Focus on the Stars

 “I Go Down To The Shore

I go down to the shore in the morning

and depending on the hour the waves

are rolling in or moving out,

and I say, oh, I am miserable,

what shall—

what should I do? And the sea says

in its lovely voice:

Excuse me, I have work to do.”

-Mary Oliver

The work needing done, what could that be. For me it is just focusing on the small glimmers of light and joy each day.

If you recall, last week I needed to put my toes in the sand. So off to the sea I went for a very short visit; never the less, it was good to touch the sea. People told us there were whales frolicking between those rocks, but other than some splashes I didn't see any whales.

Wishing I had some marshmallows and a fire.

I am a water girl at heart; so just yesterday I went down to the Columbia River. What a delight to sit on this deck and watch the boats come and go. One last celebration of summer before school starts tomorrow. 

Fall will soon be here. 

Early this morning, while it was still dark, I noticed a runner go by with a string of colored light draped around him. He was shining the lights in the dark morning hour. It reminded me as we begin to notice the shorter days to bring out the candles and to focus on the light in the dark night.

And still I am finding flowers to shine on my days.

I absolutely love dahlia season. This is my favorite Cafe au Lait, which was planted in my daughters garden. Isn't it a beauty?

And one final light from my past week was celebrating my "god son's" 25th birthday. How quickly they grow up.

What lights of delight are you noticing this week?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Focus on the Stars

 

"what beaches offered: a place of refuge, contemplation, spirit healing, a place for walking prayers."

from Across the Crying Sands by Jane Kirkpatrick

Jane Kirkpatrick is an Oregon historic fiction writer, which always enchants me by her stories of women I never knew about, but women of strength and resilience in times past.

This brief quote above captured my thoughts as I read it last evening. It reminded me that I need to go to the beach for those "walking prayers" and "spirit healing". With the move and all that has gone on in my life the past year I have forgotten to do this for myself. Soon I must go. I must walk by the sea. I must get sand in my toes.

“Dance with the waves, move with the sea. Let the rhythm of the water set your soul free.” – Christy Ann Martine

 “I believe in the ocean curing all bad moods. I believe in the waves wiping away worries. I believe in seashells bringing good luck. I believe in toes in the sand grounding my soul.” – Unknown

The sea is a compass for me. It sets me in the right direction. It is my shining star in the dark night. What is your shining star in the dark night?

Sending love,

Marilyn

Celebrating

As my "live-in gardener" and I have gotten older we realize we don't need gifts of things; so sometimes we give gifts of experiences. For his birthday this year I gave him a gift of a couple nights at the coast. I found a place that had a fireplace and view of the sea; so if it was too wintery we could sit inside by the fire, enjoy the view, sip tea and read. This week that is exactly what we did.

The view from our window.

On Wednesday we took a drive in the rain just to see the sea from different locations along the ocean highway.

Two lighthouses were on our radar; so we drove south from our motel. The first was at the south end of Newport, Oregon and the second was spotted on the way back north at the top end of Newport, Oregon.

The bridge over the bay in Newport, as seen from the first lighthouse.

OK, here is the second lighthouse, which I think is quite beautiful. It sits out on a bluff and I thought I would step out of the car to snap this picture. Let me tell you, I have never tried to stand in such a strong wind and pouring rain to take a picture. I almost blew away and had to hold onto the fence to do one snap. My hair was soaked and began it's curly adventure on top of my head. It was indeed quite an adventure for one picture.

The last morning before we left I actually spotted the first sign that there was blue sky behind those clouds. It was wild weather, winter weather indeed; but we loved it.

It does the spirit good to take a little adventure occasionally and this was both a gift for my "live-in gardener", but I benefited too.

Now there was one more stop before leaving the sea. There was a pod of food carts not far from our motel and I had found on Instagram one that announced it was crab season. I love crab, but hadn't had good crab for years. This particular food cart said they had crab rolls and who could resist if you love crab? So before we headed home we treated ourselves to the best crab roll ever. It was truly amazing. If you ever find yourself in Lincoln City, Oregon I highly recommend stopping at The Pines Dine food cart pod. This cart was Rook and Larder, but there were other amazing carts with all kinds of delicious looking food.

What a treat.

 Do you give gifts of experiences?

I highly recommend it. In fact, I like it so much I have begun giving my grandson gifts of experiences. For Christmas I got tickets to a play for he and his mom and they really enjoyed it. Then just because gift, I recently found tickets for them to go to another improv adventure with the Children's theater in town.

Well now it is Friday; so have a terrific weekend, dear friends!

Sending love,

Marilyn

Word Magic

 

Word for the week: Thalassophile

 

 Definition: someone who loves ocean and finds thrill, calm and peace being close to ocean, a lover of the sea.

 

Scrolling through my photographs I can easily find pictures of the sea in it's most wonderful varieties and views.

I could easily live right here by the sea.

After all, I am a water girl, a Pisces at heart.

Years ago I lived in Kansas for a few years.

It wasn't a good fit, as I needed to be by the sea.

When I told my husband's employer I needed to be near the ocean, he suggested I go see their lake nearby. He didn't understand. A man made lake in the middle of a cow pasture wasn't going to do it for me. Eventually I moved back to the west coast and can reach the seashore in one hour. That satisfied my need to be close enough to go at a moments notice.

Growing up I was always within one hour of the sea.

