Wishing for Wavebows

We've had the most beautiful blue skies and sun shiny days since I arrived in California. I can't get enough of being outside and smelling the salty ocean air!

My cousin Alana and I went to the pier in Pacifica on my first day. The waves were GIANT. We strolled along the walkway and checked out the apartments that had nearly collapsed into the water when the cliffs they were built on crumbled. It had made national news!

On day 2, we drove further on down Hwy 1, chit chatting away until a particularly stunning scene stopped us mid-chatter. As we drove around a bend in the coastal road, we came upon four monks, their bright orange robes billowing in the wind as they stood on the cliff edge gazing at the horizon line where blue waters meets blue sky. I shrieked “Pull-over!” as my artist cousin murmured, “Can't pass up photo-opt of complimentary colors.”

Yet, instead of snapping a photo, I introduced myself. The four monks were from northern Thailand and visiting a friend in Santa Barbara. We exchanged hand shakes and more smiles than words. Soon we were off to Half Moon Bay.

After a belated birthday lunch at the cutest little garden cafe (where I got friendly with the chef and caught sneaking extra veggies from the waiter) Alana took me to the local acupuncturist where several of her paintings were on display. Alana creates some of the most stunning paintings I've ever seen (and no, I'm not just saying that because we are related) - Italian vineyards, hillside villages, and coastal scenes with such precise attention to detail and layered color. They are truly spectacular. Her husband, Mike, designs and makes the frames for the paintings which are works of art in and of themselves. Craftsmanship at its finest!

Without Alana's art, I wouldn't have learned about “wavebows.” Some time ago, Alana and Mike were on a hike and Alana captured a photo of moment-al awe. When the wind blows just right and the mist sprays just so and the sun shines from just the perfect angle, wavebows are made. A wavebow is like a rainbow, only it's seen above a wave when the mist and sun rays dance. After capturing this photo during that magical moment, Alana painted that very same scene. And, in doing so, has made me long to see my very own wavebow! Someday, I hoped.

Instead, my delight and awe in Mother Nature was very much satisfied as we watched the setting sun and captured some stellar shots during the “golden hour.”

The very next morning, I woke up and decided to go for a walk along the beach in Pacifica again. After passing a RV park, mobile home neighborhood, and junk car lot (all of which have some of the best ocean views...huh?), I found myself back near the pier.

And then…

The wind blew just right,

The mist sprayed just so,

And the sun shone from just the perfect angle.

And I watched wavebow after wavebow sparkle over the ocean. Some appeared for a few short moments above the waves only 100 feet in front of me. Others I watched in the distance – the rolling wave like a white stallion galloping to shore, it's mane a cascade of color, dripping red, orange, yellow, green and purple.

What a blessing to delight in a morning of wavebows!