Lunch

Incoming

 We've been waiting for an afternoon like this for so long that I just had to get out.

Today as I hit the beach I could tell immediately that the tide was headed in and that I didn't have much time left if I wanted to walk the rocks.
By the time I turned around, the seawater had taken over:

 
Artists love lines, no matter how they are made:

Tee-Shirt Weather

Sixty degrees and sunny.  I wore my Tee-shirt even though the North wind was stiff and cold.  I love posting the beach scenes, but I am always excited to be able to put up something different.  These beach walks are a crap shoot.  Sometimes you find something interesting and other times it's nothing more than waves and sand.

Saturday, March 19

March 17, 2011

March 16, 2011

Crazy

Whenever life gets crazy.  Whenever I get crazy.  All I have to do is go down to the beach and sit in the wind.

 

Too cold!

Went down to the beach this afternoon for a long walk in the North wind.  After a few blocks it felt like the windchill was in the teens.  I knew I couldn't make it very far, so I turned around and went into Tully's for a hot coffee.  Then headed west and around the Point to the south beach which was protected and in the sun.  Sat on a rock and talked on the phone to my girlfriend in Boston (since 4th grade!) for nearly an hour. Oooooo......I'm so spoiled.

Fabulous Afternoon!

I normally don't spend an entire Saturday afternoon at the beach, but I couldn't resist today.  Such gorgeous sunshine, wild wind and awesome white caps!  I thrive on wild wind and water.  The South side of Alki Point was warm and calm (lowest photo).  All the wild action was on the North side of the Point.  My understanding is that the wind was shooting straight down from Canada's Fraser River Valley.

So great to get out

Wow!  What a beautiful afternoon to get down to the beach.  Sunny skies, a cold wind. Wish I could have stayed out longer.

Beautiful Day Today

Trying to crank up the blog again after a break setting up my new studio. So nice to get out in the fresh air this afternoon at the beach.  Lots of sun and wind.  The Best.  I'm so lucky.

 

This one is from a few weeks ago when the leaves were coming down:

Windy Walk

Saturday Morning Sunrise

We get the most beautiful sunrises this time of year. There is a reward for beginning our walks in the dark.

Yesterday was a gorgeous day in Alki. Brilliant blue skies against the bright white snow. A cold, cold wind blowing. Everyone is still in a daze trying to cope with the snow that has now been on the ground for too long. After shoveling out a makeshift pathway, I escaped the house and went for a walk. Here is some of what I saw.

Looking west from near Constellation Park on Beach Drive.


Looking west on Admiral from 59th SW

More Snow

My two feet - Winter Style


Snow Lady

Wow, did we get hit with snow again here in Alki. I shoveled the walk early this am, but it has all filled in. Need to go out again. After that, I slogged along the beach, went over to Tully's for coffee, and then hiked around the Point. I stopped for more (hot) coffee and a chat at a friend's house. Then I hiked allllllll the waaayyyyy up the Orleans Street Hill. That's some good exercise. All in all I think I was out for about three hours. Had a wonderful time.




Orleans Street Hill


Alki Beach Shoreline

Snow Days

Snow Tyranosaurus

Even though the snow can be a pain, it is always exciting. It seems as if everyone's routine life is thrown up into the air and we all run around like chickens with our heads cut off. Fun!

How many times did we nag our teenage son to be careful on the roads last night? He made the smart move and didn't even drive home. Don't know if he will even be able to get home today. It's OUR car!

I got out for a walk around 8 this am. I bagged the 5 miler and did just a quick walk down the beach and back. I carried my Sunday New York Times in my backpack, snapped a few photos and headed for Tully's for a grande latte. I sat around and read the paper there for about an hour. Heading back, I didn't want to cross Admiral Way again (too dangerous for pedestrians); so I detoured around Alki Point and along the south beach toward home. The icy conditions really made for slow walking. It was frustrating to have to focus on my footing instead of the beautiful scenery.

