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Monday 15 August 2016

On the Beach

A beach can be a place of surprises. Items wash up, some living creatures or their remnants; others are discarded, or lost items, washed overboard or out to sea. We always notice these items and wonder about them.

 

Like these steps, what is the story here? 

 

Were they attached to a house or cottage and washed to sea during a bad storm? Found at the back of the beach, they lead one to think they were washed up during high seas.

Drift wood on the beach is a curiosity.

 

This piece looks like an alien creature to me. What do you see?

Sand often has impressions of wave action, like the faint lines on the sand under this weathered oyster shell. 

 

This live gastropod was bigger than we normally see along the beach, left behind at low tide. We returned it to deep water.

 

Lobster traps are a common find along beaches on the island. Was this one washed overboard, broken from a line of traps at sea, or washed away from its location on shore?

 

The loss of this trap was a financial loss to the fisherman. It is good the trap did not stay on the bottom of the ocean and continue to catch lobsters. This condition is known as ghost fishing by lost traps or nets.

Jelly fish are common victims of the tides along the beach.

 

Remnants of the dried creatures are common as the tide returns on hot summer days.

Sea weed, dried and fresh, both inhabit the beaches as well. The dried seaweed, plentiful along some beaches, makes a good fertilizer for the garden, a natural addition, like my grandfather O'Brien used on his vegetable beds in Newfoundland. We collected some for our vegetable patch when we visited Belmont Park earlier this summer.

 
 
Fresh seaweed is colourful along the beach. In my youth, interest in sea life prompted me to study phycology, the science of algae. The reproductive lives of seaweed were complicated but interesting to my younger self. Looking at brown seaweed today, though it is variously coloured, I see the inspiration for buoys or floats fishers use. 

 

This buoy on the beach washed ashore from a net or trap.

 

It is an example of how people learned from nature; the brown seaweed/algae need the air bladders to stay near the surface of the water to avail of light for photosynthesis. The air bladders are important for food manufacturing; buoys are part of food acquisition.  

While a beach provides a place of relaxation, its changing nature makes it a place of interest as well.  We look forward to our next visit.

34 comments:

Debra She Who Seeks said...

I enjoyed seeing "the steps to nowhere."

ann @ studiohyde said...

What a lovely walk along the beach and all the 'finds' too. I liked those steps to nowhere.

Shammickite said...

My dad would go down to the beach with his wheelbarrow and bring seaweed home to dig into his veg garden and the strawberry beds. I miss being near a beach so much.

Angela said...

Love to see the nice sand...wish my feet was in the sand. Drift wood is so pretty. We have a couple of drift wood "sculptures" that belonged to my husbands grandmother. She is gone but I still hold on to that. I enjoyed these photos! Thank you.

Anonymous said...

Interesting piece and I learned a new word...psychology! No shells? I thought the buoy was a bomb.

Down by the sea said...

You seem to have more things washing up on the beach! The steps must tell a story! Sarah x

Joanne Noragon said...

Interesting debris. It's fun to speculate.

Elephant's Child said...

Beach combing is always rewarding. A source of beauty, a source of wonder. I see those steps as somewhere to sit and applaud as the mermaids dance...

Tabor said...

The ocean is the world's garbage bin, unfortunately. But still there are sometimes treasure among all the flotsam and jetsam.

Marie Smith said...

I was focused on where they came from. You saw where they were going. Interesting!

Marie Smith said...

A beach is such a wonderful place for so many reasons.

Marie Smith said...

I missed it too for all my working life.

Marie Smith said...

I never bring the driftwood home. I will now, the next interesting one I see.

Marie Smith said...

We don't find many shells on these beaches. Maybe we haven't found the right beach yet.

Marie Smith said...

I think they do too.

Marie Smith said...

I like speculating about the debris!

Marie Smith said...

Great idea for the steps. I wonder if the will be there next time we visit.

Marie Smith said...

So true about the garbage. On one of the islands here recently, a group cleaning up the beach found 80 buoys.

Anvilcloud said...

What an interesting post.

Mage said...

Thanks for the walk. :)

DJan said...

You are a natural beachcomber. Thanks for showing me your findings, I enjoyed our walk very much. :-)

Judith @ Lavender Cottage said...

Amazing finds that have washed up on the beach. When I looked at the steps I thought of a small scale bleacher for a beach volleyball game, thinking they had been placed there.

baili said...

thank you for sharing interesting stuff along the beach liked the remnants of tides

Marie Smith said...

Thank you, AC.

Marie Smith said...

You are welcome, Mage.

Marie Smith said...

Beaches are my favourite places on earth. They are always different. Glad you enjoyed it!

Marie Smith said...

Such an interesting take on the steps! I would not have thought of a bleacher!

Marie Smith said...

You are welcome, baili.

John M said...

I enjoyed your post very much. The beach is a magical place.

Laila said...

So beautiful. Walking in the beach without anyother people. Must be a very great day you have there.

Marie Smith said...

The beaches here are incredible, John.

Marie Smith said...

The beaches here are not crowded, Hijriatul. They are wonderful places to walk.

Celia said...

Our beaches are clean of shells in many places here in WA state. Great place to walk and really liked your photos.

Marie Smith said...

Thank you, Celia. Your beaches must be beautiful.