Patterns in the Sand

I live in Southwest Florida where I can walk for miles on beaches 

that caress the eastern edge of the Gulf of Mexico.

While I am walking I can't help but to notice the patterns

that develop in the ever-changing seashore sands. 

I interpret the patterns in the sand 

maybe

because I was a geographer

and I remember that

Process

is the key to understanding

the shifting of physical 

earth forms.

But also,

I love wind and waves.

And

who doesn't like

detective work???

     From the subtlety of tidal debris patterns to the unmistakable canine foot print, detecting is just a small part of being there when one strolls the calming zone between the land and the sea,

     While walking I ask myself what happened to leave the many and various patterns in the sand? What is the relative timeline in the scene? Which patterns were made first and by what force(s) of nature?

^^^

Please enjoy puzzling over some of the patterns and the natural forces 

at work in the following iPhoto images from some of Florida's sandy beaches.

 

XXX

FIN

Patterns 1

Left Coast of Florida

The Gulf of Mexico is a shallow, warm and placid sea that draws millions of Yankee tourists and retirees to Southwest Florida. The tourist industry counts on warm winters and placid waters. Tourists from all over the world imagine they will soak up the sun on sand white beaches when they make their Florida reservations. 

Left Coast of Florida

But perception is not always reality. This month the weather is cool enough (near freezing at night) to send residents into their bottom drawers for long sleeved shirts and sweaters. Only shivering tourists run around in short pants and shirts these days.

Still Yankee tourists laugh at annual residents for our thin blood and December sweaters. But I've spent a lifetime shivering in Minnesota's cold and I contend that Florida summers are a real test for true grit. If you can make it through hurricanes and heat and humidity for a few Florida summers, you will keep your sweaters handy and you will be welcomed by the rest of us wearing long pants in December.

~ ~ ~

Margins of the Gulf

Margins of the Gulf is an ongoing photographic theme that continues to intrigue me.

I'm interested in watching that strand of land that geographers call the littoral zone; essentially the land between high and low tides. This long strip of land follows the sea coast all around the world. It's magnetic in its appeal to people seeking the peaceful rhythms of the sea.

I look to catch a bar or two of visual melody here, the melody being played by strollers along the littoral staff. To my eye, people become dancers and notes on the littoral staff. Click title link for more ...

The Ignorance That Moves Me

Ignorance about the future is seductive; it always pulls us into itself. As much as I know, I know nothing about the outcome of this moment. I did not always carry this frame of mind, nor did I always care.

As a young man I knew what moved me. Sarasota was warmer than Boston. That moved my intended migration route from Minneapolis to Boston to Sarasota. I didn't have much care about the future other than a vague sense of continuing my life in the warmth of the sun, next to the blue-green waters of the Gulf of Mexico. I just jumped into my future with blissful ignorance.

I can reflect upon that decision to migrate with greater accuracy today because I brought a few cameras along with me to Sarasota. This view of my sweetheart reminds me of who we were and w hat attracted us at the time we came here. But the picture tells me nothing about what will follow this moment.

To clarify, I have plunged into posting this picture with complete ignorance of what the future will bring. Now I begin to wonder.

At least you don't have to wonder what my monitor screen looks like today; This is it.