BREATHE~The Baby Sibling; Ocean Park-WA

I woke up, and was "at it - to get it done"; jumped in the shower, trimmed my bangs, & scheduled a hair trim for next Wednesday, because my hair ends are looking kinds shabby and ragged … 

My left hand & arm hurts today (too much crafting lately), so to keep inflammation backed down, I used 5-lb weight Dumbbells, today.

Breathe in and out as relaxed as you can, during the workout …

And when Holland woke up and was alert enough, we drove into Long Beach to grab a couple Shrimp & fries meals, at "The Corral" Drive-In: I did a double-take and busted out laughing when I got back to the 4x and saw that the dollar bills Holland had handed me from the ATM withdrawal, sparkled with enough glitter to match my eyeglasses 😂🤣

Even my money glitters. LOL!

Hot Shrimp Supper from 'The Corral' in Long Beach-WA; you really get your money's worth of food, here - and breathe in and out quickly to cool the hot shrimp as you much and crunch 👌

Then before we came back home, we went to the beach for about an hour, since the Day was so warm & sunny - there was a little wind, but not enough to whip sand up 😊

Pelicans & seagulls covered so much beachfront 😳 and air space: they were everywhere, in extensive flocks. 

Salmon, Steelhead, Chad, Herring, and possibly Smelt were swimming close to shore … and being picked off by dive-bombing pelicans & swoop-diving seagulls - and we saw what we think was a possible gray whale, also foraging the abundant schools of fish swimming through the gentle ocean waves:

It was so peaceful at the beach today, everything and everyone was in slo-mo mood - breathing easily in and out, enjoying the sunbeams and pleasant salty breeze.

Picked over empty crab shells littered the beach, and were tangled in beached kelp & seagrass masses.

Discarded bony fish skeletons were gorged on by seagulls.

Pelicans were everywhere along the beachfront, today; Ocean Park Beach Access-WA

I could watch pelicans on the wing all day long; they are so graceful in the air.

The flocks were very large, very thick - and very dark against the blue sky as they passed by …

Herring & Smelt.

Pacific Salmon.

Pacific Steelhead.

Shad fish.

We saw a large, dark, shape breach the waves - which we figured was a whale; but it never appeared again 😒

It was still pretty warm inside Independence, so I opened the door to let the fresh air waft through the screen door - and turned the overhead fan on to circulate …

Betsy & Independence; Ocean Park-WA

This fan is surprisingly quiet & effective.

Then, I repotted my houseplants, so they can spread their roots and sprawl prettily:

I repotted the Golden Pathos Ivy … and the Baby Spider plant.

And when I logged into FB, I was informed that my baby brother has died. For a brief span of time I had to remind myself to breathe in and out in a controlled manner as I informed my husband of a man's death, who for all intents and purposes, was basically a stranger to both of us. Holland is a good man - he listened attentively and let me ramble on about childhood memories he wasn't privy to (my husband is a good man). I fielded text messages with FB Messenger & my phone. A few tears fell - not because I was overwhelmed with grief … we were basically strangers as adults … but I am sad for all the missed opportunities, and the missed possibilities. I am sad for the wife he leaves behind. I am sad because I do not think I will see him again, in the afterlife.

The Baby of my siblings has died.

He was my mother's coddled baby, all his life (he was born very premature and she pampered him - he could do no wrong, in her eyes); and I am sure they are together, again.

I just breathed, and let it be.

WHALES, PELICANS, & HOLLAND'S TUNA-EGG Recipe; Ocean Park-WA

Neither one of us fell into bed until around 5 AM this morning … I wanted to finish some more rows of my currant WIP while the pattern was fresh in my thoughts; and daybreak is usually my husband's [bedtime] anyway. When we woke up (me, around 10:45 AM - Holland around 11 AM), we drank our morning coffee's and drove to Klipsan Beach Access to watch waves.

I'm glad we did this - Elohim granted me a Bucket List wish, and we saw more than waves 😁; orca whales in the distance - about 600 feet from where we were parked, were feeding on salmon … & pelicans were trolling the beachfront, looking for an easy meal, too 😉

Being born & raised in a surfing community, and spending most of his life to date on the water; Holland spotted the whale spouts first … it took me a bit longer, but once I knew what to look for … I was seeing them everywhere - up and down the length of the immediate ocean in front of us  👏

Ocean Park Flea Market-WA

Klipsan Beach Access-WA from Ocean Park-WA; 3 min (1.8 mi) via WA-103 S Pacific Way

Watching orca whales feeding off Klipsan Beach access-WA

Holland saw the dorsal fins, so he identified the water spouts as belonging to Orca whales.

