Cycle of Life (warning: graphic images)

About a year ago, Charlie flushed out a beautiful red fox at one of our favorite hiking spots and chased after it for a bit. I was mesmerized by this beautiful creature as it cruised past me without a second glance. It was a graceful and magical creature and I couldn't believe I was seeing it run by so close to me. It was a moment I'll never forget and will always cherish.

Those are the really great things about hiking. Setting off on a trail on any given day and never knowing what you'll see or experience. Magic.

But then there are days like today, where at the very same park in almost the very same spot where we saw that red fox a year ago, we came across the water-logged body of another small red fox.

For all I know, it could be the very same one we saw last year. Charlie and Peanut took a moment to explore this strange creature and then moved on to frolic in the sand and surf and beg for sticks to be thrown.

It was a beautiful sunny blue-sky day, warm enough to only be dressed in a sweater and jeans. So unusual for November. I wanted to soak it all in and save the memory of the warm wind and sun on my cheeks, to be brought out again to re-live on some cold January day in a couple of months when it'll be hard to imagine walking along a beach in the sun.

But the image of that beautiful fox won't leave my mind and I'm afraid it will remain a part of the memory of this beautiful day.

And maybe that's okay. Because that's the cycle of life. That's nature. There's good and bad. Yin and yang. Shadow and light.

That's life.