Holli took me to Alki Beach today, during which we took pictures and found kawaii shells.

Yes, I’m an anime fan. How could you tell?

Alki Beach Pictures

The bit mountains were stuck behind the clouds, but the clouds made up for it by being awesome.

Top to bottom, left to right: half of a crab shell, a cool rock, a shell that looks like it has the flattened remains of barnacles on it, and a wee shell that’s so adorable it required stroking. Underneath: Holli’s hand.

Father and son crab shells contemplate the meaning of life after death.

“You would be king of everything the light touches, but we’re dead, son.”
“That sucks, Dad.”
“I know, son, I know.”

Red and green seaweed dried together and looking ready to crawl away.

The only good shot of the ferry I got this whole weekend.

The west coast Statue of Liberty.

The Seattle skyline.

Alki Beach Thoughts

The ocean remains one of my favourite things. I love walking in sand, hearing the lapping waves, smelling the sweet salt. I love the weird remnants of sea life that wash up on the shore, and the lines of dried seaweed to tell you where the tide comes in.

We walked by kids playing in the sand, a couple people dumping ashes from urns into the ocean (one person had put yellow flowers of some kind onto the water and they floated over top of the ashes as they dispersed), and a brass band of high schoolers playing by the beach to earn money for college (the last line of their sign read #collegedebtbrassband and they were actually pretty good).

I wondered what the seaweed tasted like, and if it was edible. I wondered how long it had been since the cremation of the people whose ashes are now carried by the Pacific Ocean, and how far their loved ones had gone to get to this beach. I wondered what kind of flowers those were. I wondered what it will be like to see the real Statue of Liberty. I wondered what it would be like to swim in that ocean and shivered internally at the thought of that seaweed rubbing against my legs.

I found a few shells I decided not to point out or pick up because I wasn’t sure what to do with the ones I already had.

I fell in love with the ocean again, just like every time I visit it, and I hope it will make it into one of my stories someday as more than just a setting detail. Mermaids come to mind. Seattle mermaids? I can imagine them rolling impatient eyes as people ask, yet again, if they’re anything like the Starbucks siren.

Probably not Seattle mermaids, but it’s a fun mental image. I’d be curious to see what would happen if someone went with it.

Many thoughts, many impressions.

One beach.

One ocean.