Remember that three hour hike I mentioned? Well this morning we decided to see if we could find any more signs of turtles nesting, so we went out early! And while we didn't see any new turtle nests, we did see...
Our beach moments before dawn...
The mist on the water down there looks different today...
Our eggs remain covered!
Gathering strength for this Morning Glory!
Looks like fire on the mountain!
And we smell SMOKE!!
As we walked up the beach, the morning mist didn't look quite right. The closer we came, the more strange it looked. Our noses picked up the undeniable scent of FIRE!
There have been numerous fires all along the south portion of the island in recent weeks. This is the first time it's come so close to home! We could see a burned out patch just off the beach in the palm forest. Up ahead a short distance, it was still burning! Large patches were smouldering, but we found an active fire that seemed to be gaining momentum.
It seems that these fires are natural and are just allowed to burn themselves out in most cases. We have only seen one small fire truck working a blaze in all this time. The Locals don't seem concerned... but is't difficult to still our alarm.
It doesn't show well in the photo but you can see bits of fire!
Continuing on down the beach, it looks like there is another fire up ahead!
We reached our leaning palms...
This is our earliest beach walk yet. The amazing thing is how different it all looks in the pre and post-dawn light. We I had to stop for a short photo shoot, and even got Bruce to participate....
...right after his coffee break!
OK, OK, enough of that! But having photos is the best way to remember this exact moment. I will see these and remember how the sun rose above the distant mountains in the soft morning light. I will remember how the air was fresh off the Caribbean and cool on my face. I will remember how the water caressing my ankles felt surprisingly warm in contrast to the cool air. I will remember how fortunate we were on this day to have this place to enjoy!
This morning we also met a neighbour. The beach has limited access so when we meet someone, it's almost always a neighbour. Santos and his very boisterous pup, Blackie, walk this beach every day. We stopped to chat a bit and patted Blackie on the head in a futile attempt to calm her bouncing! Maybe we need a dog... NO!
Are you SURE we don't need a dog???
Now THAT is the misty sea spray we normally see!
Fire has burned out!
No more smoke!
In the growing light, we can now turn our attention to the hunt for sea glass!
The prize!
Every time we walk the beach we return home with at least a few pieces of sea glass. I've got a running streak of finding at least one piece of BLUE! They're more rare than the other colors, but there is a spot on our beach that almost always has at least one. Sometimes they're just tiny chips... but today, I found a nice one! What happens if I don't find a blue piece? Well aside from not being able to stop looking until I do... I can't imagine what horrors will befall us if we return home empty handed! Paradise Problems!
This color is nice too!
Bumble Bees and Sweet Peas!
Yup, I spent a long time watching the bees collect pollen from the Sweet Peas! Sometimes I think we'll NEVER get off of this beach! No wonder why a beach walk takes three hours! But we love it and we have the luxury of time...
This morning we also met a neighbour. The beach has limited access so when we meet someone, it's almost always a neighbour. Santos and his very boisterous pup, Blackie, walk this beach every day. We stopped to chat a bit and patted Blackie on the head in a futile attempt to calm her bouncing! Maybe we need a dog... NO! 
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