Scents At Santa Monica's Beach

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The sea is a heady brew with all manner of life and decomposition. Unpredictable as the wind blows, its "scents" (the Poets and Storytellers United prompt this week) can shift in a whiff from pungent and fishy to tangy and fresh as rain-drenched leaves at the coastal waters of B.C. where I live, as well as at the Santa Monica shores in California where I recently visited. Beneath the sun-kissed mist hovering in a mostly cloudless sky, the Pacific Ocean breezes cooled the days just a bit while some inland areas endured unbearable three-digit heat. The best place to be was at the beach with the seagulls, luxuriating in the splashes, my toes sinking into the wave-washed sand. 

Explore more at Poets and Storytellers United, SKYWATCH and Saturday's Critters. 


Because the state of our planet is the most pressing issue of our time, link up and learn about the  Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Report.

HOLD ONTO THE LIGHT

Comments

  1. eileeninmdSeptember 4, 2023 at 11:43 AM

    Beautiful beach scenes! The sunsets are gorgeous. Peace is found at the seashore!
    Have a great day and week ahead.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Mystic MeanderingSeptember 4, 2023 at 2:36 PM

    Gorgeous photos!
    Love the poem... "life-weary bones"... I can relate! :)

    ReplyDelete
  3. colleenSeptember 5, 2023 at 5:34 AM

    Good morning! Your poem was mesmerizing to me, stirred me as someone who grew up by the ocean. And I love the idea of the virtual tent and us being each other's audience via the comment you left on my blog.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Spare Parts and PicsSeptember 7, 2023 at 12:21 PM

    Gorgeous photos. To me, there is nothing better than a day at the beach. Looks like you picked a perfect day!

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  5. TomSeptember 7, 2023 at 12:35 PM

    ...this beach bum misses the beach! The one beach shot is a bit busy for this loner!

    ReplyDelete
  6. JocelynSeptember 7, 2023 at 3:35 PM

    Gorgeous beach scenes.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Pisi PrklSeptember 7, 2023 at 7:37 PM

    Love the opening shot. Fine photo.

    ReplyDelete
  8. carol l mckennaSeptember 8, 2023 at 6:58 AM

    Divine photos of the ocean and beach ~ nature's gem ~ thanks,

    Wishing you good health, laughter and love in your days,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

    ReplyDelete
  9. colleenSeptember 8, 2023 at 7:09 AM

    That put me in a trance. It made me miss my home peninsula.

    ReplyDelete
  10. Brother OllieSeptember 8, 2023 at 7:21 AM

    Lucky to have experienced the California Ocean once. Beautiful poem.

    ReplyDelete
  11. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2023 at 8:07 AM

    Beautiful photos and a lovely poem. The sea runs through my veins as well.

    ReplyDelete
  12. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2023 at 8:08 AM

    oops...the above comment was from Rall

    ReplyDelete
  13. Light and VoicesSeptember 8, 2023 at 9:22 AM

    Fantabulous!

    ReplyDelete
  14. AnonymousSeptember 8, 2023 at 11:21 AM

    You took me there, for sure - which is a marvellous thing and a tribute to your writing... Especially loved the closing two lines. Bravo!

    ReplyDelete
  15. JinksySeptember 8, 2023 at 12:30 PM

    I was sniffing the breeze all the way with your words! Thanks for the beautiful seascapes, too.

    ReplyDelete
  16. eileeninmdSeptember 9, 2023 at 2:59 AM

    Beautiful poem and lovely photos of the ocean and beach. Love the gulls and the seascapes. Thank you for linking up and sharing your post. Take care, have a great weekend.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Shiju SugunanSeptember 9, 2023 at 5:13 AM

    Beautiful pics! The way you capture the essence of the ocean, from the pungent and fishy to the fresh and rain-soaked, is truly evocative. I can almost feel the Pacific Ocean breezes cooling the air and the joy of being at the beach!

    ReplyDelete
  18. RommySeptember 9, 2023 at 6:39 AM

    There is something very charming yet very wistful about your piece. That letting go you describe seems so peaceful.

    ReplyDelete
  19. klaraSeptember 9, 2023 at 11:12 AM

    beautiful beach scenes

    ReplyDelete
  20. Debi SwimSeptember 10, 2023 at 5:42 AM

    I love your poem and your pictures!

    ReplyDelete
  21. Rosemary Nissen-WadeSeptember 10, 2023 at 4:53 PM

    What a gorgeous poem! I love the scents (and sights) of the sea too.

    ReplyDelete
  22. JimSeptember 10, 2023 at 9:01 PM

    Scents coming in off the sea do have their smells. Some intriguing, others disgusting. Our beaches off the Gulf Coast waters are like this also.
    ..

    ReplyDelete
  23. DeniseinVASeptember 11, 2023 at 2:59 PM

    Love the poem and these gorgeous photos. It has been many years since our days of living in San Diego, and our excursions north. You have brought back wonderful times, thank you!

    ReplyDelete
  24. Yogi♪♪♪September 12, 2023 at 3:58 PM

    Beautiful photos. We just got back from a week and a half on the Alabama Gulf Coast and we loved the beach, the marshes, and the nearby woods.

    ReplyDelete
  25. stardustSeptember 12, 2023 at 10:29 PM

    This post gave a breath of fresh air to me who has almost felt like being suffocated in the humid heat all the summer. I like seaside, the scent of salty air and the wound of waves. I’m touched by your poetry. Why do we feel nostalgic at the sea; there’d be some things that are far deeper than remembrance and memory.

    ReplyDelete
  26. purplepeninportland.comSeptember 17, 2023 at 4:48 PM

    Stunning sunsets here, with a lovely poem to match.

    ReplyDelete

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