January, I Love You

January, you never let me down.

Year after year, you bring new resolve, a quiet peace, the promise of spring, a fresh outlook, the desire to purge and clean, and at least one magnificently sunny day.

Saturday was that day. (And hopefully every day next week, but I don't want to get greedy).

It started with fog, which my neighborhood gets year-round. Love, love, love fog, BTW. But it soon melted off, giving way to the most amazingly crisp and blue afternoon. Temps hovered at 55 degrees, and we went to the park.

But not just any park. I'm talking about Discovery Park, the 534 acres of forest, grassland, and beach smack-dab in the middle of Seattle.

The neighborhood of Magnolia, in which the park resides, holds very special meaning for my family. And the park itself, which used to be a military base, holds very special meaning for The Russian and his family. So, we really dig this place.

That day, it was super busy, dogs and people milling about. Joggers brushing past, and hikers marching, their new-from-the-holidays outdoor gear strapped to various body parts.

The Olympics were crystal clear, cargo ships lumbered through the channel, and a thin, low layer of fog clung to the water and the shores of Bainbridge Island.

And, of course, there were all the beautiful, late-day, wintry shades of lavender, periwinkle, and grey. Sigh!

My kids ran and ran, their little legs making up for last week's rain storms, their faces looking Seattleite-pale in the light.

Finally, we came upon the sand dunes, perched on the bluff and high above the waterway, and they dug. They dug like prairie dogs with a mission. Covered in sand and grinning from ear to ear.

And I'm not gonna lie - mass quantities of sand make me a little squirmy. I think of scratched retinas, dirty cars, and granules for days. (shudder)

But we are water people, and that's how it goes. For us, sand is an inescapable part of spring and summer. And come fall, a good car detailing sorts most of that out, anyway. Not my anal retentiveness, of course, but I'm sure The Russian finds that to be one of my most endearing qualities. I'm pretty certain.

In summary, it was a great afternoon, one I would relive again and again. And we'll probably try to recreate some version of it many times in the coming months. Thank goodness.

January, I love you.