It’s a miserable day for a beach walk. Strong, fast winds make snowflakes tumble and turn. They catch on my parka but not on Aki, who walks just under the snow flake zone.

            We keep to an old growth trail, passing several saddened fallen spruce and hemlock trees. A 19 foot high today covers the beach but leaves us a narrow lane across a small peninsula that leads to a tiny island. I came here to watch sea lions feeding or lots of waterfowl. But only a single bald eagle shows it self until I reach the very tip of the island, where several rafts of golden eye ducks swim, tucked together just off the beach.