Tuesday, August 30, 2011

One Stroky’s Journey: Sunday Beach Walk

Wide, easy-to-negotiate walkway on Ocean Springs’ Front Beach
Sunday morning’s temperatures in the low to mid-70s precipitated a treat. Hubby Walter and I got out of bed, threw on clothes and ball caps and drove to our town’s Front Beach.

The paved walkway, part of a post-Katrina beach restoration, is well-kept and offers a fairly even surface for walkers facing mobility challenges. My physical therapist encourages walking as part of my stroke recovery. Walking outside is something I love, except when temperatures soar into the 90s.

And that has been what we have been experiencing for much of the summer. Nighttime has offered little relief with high humidity and lows in the 80s.We were out at about 7 a.m. Sunday in that window of opportunity before things heated up.

We parked our van and started walking, me with a side-to-side gait similar to a toddler’s, Walter holding on to my belt with his right hand while I was pressing down on his left hand with my stroke-affected left as hard as I could. The belt is because I am still in the at-risk category for falls. The hand interaction is a strategy that Ashley, the physical therapist, says helps my torso to start kicking in and getting everything to work together.

After a long walk, we headed back toward our van. Walter sat me down on the concrete barricade between the street and the beach and in the shade of the van. I wondered what he was up to. Usually I sit near an opening in the barricade that allows walkers and cyclists easy access to the beach and me easy access for maneuvering into the van safely.

This time Walter pulled out our camping chairs and I was soon on a much more comfortable perch than the concrete barricade. He then proceeded to take out our Coleman stove and start preparing coffee for him and tea for me.
Coleman stove expands our beach walk enjoyment.
  

As we sipped we enjoyed the cool, the water, the shorebirds and the sense of community that the walkway produces. Most walkers on this particular walkway, regardless of age, make eye contact and say: hello, good morning or, as Walter was making coffee, a greeting of “Is coffee ready yet!”

The paved walkway welcomes walkers . . . 

. . . and cyclists.

Enjoying our Sunday treat

We finished our tea and coffee, loaded up and headed home. We still had time for breakfast, getting ready for church and making it on time. Maybe early morning beach time is the key to resolving our post-stroke tendency to arrive late for church.

9 comments:

  1. What a nice outing! It kind of serves the purpose of a boardwalk? I would love to go and sit awhile!

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  2. That Walter is such a great guy. This is the coolest story. I am glad you were able to have such a great Sunday morning beach walk.

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  3. A Sunday morning beach walk sounds "heavenly" to me. Glad to hear that you had a little relief from the heat!

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  4. You have one Honey of a Hubby.
    What a fabulous way to start The Lord's Day.

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  5. I can't tell you how much pleasure your Sunday morning walking gave me.... I am smiling as I write! Well done - having an adult son who had an accident with head injuries and a left-sided paralysis I really relate to your efforts. Every Blessing

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  6. Now that is really taking advantage of a beautiful morning. I tell you, that Walter is a keeper. What a neat idea. Might be fun to set up a coffee stand early in the morning there to treat the other walkers. I have found most of the people I meet walking to be delightful.

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  7. I was smiling as i read this, we went to the beach this morning, walked a couple of miles on the beach and of course i was snapping away. we took our coffee with us, walked out on the beach at 8:18, i know this because i checked the photo time, and back to the car at 9:30. we woke up to 75 degrees and when we left the beach it was up to 83 but still comfy even though the humidity was climbing because we have a storm to be here by noon today. glad you got your beach walk fun.

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  8. This sounds like a perfect day to me. I love your beach walk. Coffee or tea in those surroundings is a real treat. Dianne

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  9. Your husband sounds to be as sweet a man as my Beloved, who also took care of me when I had a long-term illness.

    Tell him hello from Friko and that I think he is a darling.

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