This dark, wet summer, every sunny, warm day is joyful. It rained yesterday and will rain again tomorrow, but not today. Aki and I make an early start down a trail to Sandy Beach. The strong morning sun pierces through the thick fabric of the trail side skunk cabbage leaves.

            We listen to hidden birds, including several eagles but see none. No ducks or geese hunt the beach for food. As the tide recedes, I look for some drama. Something grabs my attention, It’s a tiny weed, growing near the top of a rotting wharf piling. A shaft of morning sunshine pierces through the weed’s green flesh.