Deluge

Yesterday, the Oregon Coast unleashed a deluge of biblical proportions. In brief moments when the weather cleared, I caught quick glimpses of natural wonders: Elk grazing on the headlands, the water spouts of a whale, sea lions bobbing in the surf, the startling beauty of Humbug Mountain, and the endless horizon over the Pacific Ocean. Each encounter felt rarefied because they were so fleeting. There's a park in Brookings, about six miles north of the California-Oregon border called Azalea Park, with supposedly more than 1,000 azalea bushes. Except for about three bushes, and some lillies, everything was on the verge, full of promise. Three weeks, and it'll be amazing.