Down to the Beach

After weeks of remodeling and tired of the effort, we drove over to the beach this afternoon on one of the first sunny days we've experienced this spring.  It was divine.  We were not alone.  From elders to infants, everyone wanted a moment in the sun.  Ours was a mission; the collection of rocks to paint in a craft rendezvous scheduled for the upcoming week.  But the moment our feet touched the sand, mind, body and soul were enveloped by the surroundings.

There were plenty of rocks to collect, in every size, shape and color one could desire.  We both quickly filled our jacket pockets with a variety.  Then my camera demanded attention and my "artist eye" photographed a hundred things I would aspire to paint later in soft pastel shades of watercolor.

The sounds of the sea acknowledged how the fine, soft, rounded edges of the rocks have evolved.  With each draw of the water back to the sea, the rocks clatter and thump along the sand.  It was a mesmerizing sound resembling soft, spa music.    











A seal floated by, curious about all of the people and gulls inhabiting his stretch of the beach. Then, more beguiled by the possibility of food, his head disappeared beneath the soft swells of the saltwater.  Evidence of his eating preferences could be found perhaps in the empty crab shells sprinkled sporadically in the sand along my path.

Footprints of the gulls seemed to hint of their search for morsels of food as well. This communal place sings to all of us I presume.  Like the children running down to the water's edge, we all are drawn to this place.  And like children, all I want to do is linger and play.