We’re in the middle of a pandemic, some of us locked down, others staying at home. Some just had a massive snowstorm, others had serious rains. We could all use a beach walk. So let’s go.
The tide is almost all the way out, so there’s plenty of sand to walk on. But the sun seems to be struggling to escape the low clouds, so we might not get that gorgeous sunrise today. That’s OK, it will come another day.
The rainstorm here yesterday stirred up the ocean a LOT so there are dozens and dozens of these sea stars on the sand. I can’t resist taking some photos of them “as is” on the sand. The surf has an artistic bent, it seems.
A lot of kelp and seaweed was uprooted by that same storm. I rarely see it on this beach but today are half a dozen chunks scattered around. I waited for the surf to gently caress this one.
And then, the BEST part of any beach walk for me, the pelicans. These three were so close I thought they might hear me calling to them. They soared on, heedless of my greeting. Pelicans are like that.
Why do I love pelicans so much? They are beautiful flyers. Just look at how close to the waves they get, and they can keep that distance for several seconds. I know they’re just doing what pelicans do, but to me, it’s always an amazing thing to watch. Seeing pelicans makes today’s beach walk that much more perfect.
Look, way out there, beyond the range of my iPhone camera: two dolphins surfacing once, twice, then a third time before they dive deep and I don’t see them again. Not every day you see dolphins from this beach.
Soon enough, the cold wind drives me back to my warm trailer, where I go through my photos and empty my jacket pockets of the treasures I’ve picked up.
None of my finds are more cool than this whelk egg casing. The mama whelk fastens the egg casing to the ocean bottom using that string-like thing you see at the left end. When the tiny baby whelks, no bigger than your smallest fingernail, are ready to be born, they make holes and escape into the cold, dark waters of the big ocean.
Some of those little whelks survive to adulthood, and then they repeat the cycle, making their own egg casings to carry on the line. There’s a lesson in that somewhere. I’ll let you decide what it is for you.
For one thing leads to another.
Soon you will notice how stones shine underfoot.
Eventually tides will be the only calendar you believe in.
Mary Oliver (To Begin With, The Sweet Grass)
Lovely photos as usual. My favorite is the sunrise at low tide. Nature is very artistic isn’t she.?
Annie, your narrative was so beautiful blended with your photos. I lived near the beach in Wilmington, NC (Surf City beach was our go to) and you brought back sweet memories. Thank you for the walk!
So peaceful! And thanks for Mary Oliver; a favorite poet.
Annie, these are gorgeous!! Thanks for taking us to the beach with your photographs and words.
Loved our beach walk – especially the sea star art left by the tide. Thank you for getting me out there.
Emma! I am so happy to see you loved my beach walk <3 I'm hoping you are doing better day by day in your recovery, thinking of you a lot these days and sending you all good energy (as well as beach posts). Please let me know if you want better resolution photos of anything to put on your screen or print out, OK?
LOVED this beach walk, thank you! I loved the sea stars and the story about the baby welks, so interesting! I am in Alabama at the moment, took a walk around a mountain yesterday and maybe today or tomorrow I’ll write it up so you all can come along.
Oh, please do, Dawn! I’d love to see what you see on a mountain walk.
Love your style of writing and what you are writing today. Thank you for sharing these wonderful impressions, Annie!
Much needed! Thank you, from snowy Ohio!
Pete and I are sitting in the ‘observation’ room after having just been injected with our second Covid-19 vaccine. What a treat to be reading your Beach Walk post. Thanks for your beautiful writing and photos reminding me there are so very many beautiful things to focus on today. I appreciate you. Hugs.
Oh, that’s awesome (and you two are the first ones I know to get both doses, so super-yay on that!). Might you be camping this summer, perhaps Indiana Dunes or Kelley’s Island? I’ve heard some Altos might be heading that way 🙂
All your photos are wonderful, but the crease of light in the very first photo is the one I would hang on the wall! Love the egg casing.
Rare to see the starfish; you’re fortunate. Are you at Huntington Beach? The clip from Oliver’s poem is perfect.
Thanks, I’m reading my way through her Devotions book this month. Yes, it’s HB, my happy place in February 🙂