Sunday is the day when I try to make it to the beach. Shouldn't be that difficult as I live across the street from the beach and every morning I rush to the glass sliding balcony door to catch a glimpse of the Atlantic.

Ponce Inlet is a small town of about 3,300 residents on the southern tip of the barrier island. There are no bridges to the mainland, so this is a dead end of two roads going South: Atlantic Ave and Peninsula Dr. No hotels/motels, no industry, a quaint and beautiful small Florida town with gorgeous beaches, nature preserves and waterfront restaurants...

So my Sunday started as usual, with me at the computer. It is hot and I do not want to get burned. Finaly 6 PM we are out of the door. It is balmy outside, but you quickly get used to it. We either go across the street and venture to the beach, or get in the car and drive a mile to the southern tip of the peninsula to the park. I got a $20 sticker for Ponce Inlet residents, which is valid for one year. The parking is a problem, but we spot a departing fisherman, and park.

On one side, the Park goes to the Halifax River (Intracoastal) and on the other, all the way East to the ocean. On the Intracoastal, here is the only pet friendly beach from Ponce Inlet all the way to Ormond-by-the-Sea, so it is no wonder that there are so many people with their canine companions at this park.

We take a long raised walkway to the ocean. A lot of fishermen here today, and we see lots of red fish in buckets. Pelicans and seagulls are all over, hoping for a snack they don't have to catch. This time there are many photographers. You see lines of tripods, and guys are trying to catch the moment when the surfers ride the wave. The surf is rough, and that's exactly what brings the surfers in droves.

It is beautiful out there. I am always surpised at the number of surfers there, as this is a dangerous place because the sharks are hunting there for the fish coming from the Intracoastal. On Saturday, there were two bites reported in Volusia county and both were in Ponce Inlet.

But I usually do not swim close to the jetties, and so far, knock on wood, never a problem. When the surf is that rough, it's not the smartest thing to get into the water anyway. On Saturday, a 12-year-old kid got washed away. His dad tried to help him, and they spent 12 hours in the ocean until his dad was found by the fishermen 8 miles away from shore, and the Coast Guard found his son a mile away from his dad. I am stunned by the resilience of this kid, who was floating through the night.