Angels and kites on the beach. It must be December
December is an unusual time of year on the beautiful Alabama Gulf Coast. The traffic is light and the atmosphere is very relaxed. The businesses and condominiums are all dressed for Christmas and a few people are walking on the sugar-white beach looking for shells. You just never know what you will see on any given day at the beach.
On a recent Saturday, I was having lunch with a friend at The Hangout on the beach in Gulf Shores. It was not a beautiful day. It was a little cool, the sky was gray, there was a mist in the air and the wind was strong out of the east. Not ideal beach conditions, but there were still a few people walking on the beach or sitting at the pavilions watching the waves.
After my friend and I ordered our meal, I noticed a large blue kite in the air just south of us. I started watching the kite until I saw the operator, a young man in a wet suit and harness. He was running along the sand and jumping in the air occasionally and letting the kite lift him a little higher. Soon, another young man appeared with a green and black kite shaped like a bat wing. He was also carrying a kiteboard. I knew we were in for a show.
My companion and I watched the kite surfer while we ate fried shrimp and fried oysters from the comfort of The Hangout. We were mesmerized. The energetic young man was using flying lines and a control bar to travel in a zigzag pattern in the surf. The wind was strong from due east and he was moving almost due north and south. At times, it seemed as if he was actually coming back into the wind. When he turned north and rode the waves, he would literally sail 10 or 15 feet in the air. Most of the time his landing would be perfect and he would continue on his zigzagging way. Other times, he had the appearance of a pelican diving for a fish. Either way, he was keeping us under his spell. When he reached the western end of the public beach, he started his journey back on foot. Walking into the wind with a huge wing on his back, he had an uncanny resemblance of an eerie green-winged batman.
Wednesday of the same week, I was driving west from Orange Beach to Gulf Shores. It was around 10 a.m. when something in the sky caught my eye. At first, I thought it was three pelicans gliding on the wind drafts around the condominiums. Then I realized the formation was a little too perfect. Since I was driving straight toward the unidentified flying objects, I could watch them and not place other vehicles on the street in danger. After a few seconds, I saw a trail of smoke from each object and realized I was seeing the Blue Angels. Three jets from the famous Navy Flight Demonstration Team were performing over the beach in Gulf Shores. I watched them until I had to turn north on Highway 59. The guests in Phoenix All Suites and Island Winds East and West were getting a grand show.
I started thinking about life in coastal Alabama and the everyday happenings on the beach. Even on cool gray days, there is something to make you smile. December is a good month to be here. Come to think of it, so are the other 11 months. I love living on the Alabama Gulf Coast.
post provided by Luanne Burnett
