I thought I'd be warm enough Thursday morning when I biked to the beach, but I really wasn't. A cold wind was blowing off the ocean. Masses of foam and reddish-brown sargassum seaweed had washed ashore. It was high tide just before sunrise. Really high tide. Too high on the beach for any bike riding. Too cold. Too windy. And, the sun that would soon be rising, was hidden behind a tall, dense band of dark gray clouds.
I was a little disappointed.
|
Many clouds. No sun but we could see the moon! |
Ralph was by my side. On previous mornings, he'd been too sleepy to join me on sunrise bike rides but this time we were both up and read to go together. However, since it was cold, windy and cloudy, I assumed he'd prefer to be back in bed snuggling instead of remaining at the beach in the hope of catching the sunrise. So I said, "Let's go back home."
But my husband surprised me.
"Since we can't ride on the beach," he said, "let's go down those back roads you're always telling me about."
So that's what we did. Together on our separate and very different types of bikes - Ralph's ElliptiGo, my FunCycle - we meandered south from 27th Ave toward Hiles.
|
Ralph on his ElliptiGo on a morning when
the tide wasn't as high as it was today |
|
Me on my Fun Cycle zipping across the hard sand at low tide |
It was a lovely ride through older neighborhoods. So many different landscape styles, types of fences and interesting home designs to look at and learn from.
|
A creative as well as welcoming entryway |
When we arrived at Hiles Blvd., it was only a little after sunrise so we decided to head over to the beach to see if the sun had broken through the clouds yet.
I'm glad we did because just as we rounded the corner, rays of light streamed through a small break in the clouds.
|
Rays of light break through the clouds |
We stayed at the beach for quite a while, enjoying the view and chatting with a couple of other early risers who were also savoring the moment despite the windy chill and cloudy sky.
Thursday's early morning bike ride to see the sunrise turned out to be quite different than expected. I expected to ride on the sand but due to the high tide, we wound up riding on pavement instead. I expected my husband to want to return home right away when we realized we hadn't dressed warmly enough for the weather. Instead, he was happy to continue on and do a little exploring, which is usually my billiwhack. Because of all the clouds, I didn't expect to see the sunrise, yet streams of light broke through just as we approached the Hiles beach ramp.
One lesson I learned from Thursday's experience is an old one: Expect the unexpected.
Another is that even after 47 years of living with someone, surprises, like rays of sunlight, can break through assumptions.
My earlier disappointment vanished with the sunrise, turning instead to waves of delight.