Sandestin

September 24, 2024

Rain

Rain crackles on the sidewalks As the thunder bellows and roars. Cars hiss by on the wet streets As fallen leaves soar. Lightning flashes in the clouds As the trees dance in the wind. Chills and goosebumps rise on my arms As the cold rain hits my skin. Birds sing in their havens As rivers form in the parking lot. Blades of grass flinch and twitch As they are pelted by raindrops. Cars sweat and weep buckets As they are left out in the stormy weather. Puddles form in the mud As raindrops splash ripples in them together. The scent of asphalt and rain Fills the cool, humid air As God’s rain calms my restless soul And washes away my despair.

My family and I had gone to Sandestin to go to the beach. While we were in Sandestin, we had started to feel a bit weird, as I believe we were coughing and our throats felt somewhat dry or itchy, and our eyes watered a little. My mom had asked a lady at the desk of the hotel we were staying in what was happening and she said that it was red tide, which is a “higher-than-normal concentration of a microscopic alga” (Florida Red Tide FAQs). When we went to the beach, we found some dead fish washed up on the shore. After doing some research, I found out that these fish may have died from the red tide. This is because the red tide can produce toxins that can affect the central nervous system of fish, which can cause them to die (Florida Red Tide FAQs). Though the red tide caused us some irritation, our time at the beach was still enjoyable overall, as it was fun to be at the beach. I also managed to get some beautiful shots of the ocean waves, which was one thing I really enjoyed at the beach.

Sources

“Florida Red Tide FAQs” MOTE Marine Laboratory and Aquarium, https://mote.org/news/florida-red-tide. Accessed 1 June 2020.