The temperature of this cloudy day was about 10 ºC. My hands carrying a monopod were shivered with cold, so I even thought I should go back to my car to pick up my leather gloves. But, I didn't hope the weather to be sunny because I like this dull air which is special to Northwest. It makes me realize that I'm away from town. Using the stove, I warm the cheap whisky that I brought for disinfecting. Then, I sipped the whisky with a sharp alcoholic scent covering the cup with my palms. This relaxing time is something I cannot enjoy in the city.

Some areas have mist and they look mysterious. There were many people enjoying flying a kite taking advantage of the strong wind from the sea. I found a Dungeness crab washed ashore being flipped over in the shallow at ebb tide. I hadn't obtained the catching license for crabs this year, but it was big enough on the rule and it was just left... my excuses have been formulated to make a miso soup of the crab. I only washed it with the seawater, but it tasted miraculously great because of the perfect combination between the minerals and the miso that expired about 2 years ago. I heated it by burning the driftwood pricking my eyes with the smoke. I'm sure I'll win the 1st prize in the miso soup section of the cooking contest.

The ocean started to darken and roll under the thick clouds. Then, it suddenly became silver probably because the splash was being carried by the wind. At that moment, pelicans came flying in lines and dived into the water between the waves as if they were dancing. I don't know if they are doing some sport activities, or if they are hunting for small fish, but it's amazing that they keep the line. Although my camera and lens got wet with the splash, I couldn't move my eye from the viewfinder. I shivered because of their professional performance and the dynamic sound of rough waves. Then my adrenaline seemed to be ejected and my emotional excitement reached to its climax just like the grand finale of a symphony.

I like to see lighthouses because it's romantic that they stand still seeing over a great distance. I also feel their strong decision to overcome many hardships in the future. This one is called North Head Lighthouse. It was built over 100 years ago at the point where the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean converge. This area has been called "Cape Disappointment" from over 200 years ago, so maybe something bad had happened before. In fact, as the name says, I crashed the right side of my car into a tree and I recessed it. I see. "Cape Disappointment," huh? Well said. Yet, I'm charmed by the grand view of this lighthouse and the Pacific Ocean. I want to come back here when I can see the light. It would have be even more dramatic if it were stormy.

I know it's my bad habit to imagine human dramas behind the scenes. I could finish my imagination as "the summer dream of the young," but I must go further. This couple makes me think they are ending their relationship. He chases after her tentatively, but he is actually a little tired of her because of her short temper and she doesn't like his lack of delicacy to try to take things lightly. They rented his father's shining car for a picnic, but he's already feeling the weight of the bread, fruits, and canned cokes when he believes this picnic wouldn't be fun. How poor they are... no, they started to splash water on each other screaming for joy! And then, they started to hold each other tight even though the wave is reaching to the knee. Anyway, it'll be alright in the end and now I feel I'm the one who is poor...

The title of this photo is "Another day, Another destiny..." I found a unfinished beer bottle on the shore and I somehow remembered this passage in the moving musical "Les Miserables" that I watched recently. Discouragement, courage, love, and decision that were connected to French revolution spiced up my life. It's not desperate as in the song "Tomorrow is another day" by Yujiro Ishihara, but it's closer to "Tomorrow is another day" which is the last line by Scarlett O'Hara in "Gone with the wind" even though they share the name (Ishihara's one is originally in Japanese.). I interpret it as "to confront one's destiny for another day." But, I don't have any logical explanation why this scene made me recall this passage.

The latitude of this place is 46 degrees north and it must be around Japan's northernmost Soya cape. But, because of the warm sea current, I don't feel it's a northern sea. However, once the weather worsens, it becomes rough like the northern Sea of Japan. On that day, it was quiet as spring and the sun set slowly. The wave was calm and I never felt tired of looking at seagulls and pelicans searching for bait circling slowly. The sky glows red little by little and the color illuminating the beach change mysteriously. When I see this changing scene, I completely forget the complicated issues in my daily life. This vast ocean not only gives lives to this planet, but also many other blessings. At the same time, once it's offended, it suddenly gets furious and humans can only accept the anger having no way to resist. But, we still have to live with the surrounding sea, and I hope I can receive a little blessing while admiring its beauty.