Everything changes: Two Days at the Beach
Two November days on a familiar beach served to remind me that everything changes, and a beach, perhaps, most of all.
Day One
Tiny animal holes dot the wet sand.
Breathing trail. Photo: Melissa Cooper
The surface of the beach is pretty empty,
Esau the dog in an undisclosed desert country. Photo: Melissa Cooper
except for a few remnants of life. Like this brilliant piece of seaweed.
Who lives below? Photo: Melissa Cooper
Or this lovely mussel shell resting against a twig.
Mussel and twig lie near paw print. Photo: Melissa Cooper
Or this delicate little crab, a few of its legs and much of its color washed away by sun and surf.
Where's the rest of me? Photo: Melissa Cooper
Tire tracks broke the beach into a system of unnecessary trails.
Rutted beach. Photo: Melissa Cooper
and Esau warns of impending danger.
Danger Deep Water Photo: Melissa Cooper
On the way home, a gull looks out over Mecox Bay.
Day Two
The next day, there’s not an air hole to be found. Instead, beach stones lie strewn on the wet sand.
Smooth, rounded, multi-colored touchstones. Photo: Melissa Cooper
Among the stones is a golden egg.
Looking for the golden goose. Photo: Melissa Cooper
Is this the gull that laid the golden egg?
I will never tell. Photo: Melissa Cooper
A peculiar cartilaginous skeleton lies on the sand. Reader, any guesses as to identity?
What am I? Or what was I? Photo: Melissa Cooper
A solitary swimmer braves the icy waters,
Brrr. Photo: Melissa Cooper
and Esau leaves footprints wherever he goes.
Esau was here. Photo: Melissa Cooper
Share this:
Tags: air holes on beach, beach skeletons, crab, dog on beach, Flying Point Beach, Mecox Bay, seaweed, water Mill beach
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
Out walking the dog 
June 13, 2012 at 6:47 pm
[…] beach is different on every visit. Last Light by Linda Van […]
December 16, 2011 at 3:26 pm
Ain’t beaches grand? Love that they change so much, whether they’re edging an ocean or a lake – they’re among the best places for dog walking, or just plain walking. My two labs are very jealous of Esau and the places he gets to go – they love chasing gulls – but they’d try to reach England and I’d never see them again.
Great post Melissa –
December 16, 2011 at 8:32 am
Given the frequency of change that occurs in the natural world it makes me wonder why humans are so resistant to change. We seem to want a constant that doesn’t exist. This was a good reminder of the need to stay flexible.
December 15, 2011 at 10:11 pm
ah the beach off season….beautiful!
December 15, 2011 at 2:32 pm
Wish i could’ve been there walking alongside the dog….he has a good life. This post so interesting through your nature eyes, seeing things that many of us would miss.
I’ve never mentioned, but like the pink water towers very much.
December 15, 2011 at 3:32 pm
Thanks, Charlotte. And I was wondering if anyone noticed the change in the header from my old blurry shot of a boot on a stick with Geo. Washington Bridge in background to these water towers at sunset – I swear that’s the color of the sky, I didn’t heighten it at all!
December 13, 2011 at 2:59 pm
fascinating how the next day the beach was strewn with stone.. my guess for the cartilaginous (had to copy/paste that word!) beast? what about flounder? a wild guess :)..
December 15, 2011 at 3:47 pm
I really don’t know. I was wondering if it was some kind of skate. And yes, cartilaginous is a great word, isn’t it?