Sea Ranch- Day 1- The Beach

A few months ago a friend asked if we wanted to join their family for a weekend up at Sea Ranch towards summer's end. I jumped at the opportunity. I had long wanted to check out this supposed beautiful area of Pacific Coast and the idea of spending time with our friends Alisa, Steve and 3 year old Justin, was too good to pass up. That the weekend fell on Don's birthday was, well icing on the cake (I couldn't help writing that!)

I didn't tell my family where we were going or with whom. I just said I another another surprise trip planned. After several successful surprise trips behind us (the Claremont, Yosemite), I knew that the element of surprise would make it all the more exciting. No one knew our destination until we got in the car and I put the address for Sea Ranch in the GPS.

For those of us who live on the West Coast, we know that fog and cold usually are the daily weather of the Pacific Coastline. But we got lucky on our short holiday with warm, clear and sunny days. Which made for great early morning hikes, a canoe trip and dinner outside. We also found some blackberry bushes that were so ripe that we had to stop and pick some them.

The rugged, primal land and sea that make up the coast is stunning. I was in awe of the magnificence of the Divine's handiwork. The morning light that bounced off sea and rock was dazzling. I was reminded once again how crucial being in the natural world is to my being, to our all our beings.  Life is quieter; I felt more present; without the distractions of the mundane world remembering oneself is effortless, breathing deeply comes naturally and everything just feels calmer, balanced and connected.

Here are photos of our first morning; a hike down to the beach. We were even graced by a family of seals frolicking just a few feet from shore.

View from living room.