It was a calm, grey morning when we headed out to Beacon Hill Park. Cindy needed a dozen eggs for some cookies and we figured we would make an adventure of it. So through the park we went, noticing all the rhododendrons in bud and some of the trees budding out too. It's remarkable, but we'll have some early blooms within the next two weeks, for sure. We could also have snow, so who really knows these days.
There were a few folks out feeding the ducks. One young family had the toddlers out feeding so many ducks that one stumble (or a bullying seagull) might see a child taken off to be raised by the mallards. Thankfully (or regretfully) there were no major incidents. But there sure were a lot of ducks.
As we made our way to Dallas Road, we spotted a bald eagle, perched on top of the World's Tallest Totem Pole. Just sitting there like he owned the place. Lions may be king of the jungle, but eagles are the kings of the northwest forest, for sure. He was awesome, but so high up that we only saw his brilliant white head and tail from a few angles.
The wind was calmer than the past few days so we walked around Clover Point and saw a fascinating bit of optics. The sky had cleared off to the south so the Washington side was bathed in bright sunlight. Usually the towns over there are covered in mist, but we could see them clearly, like they were 80% closer than usual, with the sunshine glinting off roofs and windows well up the hillsides. The Coho Ferry was making its way across to Port Angeles and it was so clear it seemed we could watch it dock and people get out. Impossible, I know, but it felt that way.
The tide shifted from Christmas Eve too, so the sea was full of floating logs. All the logs that were thrown up on the beaches were now back in the water, heading to the US or Japan, or just taking a breather before they crash back up on our shores. As we made our way to Ross Bay, we could see the beach again, but also the high water mark of the latest storm. Three days ago, the seawall sidewalk was clear, but today it was full of bark and sticks and rocks and even some larger logs, at least thirty feet from the current shoreline and 10 feet above the water level. We really must hike out on a stormy day and see all this power in the moment.