An Image and Its Story - August 2019

Oh August, where have you gone? Did you even happen?

August was busy busy busy with work. There was so much to do in the high school library that I worked a lot of extra hours and I even might work some in September. We got thousands of new textbooks that needed to be processed. Usually that is work I enjoy, but if it is too much the joy is sucked out of it. My body was exhausted every evening when I came home whereas my mind was restless and full of ideas that didn't find any outlet.

On top of this I was summoned for jury duty. It was the first time that I was actually called to court. I dreaded it since I had heard so many unpleasant stories about jury duty, but to my surprise I found these two days in the courtroom fascinating and interesting, and was disappointed that my number never got called. I would have loved to sit on this jury!

And - as it seems to be the case when I am busy anyway - I got a huge order in through my Etsy store that I hope to finish today and ship on Tuesday. Thus August was a busy month that didn't leave much opportunity to doing the things I really love - like walking around the lake and photographing which made it difficult to choose a photo for this post.

Kaefer came home for two weekends - one of them we spent hiking on a nearby mountain and the other we went to the ocean. That's where I took the photo for August.

This is our go-to beach, just off Highway 1 at the mouth of the Russian River. As you can see it was a foggy day. This is so typical for our area. Usually - since this is California - people think the sun shines all the time and it is hot, but really this is what one imagines about Southern California. However, this is Northern California, north of the Golden Gate, which is a completely different story weather wise. We're closer to the Pacific Northwest than to the heat of Southern California.

Here's a little story: two of my friends wanted to go to the beach with their kids. One has lived here all her life, the other had just moved up here from Orange County in Southern California. The NorCal woman was dressed for a cool day with windbreaker, long pants, a headband or even a warm hat. The SoCal woman was in her bikini and a thin t-shirt, ready to soak up the sun. While you're inland you might have the impression it is a hot day (which it probably is), but when you reach the ocean more often than not you realize that the weather once again fooled you. The temperature drops by 20 degrees, there can be a stiff breeze and the marine layer rolls over the beach and the cliffs. The ocean is freezing cold. Guess who of the two women was dressed appropriately?

Often we have that fog inland as well and sometimes it doesn't burn off until noon. Our nights are always cool - perfect sleep weather. This weather pattern is one of the things that I truly love about where I live. While I do appreciate clear days at the ocean - much better for whale watching - I love when the cliffs are shrouded in mist and the scenery has a mysterious quality.