Seeking a Cure

Too many rainy days in a row had given me cabin fever, so this morning we drove over to Winchester Bay on the coast hoping to see some different birds. High tide and winds made large swells, and crashing waves and no birds.  Plan “B” became checking out nearby Lake Marie.  Here the coastal forest gives protection to this small lake and the circling trail called us for a walk.  We heard an Osprey cry, the chatter of Steller’s Jays, and spotted a lone Pied-bill Grebe. But then the new Salal blooms caught my attention, and next the Salmonberry blossoms dripping with water.  Memories of past spring hikes with Salal and Salmonberry along forest trails filled my mind. We took a side trail out to the sand dunes where Buster got to run wild. Our short hike earned us an appetite which we appeased by eating our lunch at a picnic bench beside the lake while a Pacific Wren sang its heart out.  My fever had dissipated; once again I was made whole.