Wednesday Morning Beach Report: A whale, found art, hearts, resisting, and survival

Nature imitates nature. A piece of wood resembling a whale's tale, seen a couple of weeks ago.

I heard it before I saw it. The breath like the Earth itself was breathing. When I looked up, knowing what it was that I'd heard, I saw the immense barnacled back disappearing into the water. I stood and watched for a moment and then hurried down the shore the way that the whale was traveling, but saw nothing more. I saw four whales near this same spot a couple of years ago.

There were pelicans too.

And these black birds sitting on the water. Sooty shearwaters? Storm petrels? I think I've tried to look this up before and was unable to come to a conclusion.

There was a lot of driftwood from the recent storms. It's a good thing I don't have a place to put it or I'd be dragging it home. As it is, the bowl full of beach glass is brimming. There was beach glass today too.

And there was found art:

Here's what it made me think of--this painting by Georgia O'Keefe:

There were remnants from Valentine's Day.

A rock commiserating.

Mr. Frowny Face. Do you see it?

And a heart made of stone.

We must take heart and harden our resolve, somehow remembering what beauty there is before us.