Worth a visit

Eureka books

We don’t exactly have a lot of all purpose book stores here in Sequim. Mind you there are places to buy new and used books. But I was pretty taken with Eureka Books in Eureka, California’s “Old Town.” Bright and high-ceilinged, it was a very satisfying place to browse.

Eureka books2

I could have come away with quite a few volumes but I satisfied myself with one book that I’d been casually looking for over the last two years, “Karsh,” a book of stunning photographs by Yousuf Karsh, an outrageously good portraitist.

By-the-Wind-Sailor

Velella velella

Have you ever seen velella velella? They’re a relative of jellyfish that is usually found in the open ocean but over the last couple of months shifting winds have blown them ashore on the West Coast. It happens from time to time and the result is a pavement of little dying animals at the ocean’s shore. I found these in California.

Velella velella closeup

They’re also called “by-the-wind sailors” because they have little sails that propel them across the ocean surface. Each one is a couple of inches across and somewhat oval in shape.

Trinidad beach

Trinidad beach 1

We stayed in a little town on California’s northern coast, Trinidad. If you sorta kinda know California geography it’s north of Eureka and Arcata and south of Crescent City. We went to explore the area with our friend Marie who, like DH, is a mariner through and through. So we spent a lot of time near water.

Trinidad beach 2

The two shots here are the beach at Trinidad. DH and Marie, above, are deep in conversation about boats, fishing, access to water, fishing, fish, or the best boat for Marie. Those were favored topics of our visit, alternating with occasional discussions about our next meal.