We've had typical Pacific Northwest weather this winter - rain, gentle misting, slanting rain with wind, sporadic downpours exiting the most beautiful, dramatic clouds, snow, and occasional sunbursts. 
We've managed to get out for some wonderful walks, one of which was a stroll along this lovely stretch of beach near Fort Worden. It was a bitterly cold afternoon on this beach, but I enjoyed the smooth round rocks and the driftwood.
This is bull kelp, the fastest growing seaweed in the world. It can grow from a tiny spore into a 200 foot long plant in one summer! By winter, the kelp are dying. Storms and waves leave them on the beach, where they appear as brown "bull whips." The decomposing kelp provides food and beach shelter for scavenging animals. By winter, the kelp are dying in the intertidal zone. 
It was just a few days before Christmas when we drove into Port Townsend, with the thought of browsing through some of the shops. All year long this historic old town has quite a few tourists. The 'Bed and Breakfasts' were full, and holiday shoppers were packed like sardines, inching along the narrow corridors inside the shops. 
It was almost too claustro -phobic for me, with the press of people, the hurrying -about. I picked up this little ornate doily and a warm wool scarf, and that was the extent of 'gifts for me' for this holiday. 
We explored Fort Worden before we headed home, and since I was filming, George and I got separated. As I wandered through the old barracks, down a dark flight of stairs, I suddenly noticed that he was nowhere to be seen - in fact I could hardly see anything at all! I spread my arms out, inched along the dark corridors, and heard the faint sounds of dripping water and the laughter of children. (That is always a comforting sound!) 
The place was intolerably spooky, a dark labyrinth of passageways and doors. Eventually I saw a bit of light, and walked toward it, then into a long series of empty rooms. I found a doorway out, walked up a hill, and noticed George. He said he'd been waiting for me. He asked me where I'd gone, and I said I took the stairs down into 'the dungeon', thinking that was where he'd gone. He replied with, " I wouldn't go down there! That's way too dark and scary!"
An old knob or ring on one of the doorways.George and I hiked the Cedar Butte Trail near North Bend on Christmas Day. This is a moderate 4 mile hike (900 ft. elevation gain) up to the summit of Cedar Butte, and we unpacked our 'Christmas dinner' while sitting on snow-covered logs. I packed a large thermos of Bouillabaisse soup, a delectible Mediterranean fish stew, to go with a couple of peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches - how's that for extremes!
Bouillabaisse is an incredibly fragrant stew, with celery, carrot and onion, garlic, leeks, scallions and black-eyed peas, fennel seeds, Italian spices, saffron, and several crushed whole Mandarin oranges in the tomato-based broth. To this I added a bit of bratwurst and five different fish and shellfish - shrimp, clams, scallops, whiting, and miniature octopus. 
I packed some of these Olive-Provolone crackers for a trail-mix, along with Mandarin oranges, tiny chocolates, and fresh strawberries. That was our Christmas dinner!
It was just beginning to snow as we descended our climb. We walked along an old gravel road, an old rail-bed, past Boxley Creek which was tumbling with the freshest coldest water, and down through the forest to the trail-head.I've pulled myself away from the computer for awhile, in an attempt to try to come to terms with my vision issues. Lately, it seems like I'm unable to read, watch TV, drive, or work on the computer without my vision 'doing a dance', cavorting in sudden leaps and starts, regardless of what I'm trying to focus on. Even on my walks, everything is double and drifting, and I have to hold a couple of fingers over one of my eyes to get a clear picture. I'll be seeing my neurologist again, for further tests. Meantime, my doctor doesn't discourage me from walking, saying "just 'take a couple of hiking poles' if you get dizzy or unbalanced." Hmmmmmm. Has he ever tried jogging downhill while judging a curb? I'm hanging in there, feeling like a one-eyed pirate.
