Pre-season days, June 5, Day 6

I was pretty sure I wouldn’t be seeing anyone today so I fixed my hair, and put on mascara and lipstick and hauled out my earrings and ring. It’s sort of the opposite of when I’m in Seattle. There, if I won’t be leaving the house for the day, I just let my hair stick up however it wants to when I get up and I don’t bother with makeup. Here, that’s the face I take out into public. I don’t really want people to think of me as a woman here. So it’s sweat pants and camo pants over long underwear, and ratty old flannel shirts or sweat shirts with hair that Pee Wee Herman would envy when I’m in public. All by myself though, I guess I felt like being a girl today.

It was a beautiful night tonight. Perfect for agate hunting. And the good thing about an off shore wind is that the cliff does a lot to block it for a person walking on the beach. It was a perfect night for finding pools of light on the beach. See the photo for evidence. The agate in that photo is now on my window sill.

A layer of clouds lined the horizon so the sun slipped down quietly, though not quickly. During the summer, the sun traces a huge arc around the sky, rising and setting maybe 45 degrees apart. And when it sets, it barely sets, just sort of scooting around just below the horizon. So for much of the night, it’s still pretty light. This photo looks out the window over the sink some time past midnight.

I don’t remember what the sun does in the winter, but I think it’s about the same, only in reverse. I think it rises, barely and sort of scoots along above the horizon (casting that beautiful low light of morning and evening all day long) and then, about 45 degrees later, drops well below the horizon for a huge arc over someone else’s part of the world.

Liz