A Birthday Sunset

52 year old me--4.5 billion year old sun.
Okay, I guess I'm not so old after all...

Today was my birthday. I am 52 years old. Who ever imagined I would be so old? I spent most of the day quietly at home with Monica and Mom, finishing up Zach’s Christmas box. After finally getting everything done, I ran out to mail it before the post office closed. Made it with time to spare (five minutes, but who’s counting?)

The view from the bluffs.

Then I drove to the beach…Sands, or Coal Oil Point as it was officially known; the beach of my youth. The gray clouds that had hovered overhead all day had broken up enough so that the sunset was peeking through.

Pelicans watching the sunset.

Chubby pelican.

Sunset at the point.

More pelicans coming to hang out and watch the sunset.

Sunset with my bird buddies.

 At the point I watched the sunset with a group of pelicans, gulls, terns and snowy plovers. 

Pelicans and gulls.

Lots of other birds.

My favorites--snowy plovers.

 The wind whipped cold on my face. I thought about being young, being old, and what happened in between. I missed my Panda pup, who used to run on that same beach with my 17 year old self, often at sunset. How come it never seemed to be cold back then? Always warm, always summer. Or maybe that's just what I remember.