I heed the weather forecasts that warn these may be the last summery days here in the far northwest. I drive west before dawn and follow the setting full moon down the road to a magnificent beach along the Strait of Juan de Fuca. I’m the first one there and have to bundle up in the cool twilight air. An hour before low tide, I’m rewarded with a wide expanse of pristine sand, marked only by bird tracks and the delights of the high drift line. Screeching gulls try to hurry the sunrise from the cool gray shadows of the beach at Crescent Bay. There is a small island there just offshore, and I’ve never seen it so accessible. The day dawns blissfully fog-free and I revel in being the only person on this entire beach.

crows shouting

Just after dawn, a band of crows eagerly inspects fresh seaweed washed ashore at low tide. They tug the flat strands apart, looking for delicacies—perhaps some tiny crabs nestled in the bright green grassy tangles. As my dog and I approach, they scold us and warn that this is THEIR seaweed! Indignantly they decamp to a nearby branch where they can keep watch over their treasure. I poke at some seaweed with my walking stick and a swarm of insects erupts. Until we are well away from their hunting ground, the six crows keep up a steady barrage of caw-ments. As I look back over my shoulder, they’ve returned to the business of breakfast, hopping in and out of the shallow tide in that awkward way that plump crows do.

These crows don’t know me—if they did, they’d recall that I am a great admirer and friend of crows. I appreciate their ingenuity and industrious nature, and I enjoy watching them harvest scallops then drop them onto rocks to crack them open. Lucky to be omnivores, crows have adapted well to our presence in their world, and at least in these parts, never want for food. These crows are opportunists, and they remind me to maximize my own resources.

meditation on the roundness of things......click to enlarge

CONTEMPLATIONS

• How have you been called to be ingenious lately?
• What issue in your life could use an innovative approach?
• Do you make good use of all your resources?
• Have you overlooked some hidden treasure in your own environment?

morning becomes joy......click to enlarge