A New Years Walk / Beach

Good evening! As the last days of December slip away, I always feel the need to reconnect with my beach and ocean and sky. To step away from glittery excitement of holiday cheer, I walk out on the deserted beach to reconnect with nature and welcome the quietude of winter.

Today I walked long and far---at least compared to the past year.

I now walk with an old ski pole for a walking stick, the extra support seems to hold the pain at bay.
First up, inspection of the dunes project. From my deck:

Closer: The work has slowed down during the holidays. And whoever is in charge caved and they have again set up the temporary dune protective storm fencing.

A wooden Stonehenge. This is looking east.

This is the work area to the west. After the crossbars were [loudly] constructed, sand was trucked in to fill the area. One high wind night and "Stonehenge  West" has reemerged, in those dunes, in the background of the photo.

This is where the flood plain is anyway. The planners seem to have missed the needed placement.

At the peak of the dune I can see the the winter swale. Under its still surface, tadpole eggs are growing, small animals perhaps can drink the sand filtered, brackish water?

 To me this is beautiful, an etching in nature.

Here are the roses bare now, and thorn encrusted. No animals or birds eat the red shriveled hips.

The boardwalk leads up through the dry brown dunes.

I am pleased the walkway is here, as it the lovely bench. If I plan ahead I will bring a small thermos of hot tea or hot cocoa, and sit here enjoying a quiet day.

The dunes seem empty, silent and uninhabited. The sand tells a different story.

It's filled with animal tracks. This is a busy highway with unseen travelers. Small animal tracks, a rat or vole? And tiny bird footprints, they love the abundantly seeded grasses.

Many prints here, I think there's a break in the dunes grass; a tiny path may lead to the swale below. Cat or possum tracks, rat or squirrel, tiny mouse or vole.

Rabbit tracks.

Raccoon.

Many human beach walkers too. Though not today.

The beach is empty of treasure.
A few smooth pebbles were found. They are black basalt...smooth and cool as silk, eons in their creation. So beautiful and ancient.

Two to three million years old.

I'm not an introspective person. I don't make New Years Resolutions. I can't look back and analyse a bygone year. But as I toss my New Years pennies into the ocean, I think, Yes, 2018 was a pretty good year. May 2019 be the same.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...