Camping at Bureh Beach

(Where we slept. The water came up to that log.)

Bureh Beach, about an hour and a half from Freetown, is probably the most beautiful place I have ever been. We celebrated our friend Shane's birthday by camping out under the stars for the weekend. We surfed with the local boys at sunset, ate fresh fish and rice for dinner, shared stories around a bonfire, stared in awe at the Milky Way, swam in the rolling phosphorescent waves at 2am, and woke to the sound of the waves breaking just yards from our beds.

King of the Beach

The island

We had no idea where we were going when we drove out of Freetown. We had coffee while we waited for the others to arrive, then we headed through the hills, out of town, toward the beach. It wasn't 10 minutes before we were on a mountain road looking down at a waterfall gushing through the jungle. They used to bring tourists groups to see the waterfall and hike through the hills. That was before the war.

We drove for an hour and a half, past schools and houses and through a fishing community at the water's edge. A mosque stood tall above the houses, its spires silohuetted against a background of morning sky and the sea. We turned left and were stopped by a rope suspended a few feet off the ground. Our friend nodded at the hut to the side of the road, and the man holding the rope gave some slack so we could pass. It began to rain and the deep green hills were covered in mist.

Finally, we arrived at a small road carved out of the jungle. We followed the road until it ended at a cottage among the palm trees. The patio looked out on a perfect stretch of beach with an island in the distance. A boy walked up carrying barracuda caught that morning, and a group of women prepared it for lunch. One of the locals swam out and brought back some oysters which we ate raw. We drank wine and champagne and looked out at the waves.

The rain did not stop the entire day. After spending a few leisurely hours on the patio, a few of us walked out to the water and headed for the island. David said he would rather just play in the waves, so being the nice wife I am, I said I was swimming there whether or not he was coming. I knew that would get him. So, we swam to the island in the rain.

It was incredible, looking forward at the island and looking back at the foggy, mountainous mainland. It was one of those timeless moments, a moment you feel God designed for you and could never be recreated. A moment when you know you are in the right place and things will be okay. I stood up on the rocks, looked around, exhaled a deep breath, and thanked God for bringing me somewhere so full of beauty.

A day at the beach

We spent this past Saturday at River Number 2, an amazing beach about an hour from Freetown over crazy bumpy jungle roads. Years ago the community around the beach joined together to take care of the area and make it friendly for tourists by adding bungalows, a restaurant, toilets and showers. They use the money to pay for all the kids to go to school and other community needs like funerals and weddings. When the rebels came to the area during the war, the community members buried their goods and either hid deep in the jungle or out at sea in wooden boats. The war ended 8 years ago. Just 8 years.

After a full day of wandering the beach, being smashed by the waves, eating fresh coconuts and getting sunburned, we went to dinner at a restaurant overlooking an inlet. The tide was low, so after dinner a friend and I wandered around the wet sand. A young boy and teenage girl were coming back from washing at the river and we asked them their names. After a short conversion, the 8-year-old boy gestured to the water and asked proudly, "Do you like my village?" Yes, yes I do.

Big Sur

This place is a treasure. I can't believe I grew up in California but didn't go here until I was 23. In just 6 hours we explored sandy bluffs, witnessed the fighting of huge elephant seals, watched kite boarders lifted into the air, searched for zebras near Hearst Castle, drove past monasteries and hot springs, and danced in the abandoned fields. Not a bad day. I will miss you, California. I hope I can come back to you some day soon.

Egrets in the water

Yesterday, at the beach, I saw an egret wading in the water. It was standing with a heron, as though they were scheming up a way to capture little creatures together. I had never seen an egret in the ocean, and the surprise of it made me smile. 

My life has felt so cluttered lately. A few of our nights are taken up with the youth, and the others somehow get filled up too. It's not that we waste time- most of the time is spent with dear friends- it's just that we don't put enough value on down time. I need more down time. I need more time to reflect and realize the importance and beauty of the other moments. More time to notice the unexpected gifts. More time to wonder at the egrets in the water. 

"It is only in time and space that beauty blooms. Only in space are events and objects and people unique and significant- and therefore beautiful. A tree {egret?} has significance if one sees it against the empty face of sky. A note in music gains significance from the silences on either side. A candle flowers in the space of night.... There are so few empty pages in my engagement pad, or empty hours in the day, or empty rooms in my life in which to stand and find myself. Too many activities, and people, and things. Too many worthy activities, valuable things and interesting people. For it is not merely the trivial which clutters our lives but the important as well. We can have a surfeit of treasures- an excess of shells, where one or two would be significant." 

Gift from the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh

I will love you forever

Saturday was the day for lovers, and, like last year, my lover and I delivered flowers for Albert's Florist. My roommates Janne and Kathleen worked at Albert's during college, and the owners, Barkev and Tsolig, became friends of mine and David's.

My favorite delivery of the day was to a nice little house near Bishop's Peak. A sign on the door beneath a rusty bronze bell said, "Ring bell LOUDLY." After ringing a few times, and covering my ears to protect from ear damage, a woman came to the door dressed to the nines in a powder blue suit and pearls. She said, "Oh how beautiful! I'll add them to the others." She had already received 4 arrangements, and it was only 9 in the morning. I said, "Wow, you must have a lot of people who love you." She replied, "That's what happens when you're 95. My baby boy is coming to visit me today too. He's 52." What an incredible thing, to be alive for 95 years and to experience such depth and richness of love. I felt so peaceful talking with her. If I live that long, I hope I get at least one flower from someone who loves me.

After delivering I surprised David with a couple's massage and champagne. I lied and told him we were going to the beach, and he felt like a goober when he showed up at the spa wearing sweatpants and a huge striped poncho from Tijuana. The massage was lovely, and then we went to the beach for burgers at Longboards.

I love you, Husband. I will love you forever.