After weeks and weeks of typical winter rain, the Tailor and I took advantage of a rare sunny afternoon and headed to Point Defiance for a stroll on the beach. We quickly discovered that nature had a few surprises for us today—beyond the perpetual shock of Mount Rainier appearing out of nowhere, that is.

The tide was way, way out today; not quite a spring tide, but almost. It was a steep descent down to the water, the crazy slope creating the optical illusion of standing below sea level. At the water’s edge we met a couple of unlucky creatures left high and dry by the tide:

first a half dollar-sized jellyfish that strayed too far into the shallows…

and then a hapless sea star who apparently made a bad choice in real estate (talk about being upside-down on your mortgage).

But the surprise of stranded jelly- and starfish was nothing to the shock we received on our way back, just a few blocks from home:

Camellias. Blooming in January. Now, I’m quite confident that I can adapt to the short, snow-less winters in these here parts—but flowers in January? I don’t think I’ll ever be able to wrap my brain around that.

(Not that I’m complaining, mind you.)