best layed plans...

lena, the birthday girl had an itinerary for her birthday celebrations in mallorca. i did not mind at all marching to her orders. hopping a flight to mallorca. friday night party at her home for the weekend with homemade food, and drinks. drifting out into the night for live jazz in the center of town. i must admit, as we headed out at 1am for live jazz i was ready to find the nearest bed for a nap. spain is like that. dinner is at 10 and who knows what will happen after that. and as i've said before, if one has to work the next day, to bad. but not this party weekend. we had reserved 4-5 days exclusively for lena's birthday celebrations and for mallorca to have its way with us.

saturday night was reserved for a beach party. all planned out. hop a bus to the outskirts of town to a more secluded beach. the bus ride was about an hour's ride. as i love to eat, i munched on chips and nuts all the way out while chatting with one of my best friends, h. tumbling off the bus we walked a bit through sand and tiny hills 'till we found a spot we liked. laying out our towels and blankets and picnic food took no time. it's night time. someone at some other time asked someone else 'in power' if we are allowed to make a fire on the beach(?). nope. but kids will be kids. it seems they had made up their minds to do so anyway. quiet inside, i wondered if this is okay. i'm such a city girl. i know nothing about beach fires.

some folks trotted off gathering wood and twigs and paper. created a space in the sand to start the fire. i watched sipping on a glass of wine, bare foot and quite content. slowly the fire got started. how do they do that? it's like something you read about, a fire going... just like that.

believe it or not, rain drops started softly falling. i have no idea how it's possible. the skies were abolutely clear a minute ago, i promise. all of a sudden, the drops were no longer sprinkles. it's raining!! we quickly gathered up our stuff and headed for the straw roofed shelters that align the beach. i think these shelters are for protection from the spanish sun, which is intense, not heavy duty rain fall. but thankfully they were there.

separately in groups and in shock we stood under these little roofs and watched in disbelief as the rain poured down. i was mesmerized not only by the fire that had been created, but by the fact that it was still going. how is it possible for a fire to continue in the rain?

there under our little shelters we could do nothing but laugh. we had plans for a nice beach party picnic, but the powers that be said otherwise. or, maybe not...

standing there we began to munch on food and pass around wine and champagne... what else could we do? we laughed and told little stories. it was quite sweet and cozy. we really were huddled together trying not to get soaked by the rain. so close that only in intimate circumstances, or a new york city crowded subway train should persons who are not lovers be so close. ...and drinking from the same champagne 'bottles.' (how's that for class)

the rain stopped after almost and hour. we did get wet. we fumbled from under our shelters, laid out our beach blankets again anyway. all was wet and sticky with sand. but it was a beautiful night, the illegal fire was going, and we had one another... and we were really enjoying.

we sat by the fire for hours that night & played in the mediterreanean sea. the birthday girl said that 'she could not have planned it better.'

when the rain washed away all our plans and intentions, social insecurities, and who and what we think we are... standing there wet and sticky with sand, no pretentions. we had each other just as we are and i liked so much who we were in that moment. i think it was one of the best moments of my life...