Photo of the Week: Michele’s Picnic Table

You see them dotted all along East Cliff. Wooden benches and picnic tables anchored to the ground with a permanent view of the expansive Pacific Ocean. There’s usually a name inscribed on a small plaque with some sort of simple, loving phrase or thoughtful quote.

I took this photo on a rainy morning and decided I would actually look up the name this time. I typed into Google ‘Michele Achilis, Santa Cruz’. I didn’t know Michele but I pass her remembrance spot almost weekly. There’s a mix of sadness and comfort that stirs inside when I read the story about her car accident and the background about her husband. I can’t imagine how their children must have felt. I hope Michele can somehow see her bench, and that her family comes often to Pleasure Point to remember her in such a beautiful place.