David, Theo, Ruby & Aunt Jackie At Ocean Shores

The Skagit Valley's Linda Lou called today whilst I was checking out at Walmart, buying bread making supplies, and during the course of the conversation Linda Lou asked if Arizona's Aunt Jackie was still in Washington.

I answered that I did not know for sure, that the last I heard Aunt Jackie was going to spend several days this week at Ocean Shores.

And then a few hours later a text message arrived from David, Theo & Ruby's Mama Michele with three photos along with text saying something like "I'd ask where in the PNW they are, but I think you were already told!"

The water of the Pacific Ocean at Ocean Shores, or anywhere on the Washington coast, is cold, even in summer. Though in summer the water does warm up a bit and one can do a quick dip and wave dodge. And people do do that surfing thing like one does in Southern California. Or Hawaii. But whilst wearing a wetsuit so as to keep warm.

I do not know if those are wetsuits Ruby and Theo are wearing above, so as to keep warm during a quick dip in the cold Pacific.

When I was a kid, about the age of David, maybe a little older, one summer we were at Ocean Shores and there was a fad of people sand surfing on big round disks. Sliding along on the wet sand freshly coated by incoming waves.

Us kids thought that looked fun, so when we got back home dad made my little brother and me big round sand surfing disks. I recollect returning to Ocean Shores and trying to sand surf. I do not recollect how successful we were at it.

Above we see the aforementioned Aunt Jackie, still in Washington, with bare footed Ruby, David and Theo. It looks like Theo has found himself a kelp whip.

Way back when I was a kid one could find a lot of sand dollars on the Ocean Shores beach. And sometimes Japanese fishnet glass floats. I doubt Japanese fishermen still use those type floats, and so they no longer wash up on Washington beaches.

Yup, that definitely is a kelp whip Theo is holding. It looks like David may have one too.

As you can see, the beach at Ocean Shores is wide and flat. You can drive on the beach, within precise parameters. As in you can not drive out as far as the clam beds, unless you want to incur a large fine. In summer the traffic on this beach is quite busy. Miles and miles of vehicles driving back and forth. You can see some vehicle tracks behind the kids.

During a low tide, in clam digging season, behind David, Theo and Ruby you would be seeing throngs of people digging for razor clams. As in thousands of clam diggers. It is quite a spectacle.

Mom and dad, and I think Mama Michele, were razor clam digging the Sunday morning Mt. St. Helens blew up. This created quite a panic scene as it became known what had caused the big boom. Ocean Shores is closer to Mt. St. Helens than my Mount Vernon location, where I was in a bath tub when I heard three concussive booms that seemed like nothing I had heard before.

If I make it to Washington this summer it sure would be a mighty fine thing to visit Ocean Shores. My cousin Linda now lives there...

Aunt Jackie With David, Theo & Ruby Before Seeing Some Ocean Shores

Yesterday, whilst mentioning David, Theo & Ruby's First Good Friday Easter Bunny Visit, I also mentioned that David, Theo & Ruby's Aunt Jackie was currently in Washington and that I had not yet heard if Aunt Jackie had seen the Tacoma Trio and their parental units.

Later that same day a text message with a photo arrived, from Aunt Jackie, confirming she has seen the Tacoma Trio, with the photo above documenting that fact.

Apparently, for the coming few days, Aunt Jackie will be staying at Ocean Shores. I assume with the Tacoma Trio, their parental units, and others. 

If I remember right, the last time I was at Ocean Shores was in August of 2004. Previous to that 2004 Ocean Shores visit it would have been some time in August of 2001 I was last at one of my favorite locations in Washington. I had driven to Washington, from Texas, for mom and dad's 50th anniversary party. A couple days after that dad drove myself and mom to Ocean Shores, where Aunt Jackie, her first husband Jack, and several others were staying at a ocean front hotel.

I recollect that being a fun visit to Ocean Shores. Who could have known, at the time, that this would be the last time I would ever go to Ocean Shores with mom and dad. Growing up in Washington, going to Ocean Shores happened frequently.

Let me see if I can find a photo of that 2001 visit to Ocean Shores...

Now that took way too long to find.

That is the Pacific Ocean behind dad and mom. This is at the south end of Ocean Shores. To dad's right, out of the photo's view, is a big barrier of giant rocks at the entry to Grays Harbor. When I was at this location in 2004 we spent a few minutes watching whales blowing off steam.

At this same location, many years earlier, I was here with David, Theo & Ruby's Mama Michele.

Michele was 4 or 5 years old. It was a Sunday. There were a lot of people on the beach. Suddenly a rogue wave rolled in. I had never experienced such a thing before. People further out began to run away from the wave. Soon I realized I needed to run too. I picked up Michele and made it to a big driftwood, got up on it, but the wave still knocked us over, getting us soaking wet.

I had some explaining to do when we returned to mom and dad.

Here's another photo from that same day. With the aforementioned Aunt Jackie, and first husband, Jack, sitting on that also aforementioned big barrier of giant rocks...

I do not see scenes such as you see above at my current location. 

It is beginning to look ever more bleak the prospect that I will be seeing this type scenery in a few months. I hope I am wrong about this...

David, Theo & Ruby On Harstine Island With Deer & Aunt Jackie

Last night multiple photos of Aunt Jackie's visit to Harstine Island arrived via email.

Aunt Jackie's birthday was two days before Valentine's Day.

If I am remembering correctly, last summer I was told that my one and only niece, Ruby, had opted to take a summer school culinary class.

And then a couple months ago I was told that Ruby had told Aunt Jackie that if Aunt Jackie visited Washington during Aunt Jackie's birthday's time frame that Ruby would bake Aunt Jackie a birthday cake.

So, I am assuming that that is Ruby's birthday cake on which Aunt Jackie is trying to blow out the candles. Does each candle represent a decade? I do not know.  I do know for certain the candle blowing took place in David, Theo and Ruby's Harstine Island cabin.

Aunt Jackie with the Tacoma trio on the Harstine cabin's deck. That is not some sort of photoshopped backdrop in the background. That is what much of Western Washington looks like. One of the reasons the state's nickname is the Evergreen State.

No text explained what we are seeing above. I am guessing that Theo is controlling, remotely, a boat.

Or an electronic shark.

Harstine Island is a real island, surrounded by real water of the saltwater sort. Which would indicate the dock Theo is standing on is in Puget Sound.

Above we see Theo, outside the cabin, leading the intrepid trio to a confrontation with a deer herd. I suspect deer living on an island are used to friendly encounters with island dwellers.

I am looking forward to my first visit to Harstine Island, this coming summer.

So far Ruby has not said she will bake me a birthday cake...