Safety THIRD

I know in the past I have made a point to recognize Safety First. The times they are a\’ changing. Thanks to Mike Rowe, host of a dirty show, I have learned, that certain jobs are inherently UN-safe. Some tasks can only be accomplished by sacrificing complete safety. And so, we must relegate safety to third place, but look on the bright side: it still takes the bronze!

In honor of the new rule, I took an adventurous backpacking trip to the Lost Coast …then spent three weeks recovering. Needless to say, the trip was SIIICK (in more ways than one), and the photos accompanying this post are from the journey (seahorse bear arms). While I may get more descriptive on the physicality later, for now I want to share a special highlight:

\”Buck on the Beach! Stag in the Surf!\”
While walking up the coast, we meet a deer dashing in our direction! He is thrashing about wildly and using his body to carve through breaking waves! At first – to me – he seems distressed. But after a moment of watching, we realize that we are *lucky* (very) to bear witness to this deer, having fun! On a run! Completely undone! Chasing down the sun! He is out of breath, exerting all his energy crashing in our ocean\’s churning wake!

Running, in a final burst of power, the stag swings his back end into a breaking wave.  It crashes down around him, dramatically washing up on the land. He stands completely still in this moment and the surf foams before him onto hard-packed sand. What majesty! It is a shocking image. We had stopped abruptly at first sight and just stood there – dumbfounded – starring in awe now.

The awesome animal catches sight of us at last. After a moment\’s searching-questioning-vibe-rant-animal-human-telepathic-communication, the deer starts straight up the beach in front of him and steadily climbs the grassy cliffs that lift and welcome him back into the loving bosom of the woods. He is disappearing into the hillside, breathless all the while. The moment is indescribable and unforgettable: a great thrill. Can you imagine?!

This is the shape of a sea horse
of course, ORANGE you glad?

(Safety always.)