"There's a shark carcass down at the beach!"
This is the big news around my neighborhood. That and the fireballs in the sky which was a hot topic of conversation in the sweet little cafe on Tomales Bay. A woman came last night full of excitement babbling about fire in the sky. I was sure she was another one of those crazy white people I keep encountering in Northern California but then the state troopers came in and dispatch started ringing in their ears. Stinson beach had seen it too and Bolinas and Point Reyes.
Apparently, unbeknownst to me we are having meteor showers. How would I know? I get no news. No internet, no cell phone where I live. The only thing I knew about was the dead shark which I made sure to go check out after work yesterday.
There is nothing like the pacification of the mighty Pacific. I don't venture to the ocean all that often as I like to seek out an incline to burn through all my energy. I like to book it fast up hill but every time I go to the sea, I ask myself why I don't do it more often.
My walk to the shark was amazing. It was hot and sunny and no one was on the beach except me. The sound of the crashing waves slowed me down and pulled me into the present moment. I paused and took photos of interesting shadows and contrasting areas of light.
The tide was going out, so I scavenged the beach for what sorts of treasures the tide brought in. I always find that fascinating–the strange objects that travel from far off places and are deposited on your beach. This time, it was just someones crab pot.
I knew I was approaching the shark by the appearance of huge black vultures. I had wished they were tougher and would have stayed perched on the shark as I approached as it was quite the image but I only had my 50mm, so I had to get close and off they went.
I want to go back, after they have fully picked him apart and grab that jaw bone full of sharp teeth to send to my nephew. How cool would it be for a little boy to have a shark jaw?
My hobbies are overwhelming me at the moment. I have yet to bike as I am too busy exploring the area and hiking trails. I have hardly taken pictures or foraged for a thing. You would think with no internet, I would have plenty of time but time goes fast here in the middle of nowhere. My mail forwarding somehow made it so all of my New Yorkers from the past month came at once and I was so worried that I would need reading material that I bought a bunch of books and magazines and now...hmpf, I need to learn to read faster. But, I am too busy looking at the bright stars or sipping espresso at the local cafe or climbing hills.
I think California will satisfy my curiosity for a long, long time. There is so much here from a great food scene, interesting and well traveled people, culture, music, nature...I seriously feel like I really lucked out and found the perfect spot.