rain, wind, wood, sand...

"...And walking on the beach all alone, I heard the waves breaking in measured thunder." - Sara Teasdale

Usually, during our annual sojourn to Shangri-La, it's hot and sunny; almost never rains. However, on this trip, each day was marked by gloriously moody weather. On any given day, often in the span of a few hours, the weather morphed from summer-sun drenched-perfect to inclement, overcast, rain and wind - then back again; and always accompanied by an especially cold and choppy lake.

"Sunny day. Sweeping the clouds away...to where the air is sweet!" - Joe Raposo (1969)

Mr. G, the kids and I reveled in the sunny parts of our days. But, understandably, the inclement weather drove the kids inside (where we spent great family time over Uno and Monopoly). Better yet, it drove most of the residents in our tiny beach community inside too; leaving the beach beautifully empty and most tempting to those willing to venture. Everything: the light (indoors and out), air pressure, wind, and general vibe, felt different - moodily magical. You know me, I grabbed my camera... 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"And it make me feel moody...Can make you feel high, feel low. Feeling, feel like, like this." 

- ESG (Emerald, Sapphire, Gold - 1983) 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"The three great elemental sounds in nature are 

the sound of the rain, the sound of the wind in a primeval wood, 

and the sound of...a beach" - Henry Beston

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Our last day was especially inclement, requiring me to wear clothes, for the first time in my 30+ years of wandering this particular stretch of beach. We walked through a vibrant quiet green wood, down the steps to our beach, to find the overnight thunderstorm had swept the beach clean, leaving behind firm powder soft sand. Mr. G, Coco and I walked 5 miles and didn't encounter another soul. Waves crashed so strong and loud, it felt like an ocean's caress. The constant breeze was so sweet and the water was so warm! As always, my too short time in Shangri-La, in the simplest most elemental ways,  rested and restored my body and soul to return to the material world. Rain, wind, wood, sand.

Vivre, Rire, Aimer!

Temple