The Tropic of Florence

On Monday, the land of Eugene was sparkling under a spectacular layer of frost. Ooo, it was beautiful but COLD. It’s always that way – the clear, sunny winter days are coldest, at least in that sharp, intense way. When it’s overcast, it’s less cold, meaning nothing is actually frozen. (But, it still feels cold in a damp, penetrating way…)

Midway through the morning, BN realized that the UO had no classes due to Martin Luther King Jr day. I realized my work load was light. We decided to try our luck at the coast, since the day was clear.

We drove to a beach-access trail a bit south of Florence. We put on our jackets and grabbed our lunch bag and picnic blanket. A couple miles of walking later, we were uncomfortably warm in our coats and still hadn’t arrived at the beach. Whew! It felt like we’d traveled to a different state, in a different season.

When we finally arrived at the shoreline, we stripped off the jackets, hats, and sweatshirts and devoured our PBJ’s. It was 20 degrees warmer than in Eugene, with hardly any wind. It was the clearest day at the coast I’d had in awhile, and absolutely gorgeous!

BN got busy planting driftwood logs upright in the sand. I looked around at the natural works of art – this mixed-media piece was created by the wind. (Click the images to see bigger.)

After awhile we moved on to find a bigger branch. BN utilized all the nearby driftwood, levering and propping the “tree” further and further towards vertical. I mostly just watched, though I helped a bit at the end. I couldn’t help thinking how much it reminded me of The Sea Wolf by Jack London, which I read earlier this month… Humphrey, the ex-landlubber, working with the help of his sweetheart Maud to re-erect the mast of the marooned ship.

Success!

Just in time for the sunset.