The Best Time to Walk the Beach

When the tide is out ... that's the best time to walk the beach.  So much is revealed when the water is at it's lowest.  Things you'd never see at any other time.  Not only is there more space to walk along the shore, but as you stroll, you discover things left behind when the moon pulled the sea away.

The following quote made me think of the many walks I've taken along various Canadian beaches, but mostly those on Vancouver Island. "Every time we walk along a beach, some ancient urge disturbs us so that we find ourselves shedding shoes and garments or scavenging among seaweed and whitened timbers like the homesick refugees of a long war" (Loren Eiseley).

Living or once alive, there are treasures to find, to record, or to collect ... to take away with you, in your pocket, in your camera, or in your memory.  Treasures found while walking the beach may vary from just the scent of crisp, salt air to an exquisite shell found amongst the debris on the sand, maybe left behind after a storm.  It may include a glimpse into a tide pool, filled with some jewels of marine life.

A walk along the beach during a storm can be invigorating.  On the other hand, strolling along in the early morning or late evening, when all is calm, can give one an overwhelming feeling of peace.
 
Life is a beach ...