Sumer is igoin owt...

Lest you think I've lost my personal spellchecker, the title of the post is a corruption of an old English folk tune, "Sumer is icumen in", and I'll bet you can figure that out pretty handily.

But it's quite cool here this morning. The sky is clear and the full moon hangs just above the horizon. At 5:09, when the hungry cats meowed at my bedroom door, it was dark outside. The early dawn isn't quite so early any more and soon I'll need a flashlight again, to make my way down the drive to the newspaper box. Only a few bunnies scattered as I scuffed down the drive; they tend to wait to come out until the light is stronger. I'm guessing they're wary of coyotes and other night feeders.

Yesterday morning, I woke up early in my Seaside hotel room, way too early, as a matter of fact, to find any breakfast place open. So I packed up, loaded the car, and hit the beach. There was an extremely low tide and the water seemed miles away. But the moon was setting in a bank of clouds and its reflected light illuminated the water and the pale sand. It was hard to be irritated by the early hour, with seagulls wheeling and stalking the waterline, the damp sand soft beneath my feet, and the cool air riffling my hair.

Too soon the need for sustenance sent me down the street to a cafe which opened at 6 a.m. I waited till the doors opened, enjoyed breakfast, and by 7 a.m. I was on my way home.

On another day, I would have stayed longer, driving down the coast toward Tillamook and Cape Lookout, two of my favorite spots on the coast. But I had a special reason to go home: I was performing a wedding on Monday night for a couple who has already had their share of life's challenges thrown at them. They had a small window of time in which they could be married. His Scottish divorce had just been finalized after six years of struggle and her next round of chemotherapy was about to begin. She wanted to feel well on her wedding day.

So last night, I felt honored to be part of the celebration of this couple's marriage. We toasted the bride and groom as an eagle soared overhead. It's good to be home.