Hints of spring and spring tide
After weeks and weeks of typical winter rain, the Tailor and I took advantage of a rare sunny afternoon and headed to Point Defiance for a stroll on the beach. We quickly discovered that nature had a few surprises for us today—beyond the perpetual shock of Mount Rainier appearing out of nowhere, that is.
The tide was way, way out today; not quite a spring tide, but almost. It was a steep descent down to the water, the crazy slope creating the optical illusion of standing below sea level. At the water’s edge we met a couple of unlucky creatures left high and dry by the tide:
first a half dollar-sized jellyfish that strayed too far into the shallows…
and then a hapless sea star who apparently made a bad choice in real estate (talk about being upside-down on your mortgage).
But the surprise of stranded jelly- and starfish was nothing to the shock we received on our way back, just a few blocks from home:
Camellias. Blooming in January. Now, I’m quite confident that I can adapt to the short, snow-less winters in these here parts—but flowers in January? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my brain around that.
(Not that I’m complaining, mind you.)
Mmm! amazing pictures, describing a moment in time that made me feel glowy happy to read. Thanks for that snapshot of perfect contentment (well, maybe not for the two critters…)
Presented with a lovely day on Saturday myself, it took approximately 2 nanoseconds for my husband and I to get in the truck and head for the coast. It was perfect!
That is the most beautiful flower I have ever seen. :)
I love the sea star, though.
What a gorgeous post – unexpected finds. Mt. Rainier has a way of doing that… it totally snuck up on me when I was out there last March!