This year we have gotten lots of snow, and all of it has melted only a day or two after it arrives, leaving squishy mud everywhere. Except the beach. Living only a couple miles away from the lake, we frequent the them throughout the week to run and play.
Today, at 43oF, it was oddly warm for January. The waves were ripping in, pounding the shoreline and devouring the dunes that crumpled under it’s force. For those not along the lake, this past year the water levels have risen incredibly. Paired with violent storms, much of the dunes and beaches have been washed away. It’s been incredible to see the drastic change, and often as we walk, the dunes fall before our eyes. What remains as evidence of this is sheer walls of sand towering high above the beach, and beach grass and stumps, stretching barely out of the wet sand as waves pool around their base and wash away the remaining sand that supports them.
None of this bothers Winston. To him, the beach is a place were he can be a wild child, running as fast as his little legs can carry him. He always runs straight for the water, and this time, the cold temps caught him a bit of guard! He can hopping back toward me, bouncing around talking as if to say, “Sh*t Mama! That waters cold!!” But it didn’t take him long to trot his way back along the waves to snap at them, insuring they knew the boss was back!
Winston bounds between the water and the toppled heaps of dunes, clambering up and down. I often times have to sit in one spot and wait for him to settle down before I can snap a photograph of him, but today, he was eagerly smiling as if he knew how handsome he was. I know dogs are smart, but does he really know how happy I am when I’m photographing? Especially when I am photographing him?
Every time we visit the beach, the dunes walls feel as though they become taller and taller. I was mesmerized by the lines of the sand and every time I went to photograph the dunes, Winston would jump up in front of me, posing, smiling, and wondering why I wasn’t photographing HIM! Even the seagulls nearby were passed up for a chase, but he made sure to woof at them from his crumpled dune ledge.
While one eye is finding the desired composition of the photograph about to be taken, the other is keeping track of the wild child. Again, as if he wanted to be photographed, he monkeyed his way up the dune wall behind where I was photographing. He clung to the wall, surprisingly well, looked over his shoulder at me, and flashed his cheesy grin.
And just when I’m about to snap the cutest photo of him, he sticks his tongue out at me, as if he was a little kid retaliating against his mom forcing him to sit for a photo! I have endless photos of him with his tongue out and have come to accept it as one of his many unique quirks.
Today while we were adventuring the beach, all was forgotten but this silly kid, his tick-tocking tail and happy smile. After a tough month of persistent migraines, being sick, and the holiday craziness, the fresh air, beautiful beach, and quiet time with Winston, was just what I needed. <3
