We live a very quiet existence... quiet in terms of - no background noise. No traffic, none of those everyday sounds that happen in the city or suburbs. We do have some expected sounds and vibrations.

1. High wind- will shake the house and we hear the roar of the ocean.
2. Rain, rain, rain. Dripping down the gutters, beating on the windows. Hammering on the roof top.

3. Ocean waves- of course, especially at night- we hear the ocean.
4. Frogs- they don't shake the house- but are so loud that you want to scream at them to just quiet down a few minutes.
5. Birds. crows, blue jays, sea gulls, herons, robins, wood peckers, the list goes on forever. (to the delight of our cat)

6. Occasional police/fire siren. Very few- and usually when tourists are driving around.
7. Sometimes, the test of the Tsunami signal. We were out of town during the last test...but my cell phone rang with inquiries from neighbors or weekenders who missed the warning notice.

8. Traffic is LOUD during Rod Run (2nd weekend of Sept). Thousands of Hot Rods cruising up the highway and racing their engines.

9. The tinkling of glassware on the shelves and vibration- of the spin cycle on the washing machine. Since our house has no foundation... just post and beam...three floors of 103 yr old timbers shaking. I don't need a washing machine cycle signal... it is built in. If you were visiting from another state- you might think we were having an earthquake. We recognize the shaking as- hhmmm. 'go to the washer in a few minutes and put the clothes into the dryer.'

10. Which brings me to the topic of today's post. Coast Guard Helicopters. This is a pretty common event here. The Coast Guard station is a few miles away- and rescues happen with regularity. The mouth of the Columbia River and the Pacific Ocean continue to claim ships, boats and lives. When the helicopter takes off- you can almost reach into the sky and touch them (it seems)... the sound and vibrations fill our world. We say quiet prayers that the victims will be rescued in time.