Turn About Is Fair Play

My daughter and I have usually spent our birthdays together.  By that I mean, we haven't usually been living so far away from each other when our separate birthdays roll around.  Also, by birthDAY, I  mean several days, maybe even weeks.  We like treating ourselves for a few days.  It's not so much that we think the actual occurance of a birthday is some huge deal.  It's just another party.  Another series of parties, that is.  This year, in April when it was my birthday, she and her husband celebrated where they live by doing things I would love to have done had I been there to do it with them.  I can't even remember what I did myself up here in Anchorage.  I remember more easily what they did for me in Salt Lake City and Ogden. 

Katy's birthday is next week, so the fact that I'm traveling this week to one of her favorite places works out perfectly for me to begin the proxy birthday celebration.  It's also an anniversary of my arrival in Alaska!  Wow.  Dig it.  Can you say serendipity? (Remember?  Katy and Jon came with me and we traveled down here to Homer.) 

I have something to say about getting here...Hello?  Rainforest?

but I want to begin with going to the beach as I think that is probably the event that Katy likes--or would like--the most.  She was born and raised mostly in California's Bay Area where it was so easy to spend so much time at the beach.  Maybe I should write about that at some point.  If anything in our lives is significant, our love of the coast certainly is.

So, here it is Katy.  I drove down to the spit and parked by Captain Pattie's (where I might have dinner tomorrow night.  What would you like?  I like the artichoke dip appetizer the best there.  Halibut?  Salmon?  Scallops?  Not seafood? Oh wait.  You would probably get the fettucini, right?  Or maybe I should go to that place where we had fish and chips.  I think I like that place better, actually.) 

I walked out on the rocks for a while, the rocks that felt and sounded like slate or something.  Very flat and round and perfect for skipping.  I took these pictures for Jon, the rock-skipper extraordinaire. 

Then, I strolled along closer to the water where the tide made these crazy patterns in the sand.

 I lost myself in the sound of the ocean washing up on the shore.  Such reminiscing!  I saw a seal and tried to capture a picture of it, but it didn't work.  By the time I thought to just take a video, it quit cresting through the surface. 

I got so wrapped up in everything, I didn't notice that the tide had come up and surrounded me as I stood out on a sand bar!  I had to hurry and take my shoes and socks off and practically swim back up to the rocky shore.  See that sand bar there?  That's where I was just seconds before I took this picture. 

Good thing it's summer now, although who would really know that when the temperature is a mere 47 degrees?  However, it's been sunny all day and I think it was pretty close to perfect. 

I took these couple of pictures of people camping right down there on the spit, pretending it was you and Jon camping there.  I think you both would think THAT was pretty close to perfect. 

Do you think your little prince will be ready for camping by next summer?  Or at least ready to stay the night with his Grenny while you guys go?  He and I could do a bit of our own beach combing for treasures like these to put in the sandcastle-style birthday cake you will have already taught him how to make...oh wait, I think I'm getting ahead of myself...how old will he be by then?

Maybe we'll just kick around for some pretty green rocks...hmmm I wonder if there are pretty green rocks on the beach in Homer...

and come back to the hotel where I'm staying right now and set out some food for the birds (varieties of which are abundant here--and maybe we should come at the time of the shorebird festival...)

HAPPY GETTING READY FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY, MISS DID!!!