I miss the ocean: The pounding, hypnotic rhythm of the waves; the tangy smell of the salt air; and the feeling of being so very, very small. Between the rain and snow, I can look out the window and find water almost everywhere right now. But it just isn’t quite the same…

Every year I try to make my pilgrimage to the ocean. It’s a very spiritual experience for me. Most of the time it’s the Atlantic I visit since I live on the East Coast. But I appreciate the Pacific just as much, maybe even more since I don’t get out there nearly as often. When I made my first trip to Oregon several years ago, the coastline just blew me away – quite literally, as the winds and weather change there incredibly fast. The image above is from that trip. One minute rain is pelting every surface in sight, and the next the sun is bright and shining. It’s fickle, and treacherous, and amazingly beautiful. I highly recommend a trip out there someday if you appreciate contradictions.

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