Freedom

♫Ocean Waves♫

♫"Wind" by Brian Crain♫

Yesterday was Memorial Day.  This holiday is meant to honor those who gave their lives so that we might be free from tyranny.  We spent the long holiday weekend at a beautiful beach house on the Chesapeake Bay in Scotland, Maryland, with our grown children and their spouses.  The breeze off the Bay brought the cooling wind and the soothing sound of the waves.  Here are some photos that capture the feel of our lovely experience.  If you haven't already, click on both songs above so you'll get the full experience:

The back of the house from the driveway leading to our little bit of paradise

A side view

This is the front facing the bay

Our view of the Bay from the 3rd floor living room 

And the view to the side of the pond behind

Looking down the stairwell from the sitting area of the 4th floor master suite 

The view from the 3rd floor

The rest of the front view from the 3rd floor 

The view from the side toward the beach--Point Lookout State Park is in the far distance--the former site of a fort built by Confederate prisoners of war

And the rest of the view from the side toward the pond

Our first morning's sunrise!

Even Gabriel is captivated by the views

And here it comes....the sun!

The sunrise from the outside dining porch on the 3rd floor

There I am reading my morning devotionals from our 4th floor bedroom porch

The view of the pond from the 4th floor balcony off the back of the house

This bird is at the top of one of the pine trees

Some of our crew are taking the kayaks out

Meanwhile we take Gabriel for a walk on the beach

One of his discoveries

Our kayakers are heading up the shoreline to an estuary

A walk along the shoreline brought this interesting scene

This is where the estuary empties into the Bay

An Osprey on an abandoned pier

A lone Daylily 

One of the crabs they caught in the estuary

Our last evening we built a campfire and made Smores.  Ah.......

When we were younger we never dreamed we'd ever be able to spend a long weekend in such a beautiful place.  The years of just getting by, the unexpected expenses along the way....but wise investments, and steady work have afforded us special moments like this in our retirement.  We're more than grateful for these moments and being able to share them with our family only makes me even more appreciative of all that we've been given in the way of opportunities to build a life we cherish. 

This is what true freedom is all about--being given a chance to live your life to the fullest.  Thank you to the many who have sacrificed their lives and to all those who loved them so that we may have this freedom.