I paused during my beach walk to let nature sink in.I had a few free hours before sunset, so I had come to Torrey Pines State Beach for a late afternoon walk in the sand and to let my mind wander.As I strolled, I realized this narrow interface between the towering buttresses of sandstone and the sea is a place of nourishment.
All around me there were creatures feeding.Crabs were scurrying over rocks looking for bits of food churned in by the tides. The birds were scooping up or diving for small fish, probing the sand for worms or crabs.
When the sun hit at the right angle, I got a quick glimpse of a dolphin silhouetted in the waves as it darted about with such ease and agility looking for small fish.Human visitors were feeding their souls.Barefoot children, oblivious to the chill or winter sea water, splashed in the flow of incoming waves.
Surfers were lost in the Zen of a rolling sea, lovers walked along holding hands, and others simply sat and tuned into the sounds, sights and smells of the foamy surf hurtling against the sandy beach.In the low afternoon light, I marveled at the clusters of tiny sanderlings as they ran to and fro, avoiding waves as they scoured the beach for food.A sanderling searches for food at Torrey Pines State Beach.
(Ernie Cowan / For The San Diego Union-Tribune)I felt guilty enjoying the winter beach in 70-plus degree weather while other parts of the nation shivered in bitter cold.Well, maybe, a little guilty.OK, no guilt whatsoever.
As the afternoon sun.
