Click for larger picture in a new window
In Dunedin, just off Alternate Highway 19, you can find some neat little parks. Many are nothing more than a couple of benches, a plot of grass, a seawall, and an awesome waterfront view. They may not seem like much to an athletinaut, but if you can find some quiet space in your mind, they are a great place to sit and ponder the universe. Of course, if you can't get your mind quiet, sitting and watching the water move for a while might help with that.
"... Mathilde smiled a tiny little smile of satisfaction as she reached the park and walked the narrow wavy sidewalk to the water's edge. She was alone in the small space, just her, the benches, the grass, and that wide blue-green expanse of water. Nothing there to distract her. Nothing to keep her from her appointment, her date.
Her curly white hair shifted only slightly in the sea breeze. The wrinkles on her lightly tanned face asserted her place in the history that had been her life so far. She folded tired hands in her lap, rested her stiff back against the green cradle of the bench. She felt the heat of the sun soaking into her body, her soul. It felt good. 'Surely', she mused, 'I must have some plant life in my bloodline'. The irony made her smile.
Settled now, she relaxed into an easy, comfortable vigil, staring out over the water. Her eyes lost their focus, as if she were looking at nothing. The nearer sounds slowly faded away, leaving the distant cries of the seagulls and the soft murmuring of the waves against the sea wall. Then, as she sat there in a trance like state, nearly oblivious of her surroundings, he slowly appeared before her.
She grinned broadly, like a young woman welcoming the appearance of her lover. 'Clarence, darling', she murmured. He took her hand, bent, and kissed it. She sighed deeply. A passing jogger wondered briefly at the lone, old woman sitting on the bench gesturing. Clarence sat down next to Mathilde, and she lay her head on his shoulder. 'It seems like I haven't seen you in so long Clarence', she whispered, 'I've missed you so'. He put his arm around her shoulders. 'I know darling, I know'..."
____
If you would like to see more of this area, check out
Clearwater Beach Daily Photo, and
Clearwater Daily Photo. If you enjoy photography, check out
my photography blog. Thanks for coming today, I hope you enjoyed your mini-vacation to Dunedin, Florida!
This is Dominique Benassi of Bastia, France. This, and more, I learned from the Foster Grant Ironman World Championship 70.3 website. He is 47, an Electrician. As you may have noticed, he has only one leg. He finished the Ironman, swimming 1.2 miles, biking 56 miles, and running 13.1 miles, with a rank of 586 out of 1,254.
has some 
