Winter Beach

Winters in Northern California can be very different - sometimes they are mild, even quite warm; others bring multiple storms with a lot of rain; some are cold and can even include a dusting of snow (and heavy snow in the Sierras which we depend on for our summer water). This past winter we had a combination of all of these, but the stormy and rainy part certainly played a dominant role.

At the beginning of Januar, when we experienced the milder days of winter and Kaefer was still at home, she and I decided to go to the ocean and spend a few hours at Goat Rock, our favorite beach. The Russian River enters the Pacific Ocean here and the beach is like a spit of land between the two bodies of water.

Where the Russian River spills into the ocean the seals like to hang out, Not just two or three but an entire colony. They have their own "private" beach where people are not supposed to go (of course there are always idiots who ignore that), but it is close enough to watch them. I always enjoy seeing them.

 And just as we are curious about them, they are curious about us as well. This little guy was watching us closely while swimming along the shore.

Kaefer who doesn't get to the ocean that often anymore since she moved further inland clearly enjoyed this day at the beach. I simply love her goofiness.

We noticed that there were way more seagulls at the beach than usual, and they were very active, flying in a huge flock, getting back to the beach and taking off again. It was a constant come and go accompanied by the typical loud cries that these birds make.

Just a few hours at the beach - walking along the shore, looking for driftwood and shells, watching the animals, taking photos - always centers me. We are very lucky to live so close by the Pacific Ocean.