs,
Angie

12/19/2009 10:45 AM  
Blogger noahandlylasmommi said...

Wow love all of those photo's! What a beautiful beach.

12/19/2009 3:02 PM  
Blogger The Mermaid Cottage said...

I agree with you...a nice small beach shack would be great as compared to these giant, although beautiful, homes on the ocean. Just curious...did you see many people enjoying the oceanfront from the patios of these homes? They paid $20 million for a view they aren't enjoying and you paid nothing for a wonderful afternoon on the beach!!!!

12/19/2009 3:28 PM  
Blogger Madison Sanders said...

You took some stunning photographs, my friend. I love guessing what someone's life is like by looking at the outside of their home.

I'm going to email you soon. I've got something that I think would be fun for you. :)

12/19/2009 10:14 PM  
Anonymous Mommy said...

Angie, I am going to name that one bird Lil Angie, because it reminds me of you! As if you were saying "I live in Florida and I'm FREE! Those are rich birds; and they know it. They own that Beach and they don't want any outsiders in there. Those are their $20million houses they are crapping on, ha ha. I am glad you have such wonderful friends, that trust you to go there and enjoy your walk, and your special time with God. Angie, I believe that is part of the reason you were led here to Florida. So that you could spend even more intimate time with Jesus! He was just missing you, and He knew you were missing Him, so this was His way of allowing you special time, with him, just to talk, and tell Him what's on your pretty little mind. No one listens like Jesus, Heh? I love your pictures too honey. Isn't it so amazing, how clear things look after a visit with Jesus at your own personal Beach, xoxoxo

12/19/2009 11:25 PM  
Blogger OUR WILD ZOO! said...

Just had to hop on here and wish you a Merry Christmas!
As your former photography student, I had to let my teacher know that I've learned tons from you and am having SO much fun with capturing new shots. And as a bloggy friend, I have to tell you that I am SO happy for you- for your newfound happiness, which you deserve every moment of!

I see your blessings & excitement and I think you're a great example of what happens when we choose to follow Christ.

Merry Christmas & happy 2010 =)

12/21/2009 2:15 AM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Birds’ legs have an adaptation called “rete mirabile” that minimizes heat loss. The arteries that transport warm blood into the legs lie in contact with the veins that return colder blood to the bird’s heart. The arteries warm the veins. By standing on one leg, a bird reduces by half the amount of heat lost through unfeathered limbs.

12/22/2009 11:37 AM  
Blogger Angie Seaman said...

Anonymous...

Thank you so much for this info. How incredible! I love learning new things and this is something I had no idea about. (the birds and why they stand on one leg) I truly appreciate you taking the time to help inform this native born "Hoosier." LOL! Great to know!

Blessings, Angie

12/22/2009 12:40 PM  

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