Legends and doves

Yesterday was a day thinking of legends...legends we live with, legends we hold in reverence. My father was a legend for me, a quiet man haunted by past demons, by poor health and by his own tender spirit. A man of the land with Levi's worn through at the knees and left rear pocket ...where the wallet rode in style. A man who stood straight and true... six feet tall and about 130 lbs soak and wet.   We learned a great deal from him. Weekends filled with fossils, hikes on the land, time spent with animals & birds, moments of fishing...and always moments to visit and share. He had a quiet giggle which came out when you least expected it.
He could not swim but he loved the water. He would have loved the Gulf of Mexico here at Port Aransas. A quiet little town where everything is unassuming, laid back, and no status. In honor of his birthday I decided to spend the day wandering the beach area alone with my thoughts. Along the harbor I ran into dolphins playing, rising, jumping within ten feet of Enya and I. A blue heron eyed us warily from around four feet, probably wondering if she could grab Enya before I noticed :)
I now know that the word legend, hero, deity among many other reverent names is misleading. We are all living organisms connected with the land, the water, and the air we breath. Father was (and is) larger than life but he was also a man. Just a man like many who had dreams, aspirations and goals. After finding a broken sand dollar on the beach I was reminded of the five doves that exist inside the sand dollar. When the sand dollar breaks these five doves are set free, much like my dad was set free at his death.
I pray he enjoyed the dolphins with me yesterday and that he floated among my brothers and his loved ones... leaving good vibrations and loving thoughts in his path.
I leave you with an image I painted of my father and the photos of the sights.
A wonderful saying for the day.
"We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence is not an act but a habit"  Aristotle