Musings on a Beach

On holiday recently Mrs W and I paid a visit to the village of Robin Hood’s Bay. Near Whitby and situated hard by the sea it is a step back in time with small dwellings on a steep bank, with cobbled streets and tiny alleyways. 
We took a walk on the beach and on looking at the scene I thought how unearthly it looked.
I thought this a strange notion to have until I realized that it was unearthly because the land I was viewing spent a great deal of time under the sea and so it was likely to seem ‘unearthly’.
Beaches always seem to do this to me: my mind recognizes the immense time scale that these landscapes have existed. Time passing is evidenced by the waves advancing and retreating on the shore, yet the beach endures – changing only slowly.
A view such as this prompts me to wonder about the long ago past when life first ventured upon land: would the view have been so different? Seaweed, rocks, creatures scuttling around in the pools and the ever present waves.

One last thought: I always like to watch dogs on a beach – their joy is immense and always lifts my spirits to see. Running, sniffing, paddling, swimming – their tales wagging to proclaim their joy to the world.

(First published September 21, 2017, see https://bluekeycic.org.uk/2017/09/21/musings-on-a-beach/.)