beginnings, and also, what am I seeing? so much to learn

I went back to the beach yesterday, from about 4:30 to around 6:00. Before I left I grabbed a bag with a bunch of plastic bags in it, to use for clean-up, but when I got there I found out that I didn't really have that any biggish ones left, so I couldn't pick up that much. Interesting dilemma. I can get plenty from other people, but I don't want to encourage them to use bags, either. Right now I'm using up my past cereal/bread/etc bags. I can get these from other people while encouraging them to use as few as possible. Unfortunately, there's plenty to go around. This will be a good opportunity to tell people what I'm doing, and why using plastics is harmful.

It was a beautiful day, low tide, lots of sun and few clouds. Enough of a breeze so I saw a supergiant monarch butterfly fluttering by. Huh? Double-take. Oh, a kite. Pretty.

Suprisingly few birds foraging in the mud. A few sanderlings (I think), at least one willet (I saw the black-and-white when it took off), a few birds like willets without the black-and-white, an occasional gull overhead. A raven or two (or crow?). But not like a few days ago. Then I saw something really sad. Near the water, a little south of where I started in the area of Judah, was a beautiful bird, dead, on its back with its long neck twisted and its white breast feathers exposed. I'm trying to observe what I can and look animals and plants up later but I didn't have the heart to observe this more closely. I'm still haunted by it.

I also saw lots of crab evidence (aka shells), some sand dollars, clams, a little rockweed, surfers, dogs, families, ships in distance, more kites...

To the person who left the two empty beverage bottles standing up at the edge of the ocean, didn't y0ur mother teach you any better than to mess up others' homes? Please think next time. If you happen to be reading this.

While I still had bag space and was studiously scanning the beach for alien objects, a surfer came up to me and thanked me. I was embarrassed; it isn't exactly a chore being on the beach on a sunny day, but thanks for thanking me. If you happen to be reading this.

Also thanks to the guy who was going through the trash looking for recyclables. What you're doing for money is harder and a lot more useful than most office jobs I've had. You're right, it's too bad people don't take a second and put the bottles in the place meant for them. Stay safe.

On my way out I was watching some land birds, one of which was carrying some dried plant materials. Tis the season to make nests.

I'm typing this on a computer in a cafe with iced coffee poured into one of those plastic cups they use that I brought in with me from some previous purchase. Next time I'll talk about my efforts to really truly eliminate trash, especially of the plastic kind, from my life. And maybe sand dollars as living things? If not next post, then soon.