The wonderful sea

As I wrote a few days ago, I am only not getting acquainted with the ocean. The picture above was only a brief moment of the wonderful sky we had this morning, which kept changing as Rachel and I and Molly-dog, walked on the beach. [For our main activity see my other blog]. I can understand the impulse of painters and of art quilter to try to recreate the kind of sky/water views we had. I have to admire enormously the few who truly succeed and realize that since I know I would never be able to do it, I can only pay attention and look and enjoy the moment.

Yesterday we went to a nearby beach in the late afternoon when a strong wind was blowing and the sea was rolling in with enormous energy and, it seemed, delight. The waves were rolling up on the shore and crashing in beautiful cascades. I watched a woman holding a kick board who was out just far enough to rock up and down on the incoming waves. I envied her, she was letting the ocean rock and play with her. I made a mental note to get a kickboard for next summer.

When I went in, walking gingerly over the strip of stones and shells just beyond the shoreline, reaching the sandy bottomed shallow and feeling the sand beneath my feet sculpted in the same wave pattern, I jumped into an oncoming wave, and it knocked me down. Although it was very shallow and Rachel offered a helping hand, every time I started to get back on my feet another wave pushed me back down and toward the shore, into the stony part I had just walked over. "Stop it! Enough! Give me a break!" I told the ocean. Ha! the ocean said. Ha-ha-ha! and slapped me in the face. Finally I got up and stood long enough to show old Poseidon that I would not stay down and be shoved around.

On this morning's walk [see my other blog for our main activity], we found interesting debris all long the tide line including several horseshoe crab shells and some beautiful scallop and conch shells and, as below, these crab claws. I have heard of blue crabs but never seen any, certainly couldn't have imagined they were SO blue -- and these are only the pinchers. What a beautiful color! What a wonder is the ocean.