Sunday once more

I usually give these missives some thought ahead of time but on this I am just making it up as I go.

Oh, just a reminder to click on photos to see a larger version.

I don't know what it is that makes me go down to the ocean at least twice every day - once before the sun is up and again in the evening before sunset. One thing, of course, is that the light is good for photos and, of course, I love sunrises like this one,

or this sunset. If you look closely you will see two people, young women, who decided it was a good time for a swim - so for some, a swim is a good reason to be here, though at this time of year the water is distinctly chilly, especially at this time of day.

Actually, this particular sunset was quite unusual with the hole in the cloud cover allowing the sunlight to slip partially through at intervals creating, I thought, interesting rays and,

in this photo, the opposite of a black hole, actually quite a "firey" looking hole.

But it is much more than all that. You can pretty much count on the ocean being there - an apparent permanence, which is somewhat reassuring - always there, rolling in and working away at the rocks and sand - constantly modifying them and leaving all manner of things behind; millions of shells, once living creatures, rocks and, unfortunately, our debris.

Watching and listening to the surf also provides a rhythm that is definitely meditative, but I can't provide a photo of that so I have couple of photos of those shells I mentioned above, brought in and left by the water. Also there are some patterns in the sand proving that the water had been there and receded, and a couple of large rocks that definitely are not permanent.

And, Darwin suggests that, a bit like those shells, we were kind of washed up and left on shore ourselves. If so, maybe that's the draw - it's home.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.