Picking blueberries...

I never expected to be in an open green field picking blueberries by a lake this morning. That's what I love about life. You never know what might happen next.

Tom called early. He had missed the fun little swell yesterday because he listened to the surf report. I kind of like the misleading reports. Most people won't bother with checking the surf for anomalies, so I can score more easily. Crumbs for the beggars, I say! I really enjoyed those crumbs yesterday.

The buoys were a bit smaller today, but Tom wanted to paddle out anyway. I said I'd join him. He was just going out to pick some blueberries from the field beside his house, would I like to pick some for myself? Dang, yes!

I scarfed down a bowl of Life with Publix blueberries, and then headed for his house. I'd never been there before. His house sits at the end of a long, bumpy dirt road just past the Crescent Beach bridge. What I discovered was that he had a little bit of Walden Pond going on, and not that far away from the ocean.

He built the rustic looking, two-story cabinish house himself. It sits in the middle of many acres, and has a lake next to it. He showed me around, and then we headed out for the blueberries. I never picked fresh ones before. I couldn't believe how they grow on trees. I thought they grew on bushes on the ground! This fact and the clusters were fascinating. He had a bunch of trees that we walked among, talking and picking the plump little globes of organic goodness. We got on the subject of animals, and I told him about the trailer for some documentary on animals and the meat industry that Colby had seen. Colby said it had disturbed him greatly. Joaquin Phoenix narrates it, and he said there was a graphic scene of a fox, skinned alive, just staring back at you, a mass of red and glossy flesh, trembling. He was having trouble getting the vision out of his head. I can't get the thought out of my head, either. Tom said he had been out fishing with some guys once, and a fox had come out of the woods, surprising them. He said it was walking oddly, swaying a bit. He said one of the guys walked to the back of his truck. In the bed of the truck were two guns and a crowbar. This "man" picked up the crowbar, and bludgeoned the fox to death.

I don't care what anyone says, people that can do these things need to be wiped off the face of this gift of a planet. Many atrocities occur every single day, due to people's justification of certain actions. It got very quiet out there in the blueberry field.

We decided to go surfing.

At Matanzas, it was smaller than yesterday, and not as clean. But, it was fun because there were still some glassy peelers, fairly green water, and my friends, Tom and Andy were there. Andy had a beautiful one, the wave was so green, his aqua board so gorgeous in color, his stall and relaxed stance in perfect harmony with the moment. We were having some fun, hooting for each other, as we practiced our corniest longboard-style moves!

The wind was a bit more variable today, and came onshore much earlier. All I can think about is what may be coming early next week, if that storm can stay alive and well out to sea...