A good start

December was a quiet month, so it seemed appropriate to have a quiet opening to the new year as well. We just spent the better part of the past week in a rented house overlooking Netarts bay, a mostly undeveloped place on the Oregon coast.

 

 You don't go to Netarts if your idea of a good time is shopping, movies, or man-made attractions.

 And you have to be the kind of person who doesn't mind spotty cell reception.

This is the place for long quiet walks on the beach.

You never know what you'll find...what is this anyway? The area abounds in many types of clams, oysters, and crabs, so my guess is that a shellfish of some kind made this star-shaped abode. It was too pretty to dig up, so I just left it alone.

 This is a view from our front window, just after sunset. (The pie in the sky is a reflection of a neon sign that could be lit up on the kitchen wall. Pretty cool.)

 Another look out the same window, taken at first light, just when the sun made it up over the hills behind us, and for a few minutes causing the three arched rocks to glow golden.

 Kelp. There is always kelp washed up with the tide.

 More kelp. I probably took too many pictures of it, but what an amazing plant.

We saw 4 dozen harbor seals, hundreds of water birds, and beautiful vistas in every direction. It was a sublime way to start the new year.

 May 2015 bring peace and beauty to your world too.