My young self loved going with friends to swim, walk, play, and nap on the warm sand.

I adored it then and I adore it now.

Is there somewhere that does that for you?

Is it the sea, the mountains, a lake?

Where does your hearts desire lead you?

I hope this week you can be in a place that satisfies your soul.

Happy week, dear friends!

 

An Adventure to the Sea

 

Soft shades of brown and blue

While listening to over the rainbow

I listen to the silence with a cup of tea in hand

The waves roll in and welcome me

Dark figures walking by the sea

The birds glide in the breezes and catch the wind

The black dog scampers by with the freedom of wide expanses

A winter sea, a time with friends is nourishment for the soul

It delights me

The power of the sea astonishes me.

Walking, savoring the day with dear friends is precious.

Noticing what they notice, what I notice brings pleasure to my heart.

 

And the sun passes by on another day quite silently.

It dips below the sea and I sleep.

Words written in my journal not so long ago.

 

Do you enjoy walking by the sea?

Listening as the waves roll in and out, tumbling over the sand and rocks?

Do you leave your footprints in the sand only to be washed away?

Do you notice the feather left by a bird flying by?

 

I am a girl of the sea and water.

I always have been.

So it soothes my soul and I smile whenever I can walk by the sea. 

 

Happy weekend, dear friends!

Hope you have a special adventure even if it is a walk in your own backyard.

A Day at the Sea

 

 My "live-in gardener" celebrated a birthday at the end of January. I couldn't think of a gift to give him; so I said his gift would be a day trip to the sea to have his favorite fish and chips made with tuna and a walk by the water. The fish and chip boat is located in Astoria, Oregon, about a 2 hour drive from our home. As you can see it was cloudy, but the temperature was mild without wind or rain. It was perfect and a gorgeous drive along the Columbia River. The Columbia River divides Oregon and Washington States and runs very near my home.

Astoria is located at the mouth of the Columbia River. We visited the Maritime Museum just across the road from the fish and chip place and learned it is one of the most treacherous ports for ships to navigate and there have been many shipwrecks.

Inside the museum there were many examples of the shipwrecks and stories.

Since many of the ships come from Asia the china washed up on the shore included this beautiful teapot.

After leaving the museum we drove south along the coast to Seaside, Oregon. Seaside is a popular place for young families as there are many activities for children, such as rock climbing walls and go-carts.

 

On a quiet winter weekday it was perfect for walking on the beach.

I love a winter beach and so does my "live-in gardener".

The sand looked like an extension of the sea with it's ripples.

Turning my camera away from the sea just so you can see the homes nearby.

Oregon's beaches are all public; so most often the homes are back further than in many other states. I like that Oregon has designated the beaches to be public.

And then we headed home.

We traveled over the mountains on a different route where we saw quite a surprise of snow at the higher elevations. We stopped here because there is a spigot where you can fill your water bottles from fresh spring water. Some people bring large jugs just to gather the water, but we just had our regular water canisters. Just the same, another treat along the way.

 

What can I say, but I love a winter walk by the sea!

One of my favorite things to do; so an easy birthday celebration too.

 

Have a great weekend, dear friends!

 

And the Adventure Continues

 This week I decided to continue the adventure to California on Monday. Next week we will return to a Flower and a Poem.

Early in this third day I visited the graves of my mother and grandfather. They lie side by side for eternity in a very old cemetery.  

 On the way to the market to buy food for a noon picnic date we had some time to stop a couple places and I snapped so many pictures I think I will share them another day.

Then it was picnic time with my sister, her husband, two of her sons and one wife. No pictures were taken to share, but it was lovely time in the park of our childhood. At the end of the picnic I made small cups of tea and we shared some cookies given to me by my friend, Ann. It was a perfect way to connect with family and a delight of the day.

After the picnic I just wanted to drive to the coast and enjoy the beautiful day.

 Potter School, where a famous movie was filmed.

Do you recognize it? It was by Alfred Hitchcook, The Bird's, filmed in 1962. It is in the small village of Bodega and of course I had to stop and snap a picture on the way to Bodega Bay. It is privately owned and a family residence now.

Bodega Bay is only about 30 minutes by car from my hometown of Sebastopol. As a little girl I remember my grandfather and uncles would fish here for both surf fish and abalone. What a treat when we had plate full of fresh fish from the sea. It is a gorgeous drive.

It really is just an iconic seaside town and so beautiful.

As my mother got older she often requested having a drive to this area for the day. She delighted in the sea, as I also do.

There is something so soothing in sitting by the sea.

Many boats are anchored here for both the business of fish and for pleasure.

Broken down barns call for me to stop and snap. This one was surrounded by eucalyptus trees and smelled so good.

Driving back to town this Catholic church on the hill called to me to snap a picture. Isn't it beautiful? I could just imagine a beautiful wedding there. Oh that sky! It was one of those gorgeous, blue sky days.

And I would be remiss if I didn't share a snap of an apple tree orchard along the road. As a young girl this was a common sight. Though there still are plenty, many have been pulled out to grow grapes.

In the past this building has housed a flower nursery and antique shop, maybe even a coffee shop. It was sad to see it sitting vacant at the moment. Hoping someone comes and rescues it.

It was a gorgeous day of again remembering my past and soaking in the ambiance.

I find this adventure for me was a time of reminiscing, something good for the soul.