Back to the Beach

With the continuing drought conditions and the terrible fires that were still ongoing on the east side of the mountains the Investigator and I decided to postpone our plans to spend a few days in Eastern Washington and drive back to the coast instead.  This time we headed to the Washington Coast town of Ocean Shores, a planned community that came into being in 1960 and incorporated into a city ten years later. 

Unlike Oregon's Cannon Beach elegance and Seaside's Resort town style fun, Ocean Shores still retains that casual small town "Beachcomber" feel.  It's a place where you just kick off your shoes, relax and entertain yourself and that's just what we did for three days.  

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This was our hotel near the beach.  Aren't these dahlias in front exquisite?

When I saw this boat in the lot next to our hotel I thought of this quote: 

“Perhaps I should not have been a fisherman, he thought. But that was the thing that I was born for.”
― Ernest Hemingway, The Old Man and the Sea

A little look at the town.
  

 Of course, there must be the requisite fun and tacky souvenir shops filled with t-shirts, shell crafts and tie-dye. There's even a shark!

The currents along the Washington Coast are much stronger than along the Oregon Coast making it less safe for swimming in the the waves.  Still, there was plenty of activity to be had along the shore.

Riding Horses

Flying Kites

 
  Building Sand Castles

Beach Combing. 

The sea didn't give up many treasures this morning, just a broken sea star, a seagull feather and this clam shell.  I thought it looked rather pretty, like a pair of golden angel wings.  I gave it to a little girl playing in the sand.

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There is a jetty at the end of the point four miles from town which became our favorite spot to hang out.  The boulders protect the homes from the invasion of the sea and separate the ocean from the inlet into Grays Harbor.  As we scrambled up onto the rocks we could faintly see the fishing town of Westport across the bay.

I loved watching the water swirling and crashing up against the rocks.

 On the ocean side of the jetty.  You can see more of the waves tumbling to shore.

 

At dusk we returned to the beach to watch the sunset.  A light fog had rolled in, slightly obscuring the waves.  . We discovered there is a bird sanctuary close by, which explained the hundreds of seagulls and pelicans we saw along the shore.  

 

As we waited for the sun to go down I took these photos right into the sun which made everything look dark.  I think it looks kind of cool, as though the sun is setting in the middle of the night. I love the reflection on the shore.

 But as the sun slowly dipped over the horizon the natural glow of the sunset gradually came back.

 

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It must seem as if many of my last few posts have been a bit repetitious with all the pictures of birds and sand and waves, but truthfully, as much as I love the lakes, forests and mountains of this beautiful state I call home, there is no place that I am happier or more content or where I feel closer to God than when I am walking on a beach.  If I were a wealthy woman I would own a beach house by the sea where I would spend every summer.  It would be a beautiful home on the dunes overlooking the sea and I would gladly share it generously with everyone I love.  I can think of few greater joys.

With the coming of fall it will be many months before we can return again to the coast and so these pictures will have to keep me until that time comes again. So I leave you with this quote:

At the beach, life is different, time doesn't move from hour to hour, but mood to moment. we live by the currents, plan by the tides, and follow the sun.

                                                                                                      Author Unknown

                                                                                                  

Au Revoir