Orca whales are referred to as killer whales because of their brutal hunting tactics.

Klipsan Beach-WA; whale spouting's in the distance & circling Brown Pelicans. Great beach day!

Both views [fit] the pelican bird 😉

Holland's reference to pelicans looking like swans made me laugh, because swans are graceful in the water & beautiful to see … but he was referring to the bulk weight when they float - and in that, I am agreeable 😘

Brown Pelican's large body & a Swan's large body.

Pelicans remind me of the prehistoric Pterosaurs; but the species are not closely related. The Pterosaur was a flying lizard species … and the Pelican is a feathered bird. Different species completely, even though the resemblance is similar.

Brown Pelican; PNW & the image of a Pterodactyl; based on fossils found.

As soon as tourists arrived - and let their children wade into the surf, I asked to leave. I've already done my time doing death watch, and I have no desire to watch anyone die by attempting a swim in the Pacific Ocean: swimming in the ocean on the Long Beach Peninsula is not advised - and there are warning signs all up and down the beachfront warning of dangerous riptides. Washington's coastal beaches are alluringly beautiful … but, they are riskily dangerous 💔😪

When we got back to the Park, Holland was happy to collect the package he has been waiting for, from the Office:

The package Holland has been waiting for, arrived this afternoon; 1 more thing checked of "The List" 👏

Package collected and stashed indoors until tomorrow - Holland made his delicious tuna-egg salad, for Supper: SO GOOD!

Holland's Tuna-Egg Mix; he ate his in a bowl … I made a sandwich 😁~tuna, 4 cans albacore; 4 eggs, chopped; 1 med. tomato, sliced; 1 sm. red onion, sliced; 3 garlic cloves, pressed; 1/4 head lettuce, sliced; 1 TBSP. lemon juice; 1/2 c. bread & butter pickles, cut in 4th's; just enough mayo to hold it all together; 1 tsp. grnd Schezwan pepper; 1 tsp. grnd. Black pepper: blend well.

And now … I'm going to kick back and finish up my knitting project while watching an old movie.

With a hope & a prayer, this will be done by the end of the movie 🙏

The goal is to get this finished tonight, so I can be in bed before midnight 🤞 

COAST GUARD STATION #309; Klipsan Beach-WA~Shabbat 2024

Today was an interesting day, from start to finish ;-)

It started out with Holland telling me as we drank our morning coffee, that when we get to Yuma, he wants to attend a Messianic Fellowship there - we know where it is, and he's game to give it a "Go": this is a major breakthrough, & a true miracle :-)

After coffee hour, we drove into Long Beach; and decided to drive back down the Klipsan Beach Access on our return trip … by memory of the other day's adventure, I was guiding Holland to the side road, when he spotted the sign (a little dinky sign, for Pete's sake!).

We drove out the Klipsan Beach Access, this afternoon.

The Beach Sign is only visible as you drive towards Ocean Park, from Long Beach - that's why we always missed it; but today, we had our eyes peeled for it ;-)

What a grand adventure that split decision turned out to be!

I was glad we chose this beach to watch waves, at.

Freshly torn and beached seaweed … still right green & sparkly.

The waves were rocking & rolling - and the breeze was briny.

I could see the kites flying at Ocean Park's Access; Holland says that's a mile+ away.

Every portion of the beach has it's own appeal; rocks & seaweed, here ;-)

 Seaweed & wave tossed rocks; these are not pumice rocks - they are solid. Probably basalt.

Basalt Rock:  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basalt#:~:text=Basalt%20is%20used%20in%20construction,be%20an%20excellent%20thermal%20insulator.)

Brave souls; the water here is ice cold!

Metallica - 'Nothing Else Matters' song: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34EHhM_HS64)

Pelicans; I love watching these weird prehistoric looking birds …

Pelicans are not dinosaurs, but they do have a prehistoric appearance and have existed for a long time … though their appearance screams "Jurassic Park species!", they actually appeared in Earth's timeline after the dinosaurs became extinct: they look ancient in form because their form has not evolved as some birds, have; their appearance is as ancient as their existence. So, technically, they can be correctly classified as prehistoric.

I find them fascinating, and I always get excited when I see them ;-)

We watched them - and we watched other birds swooping and diving, on the far horizon; the gulls were being lazy.

We watched … and listened to the furious rolling waves crash on the sand directly before Betsy's tires.

We listened to Holland's choice of music; and talked about our plans for Yuma-AZ, in our prospective future.

