I set out in earnest this afternoon to walk down to the beach and photograph kites, tourists, corn dog stands, and rows of actively used portable toilets--the usual human stuff.
But along the way, my attention was arrested by something much more interesting and appealing and I never made it to the beach.
I saw the quiet and timid visage of a young mule deer watching me from a brushy field not 100 yards away.
While all the tourists streamed to the beach, I detoured past a small stand of pines and into an open space where I was fortunate to view three mule deer for half an hour or so. I believe I saw a doe with two fawns.
After the deer tired of entertaining me, I drove down Highway 101 toward Ilwaco, Washington, stopping at a local landmark called "Black Lake".
There, I saw gulls taking a break too from the kite festival and the noisy and restless Pacific Ocean. Black Lake is beautiful in its own quiet way.
D. Grant Haynes
