Late Sunday morning the sunshine streamed into the house, warming the living room, casting sharp shadows. It was just too beautiful to stay indoors. We packed up a quick lunch - crackers, cheese, pickles, cucumbers and red pepper strips, plus sliced apples and chocolate. We made a thermos of hot tea and off we went to French Beach, along the Strait of Juan de Fuca.
The sunshine was mostly obscured by light fog and the wind off the water made us very glad for scarves and jackets and gloves.
Our thermos of tea was most welcome, too. The thermos is old - Tim bought it in high school, but it's sturdy and works well, and accompanies us on most outings.
Along with a first aid kit, two small rectangles cut from an old blue camping sleeping mat are permanent residents in Tim's backpack. We placed them on one of the many driftwood logs tossed up onto the shore and sat ourselves down, protected from the damp cold. Comfort!Our lunchtime entertainment was the spectacle of two gulls perched on a log in the heaving water. I almost got seasick watching them. Up and down they went. Sometimes the log disappeared entirely and sometimes the birds themselves were hidden by waves. Up and down, up and down. They drifted closer and closer to shore and finally alighted from the log just before it came ashore onto the rocky beach.
The woods are wet after all the rain we've had, with many muddy sections on the trail. My eye was caught by the tiny crystal beads clinging to the delicate ferns.
The beach was strewn with logs of all sizes, tangles of kelp and seaweed. This clutch of small rocks nestled in a driftwood log was placed there by the waves, perhaps for safekeeping.
On our way home we stopped at a place new to us - Sheringham Point Lighthouse. It's been deemed surplus by the government and was destined for demolition until a group of concerned citizens took it on as a preservation project. There is a small park and a short looping trail, as well as a trail down to the lighthouse. A wild and beautiful spot. The lighthouse keeper's house was demolished, but a volunteer told us that they have the original plans and hope to rebuild a replica one day.
We arrived home not too long before dark, tired and oh, so happy for our hours in the outdoors.
28 comments:
What a lovely outing for the weekend: beaches are always interesting and entertaining. The seagulls are funny, just having a ride in the surf. And the old thermos is beautiful, much better than our new plastic one! Glad you could get out in the fresh air for a while.
Perfect Monday morning reading, good for the soul. Thank you. Our flask broke sometime ago but it really is time I replaced it for outings like yours. Have a good week. B x
That sounds like so much fun! And the lighthouse is beautiful...glad it's still there. It's nice to be spontaneous...the older you get the less you want to break from routine but it makes the outing more exciting for some reason. Yours looks romantic...sharing the tea and a spot to sit together! Hugs!
Spontaneity is always a good thing! How lovely to be outdoors and enjoy the beauty.
It sounds like the picnic and day were perfect! You have such beautiful surroundings!
Good morning, Lorrie. You live in such a gorgeous part of our world. I always enjoy your outing photos. I enjoy tagging along.
Have a wonderful day and week. We have snow today, so it is soup for dinner and I am beginning a new book.
Oh you two were well prepared. I have been sort of winging it outside. We usually walk or hike in the snowy woods. Then I come home and get lost feeding bird feeders and the like. I truly am happier at home, but I think COVID is making this worse. I have to force myself outside. Given the option: I'd knit all day.
Sounds like a wonderful outing and so good to be out and about. The sturdy thermos a welcome drink from the cold and fun to watch those gulls on a log. How content we are these days with nature to entertain us.
I envy you time out on the beach with a picnic. It looks like heaven. It would be for me too.
Dear Lorrie,
You have the best of two worlds. I love that you take advantage of your beautiful surroundings.
Sounds like a lovely escape...a picnic on the beach with nature at your side.
Perfect in every way!
That sounds like the perfect way to spend the afternoon.
A lovely outing, Lorrie, just right for refreshing body and soul.
The flask made me smile, as i remember my mum having a similar one which always went on picnics!
What a lovely day out! I know I would love to examine the shoreline there as the rocks looked so colorful in your photos and I would probably want to collect some. I also like to see lighthouses as they seem so romantic in an old fashioned to me.
I love to read about the adventures that you and Tim take. It’s always good to enjoy the outdoors and be together.
Thanks for taking us along, Lorrie.
I'm impressed by the longevity of your husband's thermos...it's older than your kids?!?
What a lovely outing!! I made a mental note to find something similar to Tim's waterproof squares and keep them in the truck because most places you'd want to sit are damp. Our Thermos is much the same vintage as yours I think.
Wasn't today's sunshine wonderful?
Wonderful outing, and the lighthouse is a great duscovery.
Hooray for answering the call of the outdoors! What a beautiful day you spent together! I loved seeing your photographs . . . your artist's eye always delights!
Your old thermos made me smile. Ron has a similar one that he picked up at a yard sale, probably forty-ish years ago. It has R-O-N etched in the cup, so it literally had his name on it.
Lorrie - that "vintage" thermos sure has seen some adventures! I smiled at your description of the rectangles you sit on. We carry our "sit-upons" on every hiking trip, and they likewise were cut from a yoga mat! Lovely picture of the moss. Enjoy the rest of your week, and hoping more sunshine comes your way.
My Dear has a similar thermos from his days working with his father in his youth. Those mugs are a great pairing for the thermos. Glad you could get out and enjoy the wild for a time! Pretty photos.
What a lovely Sunday and beautiful photos! Long live Tim’s thermos!
You had a cozy picnic outdoors - a perfect way to spend a beautiful Sunday afternoon. Here it is too cold for such outings, but this January has been very beautiful - snow, more snow, yet sun too.
Hey dear! Loved your post and allready followed your blog, i want invite you to visit and follow my blog back <3
I love camping and also great photos omg such a beautiful place <3
www.pimentamaisdoce.blogspot.com
If Tim's old thermos could talk, can you imagine the adventures it would tell. I love that it is still working and being used. Those are the treasures that are passed on through family members . . . the things that are priceless that no one but those close to you would understand. Thanks for allowing us to tag along on your outing.
God bless you, sweet friend.
This is a bracing post -- ahhh, breathe deeply... I didn't read it until I had got home from my out beach outing, much less blustery. I resolved to find a little backpack at the thrift store before my next outing, to carry pieces of driftwood or shells that I find, and maybe -- a little piece of old sleeping mat! What a great idea.
I love that kind of spontaneity and being able to do just that! We have such great places to visit here on the West Coast. The old thermos is a keeper!
Dear Lorrie,
As a young girl I knew of a secret spot, an abandoned graveyard, which always had Snowdrops blooming before they could be seen in gardens. When I see my little group of Snowdrops I'm reminded of happy childhood days.
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