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| At the
beach, the constant is change... change of tides, winds, seasons, the shifting of sand or the passing of visiting birds, seals, or dolphins. Variations in cloud-cover re-tint the ocean's surface from blue to green or gray. Abundant plankton in the water can make curling waves glow an electric ice blue after dark. Storms reshape the face of the beach, building up great sand banks or digging them away to expose piles of underlying boulders. The full moon and the new moon bring extremes of high and low tides that swallow landmarks or reveal the abundant sea life that usually lies hidden below the surface. Even the waves themselves vary: now a set of larger, more energetic swells, now a smaller set or perhaps a pause, as if the sea's breath has caught momentarily. Each image you take in at the beach is anchored in time as well as three-dimensional space. Hold on to the ones that speak to you. In a moment or an hour, the scene around you will have shifted, like the changing view in a constantly-turning kaleidoscope. |
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Beach panorama at sunset, with
Mugu |
View from the bridge (west) end of the beach, with the
Channel Islands visible in the distance. |
A gull steps into foam in late
afternoon, when the water is stained a warm gold. |
High tide at the cove (east) end
of the beach on a dreamy, painted-looking day. A segment of
the cove's volcanic outcroppings shows at left. |
The sea side of usually-submerged
landmark |
Even the knob on the top of the
rock |