island girl

One of the awe-inspiring signs of the arrival of fall around here is the emergence of an island view just off the coast. The string of Federally-protected islands--the Channel Islands--are shrouded in fog much of the summer, but oh!, when the weather changes a bit, the haze lifts and we can see those beauties again (The close up on the left is of the famous arch at the tip of Anacapa Island). In winter the view will be even crisper.

Lately during my drive along the foothills from Elementary Girl's school each morning, those magnificent islands rise up like great mountain peaks out of the vast ocean and it's hard to imagine not being able to see them at times.

In a couple of weeks we'll be out East admiring the changing of the leaves, but even here along the west coast we have our reminders that the seasons are a changin'. Maybe I'll set a book out there one of these days (although Scott O'Dell did that with Island of the Blue Dolphin...could I top that???)

Enjoy the view, my friends--and have a beachy day, wherever you are!