When we lived in this area, it was our favorite beach…Joy, Shiloh, and I…this beach with no name, where almost no one goes. It was a 4 or 5 minute drive, then we would walk for 4 or 5 more minutes, and we would be here.
This beach curves around from Monterey to Santa Cruz, CA. In this picture we are looking off towards Santa Cruz. On a very clear day you can see that far, but today there is some fog in the distance.
We have come to this beach literally 100’s of times. Normally I see 3 or 4 people in an hours time, and today is no exception. Where we approach the beach I see 3 fisherman to our left, and a jogger to the right. We turn right. This beach stretches for miles on the old Fort Ord between the sand dunes and the ocean. I feel comfortable letting the dogs off leash here, and there are no signs to tell me otherwise.
Today, the first thing that Joy and Shiloh do is run out into the water…a little bit too far. I guess they forgot the dangers, in their excitement. The next wave is big and hits them fairly hard. Shiloh does ok with it, but Joy goes down and due to the weakness in her back legs, is slow getting up…so slow that the next wave hits before she is standing. I’ve dropped everything and am starting to run towards her, but now she’s up and moving towards me, and safety. That must have been a rude awakening for her, discovering how much agility she has lost in water play. It hurts my heart, but she seems so accepting, and handles it gracefully.
They both remember to watch the waves after that, and stay near the shore.
I have a second reason for coming to this beach today. Almost 13 years ago my first Golden, Bonnie Jane, passed away. She loved this beach too. I’ve had her ashes all these years, and I’ve wanted to….bring her back to this beach one more time, but it was hard for me. Today I finally did it, and set her free.
Her spirit is at the Rainbow Bridge, but what was left of her physical self will be part of her favorite beach and the ocean, forever.
(Well, I save a little bit of her, mixed with some of the beach sand, because…just because.)
Meanwhile Joy and Shiloh frolic, sniff the ocean breezes, and roll in the sand, making me smile through a few tears.
Joy on the right, in play pose. She may be almost 13 years old, but she is still young at heart!
Such remarkable colors!
Shiloh sniffs the breeze.
Joy, watches the sea birds, down the way.
Salty, sandy, wet, HAPPY dogs!
I plan to return here one more time before we leave Monterey Bay.
Wandering Spirit 
Tears and smiles with reading your blog. Such sweet, beautiful pups…..wish I could give them a hug. And give you a big hug for letting Bonnie Jane go to her favorite place. Wish I was there.
Yes tears and smiles for me too…seems like you WERE there, Sharron.
Thanks for your support, and hugs back to you.
Sweet
So are you Linda. 🙂
What a beautiful, sad, joyous post! I applaud you for allowing Bonnie to return to her favorite place..I understand how hard that was for you…and my tears have been bountifully flowing
also.:) But what a fantastic beach..I would love to go there one day! Would like to share with you my story about my beloved Akita. She also passed about 13 years ago..she would have loved to run the beach with Joy & Shiloh. She had the same weakness in her back & legs as Joy. One day I received a call at work that she had fallen into our very deep pond and couldn’t get out . I sped home..about 40 minutes away, just sure she could never hold on that long, but when I arrived there she was struggling for all she was worth. I had to tie myself to my truck bumper and ease down in the pond to get a rope around her. When I got her out she just laid down on the ground…I laid beside her, had someone bring me blankets to try to get her warm, and again was so afraid I was loosing her. It seemed we laid there for hours until she finally tried to stand. And then I had to put a sling around her backside to help her up. I had her for another year, and then one day she just laid down and went to sleep….and I still miss her so. Ok….I think I’ve shed enough tears for both of us now..time to get productive. Hugs to you and your beautiful Goldens!!
Oh Pat, what a story of love…getting her out of the pond and lying with her until she could stand, wondering if she would make it. And then a year later she went in her sleep…what we would probably all wish for.
So easy to love them so much, with their innocents, devotion and steadfastness. They are protectors, companions, best friends, and silly children all rolled into one.
Thank you for sharing that story.
Oh my…lump in my throat, tears in my eyes, and a smile on my face.
Hi Cindy, kind of bittersweet isn’t it.
Wonderful Post!!
Thank you Krystina!
Nothing like seeing a dog playing on the beach….having so much fun. What a beautiful part of the coast and a special place to spread Bonnie Jane’s ashes. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Annie, Yes it really is wonderful to see them so happy. When they were younger they used to just race along the shore, legs stretching out so it almost looked like they were flying. What a sight!
I love these precious pictures of Joy and Shiloh playing at the beach. I’m glad they are both still able to enjoy that wonderful air and water energy! They ashes of my two dearly departed dogs, Tucker and Tanya, are on my bookshelf: Tucker’s for nearly 12 years and Tanya’s for less than a year. In time, I will be ready to let them go, but I’m not ready yet. In a way, it’s a comfort to have them there. Thank you for sharing the happy and the sad.
Hi Marcia, yes wait until you are ready. If you are ever ready. You will know. I’m comforted now, knowing Bonnie is one with the sand and the sea, but I wasn’t ready for that last year.
I m glad you enjoyed the pictures!
What a beautiful celebration of life beach! There is nothing like the ocean to touch the soul, both dog and human. Memorable photos to mark a special day.
Thanks for sharing!
Kitt
Hi Kitt, yes this beach will be even more special now and the pictures will remind me of the precious celebration of love and life that we had there. The ocean is life itself, isn’t it?
Beautiful Goldens, past and present, beautiful Pacific, all the best things in life. Teary.
Hi Maureen, such beauty we are given and I do appreciate it SO much! It does bring tears.
What a beautiful little story of loves and losses. I can smell the salty breeze and feel the exuberance of Joy and Shiloh…. thank you sooo much, Micky.
Your welcome Marian. I was glad to be able to share it with you.
Exuberance….perfect word😊
Beautiful
Thank you Pam.