Flipper!!!

I have an image that is forever etched in my mind.

Words will not do it justice.

But I will try.

We had "church on the beach" today. We did it a month ago too, and it was awesome. Everyone brings blankets and towels and we just sit in the sand and worship God with the waves crashing in the background. I got there a bit early this morning and was talking to some peeps, when I noticed some movement in the ocean. What was that?! Seal? Otter? Sea lion? Whale? Or worst yet...shark??

Oh heck no, techno.

DOLPHINS!!! Wooooooo. Flipper was swimming close to the shore heading west and his little fin would come up above the water. I shrieked and ran towards the water to get a better view. The ocean was flat and as smooth as glass this morning. Perfect. I kept watching Flipper's fin come up, then go down. All of a sudden, he was joined by his buds! I saw three or four more fins start showing up around him!! Cool!!

Then, after they swam down the beach a bit, they turned around and came back! I could not believe how close to shore they were swimming. And now there were probably 7 or 8 Flippers, playing around. Ahhhh! I felt like I was watching The Discovery Channel...but for reals! And just when I thought the show was over and I was about to head back to the group...it got better...

They started LEAPING OUT OF THE WATER!!! I am not kidding. I have never seen anything like it. It was better than Sea World. There were no trainers giving them signals and then rewarding them with treats. It was REAL. They were in their home and having fun. The 7 or 8 of them were swimming so fast (heading west again) and then they'd LEAP out of the ocean and we would see their whole bodies above the water before they plunged back into the watery depths. It happened multiple times. Everyone on the beach was freaking out (me included, of course). We could not believe we were really seeing this.

I am not exaggerating when I say this experience makes the top 5 coolest moments in my life. I will never forget that image. It made my morning, my week, my month, heck...my whole summer.

I LOVE living near the ocean.