6/30/2010

Once in a Blue Moon

It was probably too late to be walking on the beach. Alone. Certainly Dad thought so. But like I told him, this was one rendezvous I was not going to miss.  A chance like this came along once in a blue moon.

Smiling to myself at the aptness of the old saying, I strolled along the water's edge, digging my toes into the warm sand.  To my left, the patio bars in the hotels along Ocean Drive were still bustling.  Hot Latin music drifted across the sand to stir my blood.  Gyrating bodies filled the patios and spilled down onto the sidewalk.  It seemed I wasn't the only one out and about tonight.  And no wonder!  For South Beach, the night was still young, and the July weather was unusually perfect.  The heat of the day had passed, and the night air was like a caress.

But to my right was the real show.  The moon was completely full, a huge perfect orb hanging like a Christmas ornament over the dark waters of the Atlantic.  It was one of those moons I have only seen in Miami, as if ordered up by the Miami Beach Chamber of Commerce just for the tourists.  It was certainly the perfect moon for the wondrous date I was keeping tonight.

I glanced at my watch. It was time.  I pulled my tiny transistor radio from the pocket of my shorts and switched it on.

Looking up at that enormous Miami moon, I could imagine that I was there too.

"That's one small step for a man, one giant step for mankind."

Thrilled, I thought again, Oh, yes, only once in a blue moon.


*****************************************************

And on the lighter side:

Only once in a blue moon does talent like this come along!



This is my entry for this week's Theme Thursday prompt. To see more, visit here .

20 comments:

  1. hha. loved the vid...and a nice twist in your tale...was wondering who you were meeting...the moon walk was a nice touch...happy tt!

    ReplyDelete
  2. yesma'm quite the surprise, although gazing at the moon is a high.

    you have the poetic muse, merging metaphor with science, history and everyday life.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Once in a blue moon indeed. A nice write.

    ReplyDelete
  4. nice...loved both twists on blue! :)

    ReplyDelete
  5. What a gorgeous photo to illustrate such a grand moment. I really liked this, Patti.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Moon over Miami. Very nice tie in with the landing.

    ReplyDelete
  7. You evoked some strong memories...watching that amazing moon walk so many years ago and sunny,fun days in Miami.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Heh heh - I knew immediately that you were speaking of Miami somehow. I also remember where I was on that day. Nice congealing of the blue, for lack of a better term.
    ;-)

    The video was fun too! (Oh gorsh, I be old - I do remember that.)

    ReplyDelete
  9. Clever story. You have talent. And the video was too, too funny! :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. haha! great music video...it's really hard to make something look that tacky!

    ReplyDelete
  11. Did this go through? Darn...

    Thanks for the great TT hit! -J

    ReplyDelete
  12. LOL. Somehow, I had forgotten that version of "Blue Moon". I did love your story. What an exciting time that was!

    ReplyDelete
  13. Great story PK. Loved it. How I would have loved to have been standing on the beach with you instead of sitting in my West Texas living room. :)

    ReplyDelete
  14. ...it was the "I pulled my transistor radio from my pocket" that made me laugh!
    Had forgotten how tacky Sh-Na-Na really were!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Ah, I remember the night well. Lovely story. And we did have a blue moon earlier this year (blue moon = second full moon in the same month)

    ReplyDelete
  16. i like that you covered this saying with three very different ideas.

    ReplyDelete
  17. http://itistimetothinkformyself.blogspot.com/2010/07/jingles-july-follower-awards-happy-4th.html

    some awards,
    please take 2 to 5 and enjoy!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Thank you all for visiting and for your comments. I never look at a full moon without remembering that night. For so many today, all that is old news, rather ho-hum. But when it happened, it was fantastical, science fiction come to life.

    ReplyDelete
  19. Is it a true story?

    I love Sha-na-na and Bowser J. Bowser (who is now doing info-mercials, by the way.).

    ReplyDelete

Thoughts? I would love to hear from you.