"Let's go explore today," I said to my dear friend, Colleen who was making her first visit to Saltair Station. She was an eager accomplice.
When I found that I hadn't charged my camera battery since my July 4th fireworks photo extravaganza, I was disappointed I couldn't take it along. These days, I take it with me everywhere, just in case. Nothing to be done and the day awaiting, I put the battery in its charger and we set off on foot to visit the waves.
It was a delightful walk full of catching up with both each other and the ocean. A distance up the beach, we spotted a wedding about to begin and walked up to watch. It was a very enchanting ceremony started off by young children ringing bells and walking in front of the bride. The little girls wore fairy wings with their brightly colored dresses and the boys carried pirate swords. The youngest little blonde fairy bounced along behind the others, she couldn't have been more than four. As the ceremony went on, she became extremely bored with the adult speeches and laid down in the "aisle" to make sand angels. What a sight--and me without my camera.
Our next stop was a casual lunch on the deck of a restaurant right on the Nehalem River. We sat in the sun, reminisced and listened to music from the local Summerfest. Down the river came a miniature steam-powered sternwheeler, gaily decorated for the festivities. It was quite a sight, never before seen on the Nehalem and me without my camera.
On the way back home we stopped at a place called Kelly's Marina (which Kelly doesn't want called a marina because it is so much more and he's right). Turns out Colleen has known Kelly for years. He offered us a cool beverage as we sat in the sun overlooking the docks and he regaled us with tales of the place. I should probably add that he told us these tales while wearing a crab hat complete with dangling crab jewelry and his hands sported sparkling kelly green fingernail polish. The place was really hopping on this summer's day with crab cooked to order, boats rented to city slickers, campers moving in and out, kids on bikes and even a goat to trim the grass. It looked like a place Jimmy Buffett would hang out for a long while. Again, me without my camera, a frustrated photographer without a lens.
The sun dropped low and we returned home. When we arrived, my battery was fully charged and ready to go--too late.
As the evening went on, I realized I didn't need any photos of our delightful day to remember it by. With my camera at home, my memories will be forever imprinted on my mind. I can replay them at will along with the laughter, friendship and comfortable camaraderie that comes with spending time with a good friend.
