I am Not a Mermaid ~

**NOTE: my dear friend Wanda had asked me to take a picture of a heart in the sand for her blog banner. She read Darlene's post about lemons and seen that I had almost drowned..... concerned, she wrote me an e-mail wanting to know what had happened.

Wanda ~
I did not want you to know... I am okay. I do not want you to feel bad. I just took the sea for granted. This is what happened....

It had rained off and on for three days. It started out really nice Monday morning. I knew that we were leaving first thing Tuesday morning, so as I was getting ready that Monday morning, I thought "I need to get the pictures this morning, it is perfect." As Charlie and I started out, I asked him first thing if we could stop at the beach where I took my Sweet Surrender pictures, to get the heart pictures I had previously told him about. He said "Sure!" He pulled in the parking lot and asked me if he could stay in the truck with the girls.. (our dogs) I said "Sure."

I started walking down the hill to the beach... and it dipped again... (didn't really think about it) Started to draw my heart in the sand. Well..... one side is perfect, and the other side not so perfect... I thought "I could do it better." So, I moved down and had my back to the ocean. All of a sudden I heard a Crash... shhhhhhhhhh. Next thing I know my feet are knocked out from under me, and I am on my back. I immediately think about my camera!!!! I am holding my arm straight up so the water does not get it. Well, the water is raising because, it is still coming in. (this all happened very fast) the water is now over my head and I'm raising up my arm. I am thinking... "This is it." It subsided. It didn't get my camera. I was alive. But I looked like a drowned cat. I stood up. I looked around to see who saw what had just happened. Nobody but three fisherman were on the beach. Obviously, not paying any attention to me drawing a heart in the sand. They were to busy watching there poles. I just stood there in shock. Then trying to regain my composure. I stood there watching the waves... wondering how in the world that happened. Well, as I was watching the waves. They were coming straight into the beach, but also to the right of me. Then, I realized where I was standing was basically on the ocean floor. The tide was out. That is why it had dipped way down. I then started thinking how powerful that wave was that hit me... I had to have more respect for this mighty ocean. I thought since I was there.. I had better draw the heart and get the pictures. I was cold and shivering. But I did get quite a few pictures.
I started walking back up the hill... got to the truck.. and Charlie was looking at me like he could not believe what he was seeing. He looked concerned and rolled down the window and said "Ange?" like he was not even sure it was me. I told him everything. He said I was very lucky.. I asked him to take me back to the trailer so I could take another shower. I had to wear some dirty pants.. and a camp shirt. I luckily had a long sweater and some more tennis shoes. Later that night It got cold and I had to put on another windbreaker over my sweater.
Charlie and I went to a restaurant on Cannery Road, then walked down to the end and got a Starbucks. On the way, I stopped to look at some pull over sweaters I have had my eye on. The clothes rack they were on were part in the store and part on the sidewalk. The man that worked there came running out so fast and then just stood next to me. I didn't think anything about it. Charlie was standing to the side of the store... I went over to him and hugged him.
He then says "Ange, did you see the way that man ran out."
I said "Yes?" He said, "He thought you were a homeless lady ready to take and run!"
We both started laughing because we really hadn't stopped to think about how I looked. We were just busy having fun and enjoying each other. Then it made me sad to think of how the homeless get treated.

Wanda mom, I am really okay. It was a learning lesson for me...... I am not a mermaid!