Pieces of Shell

Back in April, I picked up shells while watching the sun come up at Surfside Beach, South Carolina. I posted about the sunrise but am just getting around to photographing the shells. Even broken shells attract attention.

Their ridges in gentle, fanning curves

The smooth surfaces worn by water and sand

The bumps where sea urchin spines once anchored

The spirals that have broken open

And some that are still tight.

All of these shells will find a new home around plants in a pot - souvenirs from a spring day at the beach.

South Carolina Sunrise

Last week I was in South Carolina and managed to get up early one morning to catch the rise as the nearby beach - Surfside Beach, between Charleston and Myrtle Beach. We checked weather.com for the sunrise time the night before and got to the beach about 6:20 AM which was just before the sunrise. The moon was still out.

The sky was full of oranges and reds when we arrive but the sun  had not broken the line of the sea at the horizon. It was clear so the light simply filled the sky above the waves. The sun peeked over the rim of the ocean and the reds faded away to oranges and pinks.

We walked along the beach, picking up shells. The morning chill and damp kept us away from the water but the damp sand made walking easier.

There were other things to notice: the people surf fishing (they did have their feet in the water), walkers that briskly made their way along the beach, birds feeding at the boundary between sea and beach, pelican skimming the waves flight in formation toward the north, seagulls chattering, and at least one other with a camera there to capture the sunrise like me.

It was an excellent way to start the day.