Got home and shoveled the sidewalk. So proud of myself that we were prepared with a snow shovel and sidewalk salt.

Maybe I will get out for another walk later this afternoon. Fortunately, I don't feel like I have cabin fever.


We've had a beautiful full moon this week. It's on its way out now.


Snow Person (and friends)

Waiting for the Storm

"They" have been predicting stormy cold weather for a week now. I'm not looking forward to it only because I hate to drive in icy conditions. There was a bit of sun this afternoon. I tried to catch it on a quick walk but clouds were already moving in. Probably not THE storm. But a sign of things to come.

I wrapped up our outdoor faucets today. Have you done that yet?






This was our view of the sunrise last Saturday morning about 7:30.

Lookie-Loo's (sp?)

Everyone was looking at the full moon this morning. And the mountains. And the water. And the sunrise. It doesn't often get more breathtaking than this. Since I didn't have a great camera with me, I decided to take photos of the people taking photos. The good shots are up on the West Seattle Blog and the Beach Drive Blog.




Even the TV trucks were down here.

Happy New Year - 2008

Better late than never. These photos were taken during my walk on New Year's Day.


Imagine how excited these kids were as they watched the Harley's pass by. I bet they couldn't wait until they were old enough to trade those tricycles in for motorcycles.


I love to swim laps, but this is ridiculous. I thought the New Year's Day Polar Bears just ran into the Sound and then ran out. So who were these guys swimming from Duwamish Head down to Alki Beach? And there wasn't a "safety" rowboat in sight in case someone got a cramp. Way too macho in my humble opinion.

Tree Full of Robins

One thing I really miss during the winter months is the sound of exuberantly singing birds. I always note the coming of Spring when I hear the happy chirping of birds welcoming the sunrise.

So imagine my surprise when I discovered that this perfectly normal looking winter tree was actually full of noisy robins. I think they were having some kind of party and they didn't like me hanging around. So I left.

Winter is Upon Us!

Seen on the Avenue of the Stars on the Beach Drive beach south of Alki Point

The shortest day of the year is right around the corner. The Winter Solstice occurs this Friday, December 21st. Then we will begin the new cycle of lengthening days. On the one hand, there is relief that the worst of the dark days will be behind us. On the other is the knowledge that we still have a season of cold weather ahead.

Today is rainy and stormy - and that is all right. I love all that water in the air. The Wall Street Journal published an article about SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) yesterday. It said that walking by, in or around water is the latest therapy for the Winter Blues. Technically, the scientists call it "negative air ionization" therapy. Well, I could have told them that. I have been using that therapy all year and haven't been depressed one bit.

Happy Winter Solstice!

Carpe Diem

Well, the fact that there is now a new park bench installed right in front of my favorite sitting rock means I have lost a lot of my privacy. When there were only rocks to sit on, I didn't have much company. Now, however, I have often been forced to move on and find my solitude elsewhere.

In spite of that, I really like the plaque embedded in front of the bench. I'm not sure I understood the significance of "Carpe Diem" ("seize the day") until I saw the Dead Poets Society last night. Yes, I am behind in my movies.

Here is the quote by Henry David Thoreau read before each meeting of the Dead Poets Society: "I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, discover that I had not lived … I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms..." (Walden, 1854). Thank you to Wikipedia for the quote.

You now know the location of my rock. But there are so many similar rocks there, you will never know exactly which one I sit on.

Rainy Days

My little Alki neighborhood had over 5 inches of rain on Monday. I confess, I didn't go out for a walk. We got rain again today. Which is ok with me. I rather have this than a drought.


You know I love the winter Tangles that are exposed when the leaves fall off the tree branches. The rainy landscape was so dark this morning that I couldn't take this photo without the autmoatic flash on my camera activating.

Sunday Churchgoer

I still go to "church" on Sundays. It's just a different denomination than the one I attended when I was a kid.