Still Walking

You don't have to be an "older person" to make excuses not to go out and exercise in chilly weather. But I promised myself six weeks ago that when the sun is out and the wind laying low, I will bundle up and walk on the beach. And so I did. I tired and chilled about three-quarters of the way along the "inside passage" -- the apparently protected, inlet side. But in fact that was the difficult walk today. The afternoon sun was nearly blinding despite my sun glasses and the wind, which wasn't a lot but a little more than enough, was in my face.

So I went up and over the low dunes through the dried grasses to the ocean side and walked with my back to the wind and sun. The edges of the water were well populated with black and white ducks and with gulls, They were my only companions; not another human was in sight. I owned the place! I could tell from prints in the sand a few dogs and their people had been and left.

A week or so ago on another low wind afternoon, I went down and found the tide higher than I had ever seen it there. I couldn't walk on the inlet side at all but had to tramp through the dried marsh grass. I suppose it was a weekend day for there were quite a few people with their dogs around. I have been learning the many moods of the seashore. It's fiercer moods I will not experience, I'll stay home warm and dry. But for now, I think the quiet seashore which has no hunters wandering around with rifles or mussel loaders -- in fact, no fishermen either -- is a safer place to walk. And truly, I feel very good for having done it.