You miss the little things the most

Always finding agates lying on the beach on my way to work in the morning

Eagles flying over the Alsea bay

Finding tons of edible mushrooms in the woods

Finding pieces of driftwood with pleasing shapes

Finding random shells and sand in my pockets

Finding treasures from afar washed up on the beach (sometimes tsunami debris)

Watching the herons stalking along the rim of the Alsea Bay every morning

Picking huckleberries in the fall and teaching my son to enjoy it too

Watching the seals laying on the sand spit at Bayshore

The funny croak of the blue heron flying over the house every evening

The croaks of the frogs in the spring time

The gulls flying home at sunset

The distinct smell of seaweed drying on the beach

The sound of boats coming and going out in the bay

The sound of the wind blowing through the shore pines

The way that sand feels as it slips through your fingers

The way the air smells (briny!)

The way the clouds get tangled up in the trees in the morning

The way the sunbeams pierce through the fog and spruce trees driving up Blodgett

Watching all the locals dig for clams during the low tides of June (while I'm stuck going to work)

Watching the waves slam and pound against the rocks in Yachats