Sand makes for soft curvatures.

Close-ups of the dunes show

sand topped by glistening pebbles,

hopeful baby cottonwoods,

and sliding sand exposing roots of cottonwood above sand rippled by wind.

Another long-distance view shows dune rhythms.

This is were we chose to put down our roots. And yet, this summer, there have been only three hikes into the dunes. In contrast to last year, when I roamed often here and at other sites, collecting tons of dune images. What happened?

Visitors? My mother, 90 yr old, likes to sit at the beach under a shady tree, watching the waves. Likewise, my grandson, a toddler, likes playing at the beach and my friends like beach walks. But still, there was plenty of free time where I could have been roaming in solitude.

Perhaps, I felt more domestic this year, staying closer to the house, except for a couple of solitary mornings shooting rocks? Perhaps, I let my day job intrude, spending too much time at the computer?

Or, more interesting and hopeful, perhaps I am incubating who I am artwise?

Do you have periods during which you seemingly do not do much but that, in retrospect, proved to be fertile?

August 16th, 2008