Getting it done early.
O is for Ocean.
Ocean? The Pacific, that is. The cold one, at least up north, where I live.
You can survive, if you are swept away, due to the cold (from just below 40 degrees F to 50 degrees F) for only up to half hour, if you're lucky.
Lots of people end up dead in the ocean off Oregon. Many are young people, who climb dangerous rocks right over the water, fall in, drown or succumb to the cold. Others are commercial or sport fisher people, whose boats overturn.
I feel alive, when I visit the coast. I come down the coast range, roll down my windows and smell for the salt in the air. I grew up near the southern Oregon coast. We visited the beach almost every weekend. We grew up climbing the huge boulders to the end of the jetty and letting waves break over us. I doubt that is smiled upon in these safety first days we live in.
If you are so inclined, you can exist on seafood, if you are poor especially, and live on the coast. You can get a shellfish license on the cheap, and throw your crab pot from a dock, pier or the shore, and get Red Rock and Dungeness crab. You can also dig clams up and down the coast. You can buy the fancy clam guns, to get them, or go old school, and use a narrow blade shovel.
Many people just walk the beaches or search for treasures thrown ashore by the wild waves. Some build sand castles while others watch shore birds. Others still fish from the sand, casting lines into the surf.
Some people surf. But, you need a wet suit to surf in Oregon. A nice thick one.
I took these photos at Sunset Bay, down just south of Coos Bay on the coast. The cove is small, has a picnic area and a campground. I would hang out there when I took cats to an affordable Coos Bay clinic to be fixed.
Warning: Non Ocean Themed Content!!!!
Saturday I took the teen boy from the trailer park to Heartland. I was calling him Bingo, but last minute, during intake there, we changed his name to Benji. He's a bit shy, but a real love and I hope he gets a home. Here's a video I made really quickly just before taking him over, when I was still calling him Bingo.
He needs someone patient and kind, who wants a little kitty who loves to be cuddled and wants reassurance.
O is for Ocean!
I can hardly wait to visit the Atlantic coastline soon! And what a doll of a kitty. Best wishes on him finding a forever home.
ReplyDeleteAwakening Dreams and Conquering Nightmares with a Pen
Blessings to you and yours, my dear.
When will you be going, Darla, and what part of the coast will you see? I've always wanted to visit the N. Carolina coast and outer banks.
DeleteI grew up in the mountains/hills and am much more comfortable there than near the ocean. However, I do understand the appeal. I especially like your picture of the big wave.
ReplyDeleteI live in the valley now, have for decades now, between the Coast Range and the Cascades, the flatlands! I like the mountains better too. I would not want to live on the coast again, but from the valley, one can go to the mountains or the coast.
DeleteThe Atlantic always sounds cold and rough to me, whereas the Pacific, calm and warm, which is rather the reverse of what you say. I don't like being too far away from the sea, even if I don't visit it often.
ReplyDeleteI love the ocean and don't see it often enough. Several hours drive away.
ReplyDeleteI do hope that Bingo/Benji finds a loving home. He is a charmer.