A sunny day in winter, and I had nothing to do after church but get out and enjoy the nice weather. In my town, the most picturesque places are a couple of beaches with a boardwalk in between. I parked in the middle and headed south toward Marina Beach Park.
The walkers were out, walkers with big, long-haired dogs with swishing tails and small dogs in sweaters, walkers with babies in strollers hidden beneath blankets, walkers alone and in groups. Winter couldn’t keep them at home. But the boats, parked high and low, were waiting for summer.
Mount Baker in the background
Most of the picnickers preferred to eat inside. Although I did see one family preparing a barbecue at the edge of the beach.
The mountains you see behind the table are the Olympics. Living here on the edge of Puget Sound, we’re protected from the big waves of the Pacific Ocean by the Olympic Peninsula. Sometimes on a nice day with no wind the waves make hardly a splash. But today the waves, though nowhere near big enough for surfing, splashed nicely.
They left little skirts of foam around the driftwood and rolling, dancing splashes on the sand.
Reflections
It’s often the little things that make you stop and think. This hardy grass with its roots in sand made me wonder where it got its strength and what kept it alive during the cold winter nights?
Two people left footprints in the sand. They crossed paths and didn’t know it. Soon a high tide or strong wind will wipe away all traces of their aborted meeting.
The walk across the top was such fun, but what’s a kid to do when she reaches the end of a big fallen tree?
Oh, no! What now? How do I get out of this tangle?
Brush up on your log-walking skills.
Or build a fort.
Wishing you all sunny winter days.
Hey there! I nominated you for a Blogger Recognition Award! Find out more here http://www.twoamericansinchina.com/2016/01/blogger-recognition-award.html
I thought you were joining me for a walk for a moment, Nicki! 🙂 Am I the only one for whom the first two photos appear sideways on? I tilted my head and they’re still lovely 🙂
Thanks Joe. I’m trying to figure this out. The pictures are right side up on my computer, but sideways on my iPhone. It’s the opposite for some people. WordPress isn’t communicating with my iPhone camera properly.
I did think it a little odd 🙁 Joys of technology 🙂
A lovely post. Your photos and the scenery are both just beautiful.
Thank you, Michelle. I’m glad you enjoyed my hometown scenery.
Such lovely pictures and such a beautiful place to spend the afternoon. I love how you described the scenery – you made me feel like I was there.
Thank you, so much, Constance. When I walk with the intention of writing a blog about it, I do feel as though I have other people with me.
Some of your photos are laying down on the job ~ makes for interesting viewing!
Glad you enjoyed your wander and ponder.
Thanks, Nancy. Following my glasses around, looking straight ahead, staying above the bifocals, it’s easy miss the view next to my feet.
In the e-mail, all your photos are facing the right way . . . but when I go to the blog, some of them are turned onto their sides.
Lovely pics! I too, am enjoying this break in weather, the sun shinning down. I just planted some more bulbs in my yard and am prepping for spring. Hopefully it won’t snow tomorrow. So many starts already unfolding…Cheers, Mindy
And today is another sunny day. A good day for a brisk walk.
Nothing says hope (and thinking ahead) like planting spring bulbs. Wishing you a colorful springtime, Mindy.
It’s often the little thing that make you stop and think. Quite!
Some quotes I found on Goodreads:
“Dust is the parent of a star!”
― Munia Khan
“It has long been an axiom of mine that the little things are infinitely the most important.”
― Arthur Conan Doyle, The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes
Your photos are beautiful, Nicki. What a lovely place to relax! Thanks for sharing your afternoon with us.
Thank you, Carol. I’m glad my iPhone takes good pictures so I don’t have to learn to use anything more complicated.
How blessed you are to live in such a beautiful area, Nicki. Thanks for sharing it with us.
I am blessed to live in such a beautiful place, Jill. Just a simple drive to town is a pleasure on a sunny day.
Great photos! I want to walk on that beach. Did any of the dogs brave the chilly waters?
Dogs don’t seem to notice the cold water. When there’s a stick to chase, they can’t help themselves; they jump right in. There’s a popular fenced-in dog park at the far end of Marina Beach Park where I was. It was full of dogs frolicking and swimming.
What a lovely post, Nicki! Thank you for the sunny day wish and the great photos. The sun has been absent here, so I was glad to see the blue sky in your photos. I left my Christmas lights up to combat the gloom. 😀
January is usually our rainiest month, and we have seen quite a bit of rain–but also some blue skies. Another one today. The whole world looks happier on a blue-sky day.