By The Ocean

I head west on 22 past fields of hay and Christmas trees and strawberries and where fat cows and pecking chickens and grazing sheep mill around. I take 18 and drive narrow, winding roads under a canopy of green that eventually open up onto 101 and the Pacific Ocean.

I’ve just come from spending three weeks under a shroud of grey where most days I met snow or sleet or rain in Prudhoe Bay where I now work. So, the soft ocean breeze carrying spray on its current making the air taste of salt, the water sparkling under the sun’s gaze and the open blue sky are a welcome change.

The coastal towns are a buzz, passerby happily greet me and the beaches are filled with fun activities. I watch as a couple of screaming, laughing boys attempt to dodge fists full of sand they throw at one another. A little girl digs a hole near the surf and climbs in as it fills with salt water. Body surfers play in the break and a man, who comes ill prepared, walks into the water fully clothed and stands there as he watches his little girl play on the beach. Kites soar, a jogger pushes a stroller, fat tire bikers peddle through the soft sand and a group of teens kick a soccer ball while another group volleys a ball back and forth. And, with flip flops in hand, I walk through the surf as I stroll the beach and smile with grateful heart for the gift of this day.