Kelsey Hart - 'Life With You' song: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=URePUcWfFGU)

And we quickly skedaddled out of the way, when greedy waves made sudden surges & anxiously reached for us: Betsy's heavy & we don't need to be forking out towing fees ;-)

The waves were coming in, fast & furious. Holland says a 9 ft. tide tonight.

Tonight's high water will reach where those gulls sit, by suppertime, tonight; seaweed line shows this morning's  last high water mark.

Tonight's high tide surge reached 10+ ft.!

Tomorrow's high tide will be a bit lower - not much, just a tad.

Waaaay off - on the horizon, we could see a HUGE swarm of birds trolling back & forth, scouting for fish to snag.

That's what you get when you don't pay attention ;-)

The swarm flew closer; hundreds of birds.

Lynard Skynard - 'Freebird' song: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWsE5lEnd0I)

And the greedy waves reached for us a second time …

With each retreating back up, Betsy's back end is getting closer to the seaweed 'line in the sand' ;-)

Ooohh - a bright orange-billed gull! The other gulls looked very drab in comparison; I later learned that the flamboyant bird I thought was a fancy seagull, is actually a Tern: these slim, fancy looking birds are quite different than sea gulls. Terns are described as “sea swallows” or “flying scissors,” as these birds are built for maneuverability; the bulky sea gulls are referred to as "sea chickens", and ancient sailors would actually eat them as they would a regular chicken.

Common Tern: 

(https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Common_Tern/overview)

On our way home - to where Independence waited for us in Ocean Park, we passed a fenced compound that was posted as being on the Historical Registry: so, I researched it, after Supper:

This {house} is actually a historic Boat House.

'This Nest of Dangers': Frightening start: Ilwaco Beach Life-Saving Station in 1891: (https://www.chinookobserver.com/life/history/this-nest-of-dangers-frightening-start-ilwaco-beach-life-saving-station-in-1891/article_79374bec-932d-11eb-a542-839291a3ec0d.html)

This building is part of the Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station Compound, first known as the Ilwaco Beach station … and was established in 1889, to help confront a mounting toll of maritime disasters on our coast. The station is on the National Register of Historic Places. The station's name was originally Ilwaco Beach, and only later became known as Klipsan Station. The station was one of several assigned to provide protection in the area known as the Graveyard of the Pacific.

During World War I, the U.S. Navy built a radio tower so that signals could be passed to and from passing ships. By the end of World War II, the station was deemed to no longer serve a purpose, and was closed in 1947.

Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station, established 1889.

'Surfmen' rowed out to rescue shipwreck victims; before & after the Station was built; 1909. Surfmen were men who worked at life-saving stations during the time of the U.S. Life Saving Service, which later became the U.S. Coast Guard. They were often seasonal workers who were sailors, fishermen, or lobstermen during the summer. Surfmen used a variety of tools and methods to rescue people in distress, including life-saving boats and the Lyle Gun. Lyle Gun: (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lyle_gun & Rescue Men filming of the Breaches Buoy Drill: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RENMwYoI_Zw) Surfmen was the terminology used to describe members of the United States Lifesaving Service. It is also currently the highest qualification in the United States Coast Guard.

Wagon on North Beach circa 1892; before the Railroad came to Klipsan Beach . Before the construction of the railroad a wagon like this one was the only way of access to the Long Beach Peninsula.

The "Clamshell Railroad," also known at the "Railroad that Ran by the Tide," and the "Rambling Never Get There Railroad" made frequent stops at the Klipsan Beach Life Saving Station so passenger's could view shipwrecks and rescue drills.

Ilwaco Railway and Navigation Company:  (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ilwaco_Railway_and_Navigation_Company)

When the U.S. Life Saving Service joined with the Cutter Service to become the U.S. Coast Guard in 1915, this station became known as Coast Guard Station No. 309.

#309 Historic Coast Guard Station: 

(https://historicstation.com/station-history/)

Klipsan Historic Coast Guard Station is a private-owned Airhub B & B, now.

The dunes we see today, that keep the ocean waters from main street - weren't originally in place, as they are today: the unruly ocean waves literally lapped at the back end of the Life Saving Station.

W.O.W.

I can't even imagine how frightening that would have been to experience …

The Coast Guard called the Klipsan Station #309 was registered as a Historical Landmark on April 11th, 1979: https://npgallery.nps.gov/GetAsset/c84f7e47-807e-4591-86c1-1e74fe6c5d4b

I'm really glad we visited this beach, today :-)

I experienced an exciting high water rush.

I saw a pretty sea bird.

I learned a lot about the importance of the side spur beach access at Klipsan Beach - really important stuff!

And Holland wants to attend a Messianic Fellowship with me.

What an enjoyable Shabbat :-)