Test Drive

I'm always anxious on these driving beaches when the tide comes in because sometimes the water gets awfully close to parked cars.  I worry that the drivers won't notice that their cars are about to be under water, and so I have to scan the beach nervously, wondering if the car will drive away safely or be pulled out to sea.  The driver always pulls away just about the time I start noticing the car.  But this one was different.  The tide actually washed up over the wheels before the car lights came on.  I breathed a sigh of relief, and then to my surprise the car took off into the ocean and proceeded to drive very fast through the water!  I hurried to take a photo, but I wasn't prepared with my camera settings to shoot into the sun like that.  Still, the photo gives a pretty good idea of what was going on.  A crazy driver for sure!  I would NOT recommend doing this!!! When the car emerged and drove past us I noticed that it was a Land Rover.  I suppose this could be in one of their commercials or something...but still!

Shorebirds

In spring and fall, the Washington coastline is full of these migrating shorebirds.  They flock together in the thousands, and amaze bird-watchers with their intricate aerial maneuvers.  It's the pattern of striped upper wing and white under wing that is so mesmerizing to watch as the birds twist and turn in flight.  I was so happy to see small flocks of these birds dart back and forth along the coastline during our visit to Ocean Shores, Washington last week.  I read that a small number of these birds overwinter in Washington.  Lucky for us!

Breakfast

It's pretty common, walking along the beach as the tide goes out, to see crab shells, but I've never seen a live crab like this before.  I'm not sure how he got here, but it wasn't a good sign for him.  He was surrounded by hungry seagulls when we approached.  The seagulls were lurking in the background waiting for us to leave.  I'm not sure what happened after we headed down the beach, but I think this little guy turned into breakfast. 

On Cloud Nine

Beach-combing at Ocean Shores, Washington.  This was the closest I got to photographing Clover and Anna walking along the same vertical plane; a little of Anna's feet show.  She was blissfully searching for sand dollars.  Clover was blissfully tagging along. 

Seascape

Growing up along the shores of Lake Michigan, I've always been partial to the sand there, soft, off-white, and very clean.  But I have gained an appreciation for some qualities of this Pacific Northwest sand as seen here in Ocean Shores, Washington.  This sand is much dirtier, darker, and finer-grained, packing almost like clay, which is why people can drive on the beach here.  As water washes up onshore at Lake Michigan, it sinks almost immediately through the sand.  In Washington, a thin layer of water sits right on top of the sand as the waves recede, leaving this expansive reflection.  Add to that the fact that small tide waves move so much further up the beach than waves on the Great Lakes, and I think this combination makes for a surreal scene, part seascape, part cloudscape.

Ocean Shores

We got away for a few days over Veteran's Day weekend.  A short trip to Ocean Shores, Washington.  This town hosts several kite festivals during the year.  No festivals during our visit, just a few kites flying in the wind.  This particular kite was up both days.  I wish I'd talked to the owner, barely visibly at the back of his SUV.  I wonder if he was just out for the weekend, or if he flies the kite daily.  And I wonder how big this kite measures.  When we arrived on Sunday he was just finishing up, so we got to see him packing up the kite which was quite an ordeal, folding it just so with a strong wind blowing.  I was glad when he returned on Monday so I could get a photo.