There is so much to love about summer in Seattle that, frankly, I don't know where to begin.
The first thing I did when I moved to Seattle on a balmy summer evening more than a decade ago was drive to Alki Beach. With daylight still beaming at 9 p.m., I headed for the sand to see the end of the day slip into sea, sat on the flattest log until the sun, no longer round, sank below the horizon, its glow making the rest of the sky seem even darker.
In this city, when warmth lingers into dusk, one indisputable pleasure, and to my mind the greatest pleasure, is to eat dinner outside, best when freshly mown grass swamps your toes and a cat sprawls on your heat-soaked deck. Tonight, engulfed by the wings of a wicker armchair, I do just that. Then I return to where there are plenty of reasons to give thanks for being on this earth: Alki Beach. By far the warmest night of the season, there is something else I love about the mild air: no wind. Which means a girl can enjoy a walk on the beach and still have good hair; hair that behaves. It is a beautiful evening. A beautiful, beautiful evening.
Alki Beach has its rules (no cruising, no car stereos booming); I have mine (wear a pair of slip-off mules for easy barefoot walking, never ever press a cellphone to my ear while walking here). In no time I find myself in a state of giddy well-being, bowled over by the beauty of this place. A night like this, with a clear view of the city, the ferry to Bainbridge gliding serenely by and so much sea in the distance, makes all things seem promising. Never underestimate the power of sand beneath your feet.
I don't know why it is, but whenever life feels this good, I find it quickly becomes more of a decision than a feeling. Just when I think I might catch happiness forever, something moves in and it vanishes or, worse, snowballs into worry. Still, I decide nothing can sabotage the veil of satisfaction between me and the world this evening. Not the third dog to nose my gender, or its amused owner crouching closer but not grabbing his stinky-shaggy-wet dog away. Or two teenagers curled around each other with such innocent need it makes my heart ache. Or the intoxicated couple arguing loudly and rising with a push and shove to walk on. I could read this pair's behavior as indifference to the stunning-ness of the physical world, or else a relentless forgiveness on the part of Mother Nature - it's all up to me. And though the urge to run to my car comes over me, I wait, holding to my square of sand until most people are gone.
Finally, relishing the steady swish of waves lapping waves, the city pauses for a breath. One of those moments when it seems all of time is held within it.
It is nearly midnight when I finally stand, flinging sand from the seat of my pants. Only because I feel the beginnings of raw, crisp air off the sound, suspended between what is merely chilly to my skin and the downright cold that, even on the warmest nights in our Emerald City, surely comes next.[[In-content Ad]]
