Beach life

Back at Refugio State Beach, one of the perks of being away from the city is a chance to see more wildlife.

A group of about six harbor seals watched us from their rocks and from the water about 30 feet offshore. They kept a close eye on us until we moved further down the beach, then they relaxed in the sun again.

Closer to our campsite where a small river opens up onto the beach, a variety of birds spend the day. I think this one is an egret. He too watched until we went on our way, then went back to his fishing.

And finally, at the other end of the beach, low tide presents a lot of tide pools, where we found clams, anemones, and this starfish.

Star of wonder

Lest my posts about Santa and snowballs at last week's annual tree lighting ceremony mislead you, the ceremony actually did include lighting up a tree. It's not quite a traditional tree, but it was big and tall, full of sparkly decorations and colorful lights, and topped by a huge star.

According to the report on DowneyBeat, the maintenance team that was responsible for getting the tree ready was amazed and grateful that the previous night's winds had left the decorations in place and undamaged.

Presidents and precedents

Over two hundred years ago, George Washington refused to run for a third term as President of the United States. He had run unopposed the first two terms. He was held in such esteem that he probably could have continued to serve as President until his death. Instead, he chose to set a precedent that continues to this day.

(I know, we had a brief detour when Franklin D. Roosevelt ran for and won third and fourth terms during WWII. But the precedent was of such importance in people's minds that, following Roosevelt's death in office, Congress passed the 22nd Amendment to limit U.S. presidents to two terms.)

Today, our world is filled with evil or foolish old men who refuse to let go of power once they have it. On this 4th of July, our 235th birthday, I'm grateful that I live in a country where we can take for granted this peaceful transfer of power.