Footprints

Change of pace for today, something more abstract. 

This was from our first evening at the beach, walking to Face Rock just before sunset. 

The sun was so low in the sky that the light sand ripples looked like zebra stripes. 

I think the tracks are probably from a playful pup, maybe even my own dog Clover. 

Circles in the Sand

Here's the overhead view of the sand labyrinth in Bandon, Oregon that I blogged about yesterday.  When I got to the beach in Bandon early Friday morning I had to make the classic beach choice, walk to the right or the left.  I picked left because it was still very overcast early in the morning, and the light was better to the left (photographer criterion) even though the rocks did look more interesting to the right.  I think the labyrinth was probably under construction when I started my walk, because it would have been just before low tide.  And the labyrinth was, of course, to the right.  So it goes.  I would have loved to see the construction.  Still, it was really such a fun surprise to happen upon later in the morning when I made my way to this side of the beach.  One update I want to make from yesterday's post though.  I said that they create a labyrinth everyday, but that's not correct.  Sand conditions have to be right, and there might be other factors that determine dates as well, perhaps low tide timing.  So today, I'm including a link to the same website, but this time to the schedule page.  The next labyrinth constructions are scheduled for August 5th and 6th. 

 Labyrinth schedule

Seascape

Growing up along the shores of Lake Michigan, I've always been partial to the sand there, soft, off-white, and very clean.  But I have gained an appreciation for some qualities of this Pacific Northwest sand as seen here in Ocean Shores, Washington.  This sand is much dirtier, darker, and finer-grained, packing almost like clay, which is why people can drive on the beach here.  As water washes up onshore at Lake Michigan, it sinks almost immediately through the sand.  In Washington, a thin layer of water sits right on top of the sand as the waves recede, leaving this expansive reflection.  Add to that the fact that small tide waves move so much further up the beach than waves on the Great Lakes, and I think this combination makes for a surreal scene, part seascape, part cloudscape.

Making Tracks

Day 23 in black and white.  These tracks led us along the beach just off the Great Highway in San Francisco; not sure what the name of the beach is though.  Despite the haze in this photo it was sunny and in the 70s at this point, and the sand was the perfect temperature.  I don't know where these tracks came from.  We didn't see any vehicles driving around down here, something that is common up in Washington.  But the tracks caught a nice amount of shadow for a photo in this direction.