Sunny Smiles at Saltwater

Snapshot of today: low tide with white caps that matched those of the Olympic Mountain peaks in the background & sunny smiles of kind passersby who simply requested the memory of their journey to this place be captured in a photograph.

Lawn daisies interspersed with dandelions and discarded mussel shells dot the carpet of green beneath my feet. 

While I sit back and relax on the Rockie Burgess Memorial Bench, I am prompted to wonder who Rockie was to have once loved the same view that I do now…

Scuba divers trudging off to the shoreline to the right of me, bikers inspecting their pristine machines to my left. 

Tied-in-place kites sailing on the wind to the north, while the owners constructed castles in the sand to the east.

Dogs leashed-all sizes, shapes and colors of fur.

Kids unleashed-all sizes, shapes and colors of hair.

A lady who looked like she stepped right out of a magazine advertisement from the early 1950’s, with meticulously covered tresses, seemed like a serene time traveler lost in thought gazing out over the waves.  She walked by me with her daughter, both in simultaneous graceful cadence.

Wheelchairs, strollers, bicycles; it doesn’t really matter what type of wheel as long as it gets you closer.

Lovers strolling along draped around one another, while others engage in quiet conversation holding hands and resting on a driftwood log.

Some carry a water bottle, others an entire cooler. Some are eating an impromptu snack, while others indulge in an elaborate grilled picnic.

Sisters & Fathers & Uncles & Grandmas

In

Hoodies & Jackets & Sweaters & Blankets

All

Laughing & Sauntering & Socializing & Searching for their own beach treasure

An hour ago, my hair had been cut and styled, but now it is tossed about by the fickle breezes, the strands bestowed the gift of the fragrance from the sea, as well as, a glistening kiss from the sun’s rays. 

A hiker with a backpack sits in almost a yoga pose on the warm sand while taking pictures of the next interesting thing. 

A few sailboats and motorboats dot the wavy landscape as if meandering adrift. But soon my eyes strain to see something smaller on the horizon. Slowing coming in to view were 3 stand up paddleboarders. They looked hearty enough when they landed, albeit somewhat fatigued. They also looked foolish without lifejackets in surf this rough.

And, as always, the crows follow me everywhere. I pretend not to notice their noisy display trying to get my attention…it’s a game I play with them…as in the past I’ve cast them a tasty tidbit. They remember faces, you know.

Only once was the atmosphere pierced by the tinkling tones of a cell phone. The owner was the lone person I observed using an electronic device in the entire park. How delightful it was to have this preserved bit of natural paradise just be all the entertainment that actually was required for this afternoon.

I came to be mesmerized by the cry of the seagull and to breathe in the salty air and thankfully I was fulfilled to satisfaction with more than enough beauty until I dwell within the dreams of it tonight.

***I have had the distinct pleasure of enjoying Washington’s State Parks for the last 25 years.  The Parks celebrated their Centennial on March 19^th, but have endured very harsh budget cuts of late that have devastated staffing, safety, maintenance, trails/camping areas, nature programs…you name it! In the Seattle area alone, there are some very famous entrepreneurs that have achieved greatness in the financial arena. I would love to see them come together on behalf of saving our Washington State Parks from almost certain ruin by stepping up to the plate and investing in the NEXT hundred years of their development. I wish that all the impetus of effort and money that is currently being poured in to bringing the Sonics basketball team back to Seattle, be also applied to the Washington State Park System, as well. Future generations, like the young people in my picture, need to have the chance to discover and to enjoy the multitude of one-of-a-kind  natural experiences that the Washington State Parks have to offer.  If the Parks don’t survive, shame on anyone who could have easily presented a cure, instead of neglecting and abandoning them in to obscurity.

Learn more about these fabulous places at:

http://www.parks.wa.gov/

©2013 Debbie Ballard

Related article: http://www.examiner.com/article/crow-woman-s-shore-observations