beachcombed

when i go to the beach - or really the forest too - i do admire the views, keep alert for wildlife, and generally attempt to watch where i'm going. but realistically, i spend a lot of time looking down. that's just what i do. i am a chronic beachcomber. my home is littered with jars holding seashells and beach glass, and rocks, feathers and bones lined up on windowsills and shelves. nowadays i don't pick up nearly the amount of finds that i used to, many times i come home with nothing at all. but that doesn't mean i don't look. and more and more often i collect with my camera too.



maybe part of it is the kid in me. i could still spend hours hunched over tidal pools along the shore, spotting the hermit crabs, anemones, and other creatures living in the nooks and crannies of the intertidal area. we have so many different types of beaches along the island coast - exposed rocky headlands, large head-sized boulders, perfect pea shaped pebbles, tiny coarse rocks, fine sand or some combination of the above - and different life can be found on each. i like to explore all of them, whether they are beaches i've been coming to for years or ones that are entirely new. although the tidal flow also means each beach is kind of brand new each time i visit anyway. and there's always the search for the elusive glass balls...



i've started a new set on flickr called just that, beachcombed, focusing on the pics i take while looking down or staying close to the ground. i think it's a good reminder of the little treasures you can miss if you don't stop and see what's just lying there waiting to be discovered. am i making some sort of metaphor for life? ha, i'd never try to get that deep on you. ;p