China Beach
Waves intermittently washing up to the tall rock outcropping discouraged the happy couples from strolling that far down China Beach. Without any particular goal in mind for my hike, I followed an attractive blond surfer in a wet suit as he trotted down that way.
By the time I passed the outcropping, the surfer was gone and I found myself alone on a beautiful stretch of beach dotted with small boulders, the top of each jagged surface covered in dark "magnetic pearl" blue mussels. Sticking upward at all angles, the edges of the mussel's steep curved shells were brown with radial ribbing making the whole thing appear more like a plant. When I knelt close enough, I could hear them quietly popping.... sucking.
On the side of one rock, I found a flesh-colored starfish the size of my fist. The ends of its tentacles were curled in a way that seemed uncomfortable. I couldn't tell if it was dead or just waiting for the tide to come in. In any case, with my "poke it with a stick" years well behind me, I left it in peace.
By the time I passed the outcropping, the surfer was gone and I found myself alone on a beautiful stretch of beach dotted with small boulders, the top of each jagged surface covered in dark "magnetic pearl" blue mussels. Sticking upward at all angles, the edges of the mussel's steep curved shells were brown with radial ribbing making the whole thing appear more like a plant. When I knelt close enough, I could hear them quietly popping.... sucking.
On the side of one rock, I found a flesh-colored starfish the size of my fist. The ends of its tentacles were curled in a way that seemed uncomfortable. I couldn't tell if it was dead or just waiting for the tide to come in. In any case, with my "poke it with a stick" years well behind me, I left it in peace.