Beach Color

Ordinarily the beach is not a colorful place. Its beauty is subtle, not obvious. Although I remember well the first winter I spent in Galveston and the neon green and pink flip-flops that regularly appeared on the beach. Attached to them were little bi-valves that had absorbed the colors of the flip-flops. I’ve never seen them since and I’ve grown accustomed to the muted tans and grays in their various hues.

Setting out on a beach walk this afternoon I certainly wasn’t expecting to see an abstract painting of an exotic red fish.

It seemed to be red paper, washed and reformed by the motion of the Gulf waters.

Farther on I came upon a natural, not man-made, sand painting of green dots in the wet sand, finished with a sprinkle of dry sand.

This phenomenon continued and I discovered an intaglio of a tree swaying in the wind.

The colorful afternoon ended with a green and tan composition with generous touches of white and sparing touches of orange. Returning to the house I saw again, to my delight, a group of white ibis grazing in the vacant lot. This time I got a good shot of the long curved bill that enables the bird to plunge its beak deep to feed on creatures that live in sand and soil – worms, insects and amphibians.

Color is an important part of Nature’s beauty. Deer and many other creatures cannot see color, but humans can and I’m thankful for that ability.

Copyright 2013 by Shirley Domer

Health and Prosperity

In the wee hours of the first day of 2013 a mighty clap of thunder shook the house. Rain poured in torrents on the roof, its drumming like music like music to people who have lived through two years of drought. Altogether, five inches of wonderful rain fell, perhaps portending drought relief beyond the island.

Later, in the afternoon, Dennis reported that a flock of white ibis was feeding in a neighborhood vacant lot. White ibis being another good omen, I rushed out with the camera. When I approached, the birds did not fly, but slowly walked away from me, foraging as they went. Consequently, most of my photos feature ibis butts, but I did get one that shows their long, curved bills. (Double-click the image to see more detail.)

Oddly, one long-billed curlew was feeding with them. It is the one dark bird in the photo.

The day ended with a fine supper of black-eyed peas, kale and cornbread.

Dick, who is a Texas native, tells me that each item on our menu has symbolism: the black-eyed peas represent coins, the greens represent folding money and the cornbread represents gold. All about wealth, but I have an additional interpretation: every dish is health-giving. Health and prosperity – that’s what I hope the year brings all of us.

Copyright 2012 by Shirley Domer