The stories of our lives are played out on ocean tides — Sometimes carving your path in this world feels pointless. No matter how hard you work, you don’t see any progress. It’s like the ocean slamming against the sand. However, if you look at the beach with a longer time horizon, you understand where the sand is now once stood immovable…

And the evening smoke reminds us that wildfire season is still here — There are new signs that mark the transition between summer and fall. It used to be that the air became a little cooler and crisper as September advanced. Summer slowly loosened its grip. But now, the stagnant heat remains well into October. The rains in the Pacific Northwest start later…