Exploring
Day 18.
A solitary trip to the beach with book and pen. Took up the opportunity of unusually low tide to try my luck at wading out half a mile to an offshore island. Stashed my bag in a bush and swung my way around sea urchin fields, fat red starfish, tiny shy crabs, odd sea cucumbers, neon salmon coral, and loads of seaweed and sink sand. Passed a few women picking abalone from the weed to make into jewelry (maybe to end up in an American Eagle by you soon). Made it to the island after some doubts of rising tide and almost an hour’s time. I was the only person on it to my knowledge, and passed no one while there. Bright green algae and left-claw-heavy crabs lined my arrival on a pier of volcanic black rock. Mangrove roots rooted up from the rocky beach like living stalagmites. Followed a path into the woods and came upon a small, almost tribal fishing camp, deserted, it’s workers offshore in two wading lines a few hundred yards out. Took my time on the walk home, meeting a few people and discovering some new markets off of the main road. Unwound poolside with Walden and Miles Davis. I could get used to this.
