We spent four months on Long Beach Peninsula. Our first location was Seaview for the month of December 2017. We shared a historic home with an adorable, sweet English Spaniel named Freckles and an ornery Scottish fold cat, Robby. Fold cats are so named because their ears fold forward flat, increasing the air of perpetual dissatisfaction projected.

Our first month on the West Coast was cold, gray, and rainy—but getting away from the mean cat and exploring our new ‘hood was an almost daily occurrence.

The Pacific Ocean was a few short blocks away. The “town” of Seaview held all the necessities: a post office, market, gas station, chamber of commerce, and a few staple stores. So that took five minutes.

In the car and off to see the rest of the peninsula was the activity most other days. And there were weekly trips across the bridge to Oregon for supermarkets and gas stations that didn’t require a second mortgage on your home for a fill up (and that was 2017!).

In January 2018 we moved up the peninsula to Ocean Park, a more modern home, and a far more amiable feline companion. We were even closer to the ocean, with views from the living room, sun room, and wrap-around terrace. Despite the gloomy weather most days, sunsets on the beach drew the crowds—and for good reason.

The sunset from our terrace wasn’t too bad a view, either.

Although we continued to explore the peninsula and surrounding area during our three-month stay in Ocean Park, most weekdays found me inside, wrapped in a blanket, at my laptop.

Joe was working, too…doing what he loved best: wandering around, finding beauty in things most of us overlook, and using his camera to show us what our eyes missed.

Nothing deterred Joe. Certainly not weather. Not only did he go out daily for his trip to the gym, most afternoons he tried to catch sunset light at one of the peninsula’s many water views or just plain interesting stuff that only he sees. These are only a few of those highlights.

I’m working on a photo page for the many images that don’t make this email series as a thank-you bonus for paid subscribers, and I’ll send out the link when it’s ready.

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Next week, I’ll close this series with the story of what happened the day I asked Joe, “What if—”

ICYMI, here are links to previous installments of the Winter in the Pacfic Northwest series:

Part 1: Long Beach Peninsula, WA

Part 2: Seaside, Cannon Beach, and Astoria, Oregon

Until next time… My best, Shelley

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