Quiet before the storm

Today is our last day at the beach in Gulfport, Mississippi. We've had such a great time, and today feels odd because a tropical storm named Lee is about to hit the coast. The beach is empty and no one is at the pools we've been using around the condo.

My daughter and I went for one last swim before the storm hits. The wind was increasing and the fans were silently turning themselves. All the chairs and tables were unoccupied - it was like we were the last people on Earth.

We swam and sat in the hot tub until the rain was coming down too hard to stay out. Then we came in, and I sat in an outdoor porch with the overhead fan going, reading the memoirs of local artist Walter Anderson's wife.

What a fabulous trip we've had, even with Katie having emergency surgery and me hurting my foot and having to limp around all week. I'm going to blog about my trip ad-nauseum next week to help me with post-vacation blues.