Friday, February 21, 2014

Serenity on St. Augustine Beach: A #RecipeforMoments *SPONSORED*


Our story is a part of the #RecipeForMoments blog hop hosted by BlogPaws. Link up below to share your story of the bond you and your pet share. What do you think your pet feels in your special moments? Five random U.S. winners who link up their blog post will win a Nature’s Recipe® lightweight collar camera to capture special moments from their pet’s point of view. See BlogPaws for official rules and details.

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For me, no trip to St. Augustine Florida is ever complete without one sunrise. 

Sunrise on Matanzas Bay in St. Augustine, 2012.
But this time, things would be different. I had Lulu with me during my trip this past week, and since she'd never been to a beach before, and I hadn't been to St. Augustine Beach yet, I decided to rise early and try to catch the sunrise there.

 
The pier at St. Augustine Beach.

St. Augustine Beach, like most St. Johns County beaches, allows leashed pets. But I didn't know how Lulu would react. The only water she seemed to enjoy being in were puddles -- especially muddy ones. She shied away from the lake at Fleet Peeples dog park in Winter Park, and she only stepped into the little plastic pools at Dr. Phillips Park when she needed to cool off. How would she take to an ocean of water?

We found a parking spot near the pier just after the sun rose. Dogs aren't allowed on the pier, but we found a sort of staircase of tightly packed sand under the pier and made our way onto the dunes.

 
Lulu was intrigued by the layer of shells that made up our first steps. She crept slowly onto the cool, tan sand, her prints leaving deep marks. Once she got her bearings we made our way (slowly!) to the shore. 

It wasn't long before Lulu found dogs to bark at: A man walking two dachshunds. Another man walked a black lab in the opposite direction of us. But I used the waves to distract Lulu. If she got closer, it meant she'd have to watch the water. For her it was a torturous way to get her to stop barking, but it worked.


 
Eventually I sat at the waters edge, but Lulu was too intrigued to sit with me: the smells, the groups of seagulls bunched up nearby, the sound of the waves, the open scenery with amazing vantage points. 

I meanwhile listened to the waves. A friend of mine says a day on the water adds a year to your life. Surely it must work for both dogs and humans, right?

Finally, I decided that Lulu would have to get her paws wet. I pulled off my socks and shoes and crept closer. Lulu followed. She trusted me, the poor pup, and I was leading her astray. Every time a wave came by, she was able to scoot away.




But soon, a great wave crashed to the shore, and the cold foamy water slid up past my feet and onto hers. She wasn't happy, but she didn't try to run either. 

 
The great experiment over, we began to trudge away from the water's edge. I watched our foot prints, and I knew that long after they washed away, those prints would be there forever.


Nature's Recipe is sponsoring this post and a contest. Share your #RecipeforMoments in our special blog hop and enter to win a lightweight collar camera for your pet. Winners will be drawn randomly on March 3, so enter today!

 This post is sponsored by Nature’s Recipe on behalf of the BlogPaws Blogger Network. I am being compensated for helping spread the word about Nature’s Recipe For Moments on behalf of Nature’s Recipe, but we only share information we feel is relevant to our readers. Nature’s Recipe is not responsible for the content of this article.

10 comments :

  1. Such a special post. I love the thought that your footprints will be there forever.
    XO

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    1. Thanks. A bit over poetic, but I was going for something different. Now if only she would actually have walked beside me to get the right pic... *sigh*

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  2. Love this! I've always wondered how my basset Floyd would do at the beach. I bet it would be similar, interested but slightly cautious as well.

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    1. It must have been like walking on the moon with her. She did really well though.

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  3. What a wonderful post!! Made more special because of the way you describe it! Thank you so much for sharing...we love that beach!!

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    1. Thanks Jeanne. It was a really pretty beach. I was amazed there was no seaweed that I could see.

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  4. I love this post and the photos, and what a great experience for Lulu....sounds like she did great for her first time at the ocean! I love the ocean but I have never taken any of my dogs there. Maybe someday. Sunrise on the beach, there is nothing better!

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    1. Thanks Jan! she did fine! I will try to check out other beaches.

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  5. I wish I could take my dogs to the ocean! Scout and Ash would love it, Teddy probably not so much! Great post!

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  6. Such a great experience and gorgeous photos! I would love to take my dog to beach for some new experiences too! (But have to wait until this summer)

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