232 – Ripples

It’s time for a blog break because blog breaks are good. I foresee this break being most of June, therefore anticipating a return sometime in July. Meanwhile, be well and be safe.

Click the video above for several minutes of background waves while reading.

I like walking on the beach. It is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.

From the balcony high above the sand, the sea is a seemingly endless line of waves as gentle ripples across the water. It’s even better when the rays of sunshine on a cloudless day because the ripples transform the sunlight into a sea of sparkling diamonds.

Today I’m pondering ripples. Thinking about ripples brings other terms to mind, such as wavy, ridges, creases, and wrinkles – but this is the only time I’ll mention the rippling skin of aging. 

Ripples of water are always present on the sea – especially on a day when the wind is mild, the sea is calm, and the sun is bright on a clear day. On those days, the sound of the waves coming to shore is far from ferocious – sounding more like gentle laps. In some ways, those days are eerie because they are abnormal – but they are never as gentle as the ripples coming ashore at a lake or a river.

I love a calm sea at low tide. The waves break far off-shore, then easily ripple to the shore to the tune of gentile swishes. This is extra precious when I encounter this on an early morning stroll to catch the sunrise.

I think of ripples as the small waves caused by tossing a small stone into the water- especially into a still lake, a small pond, or a calm river. The falling rock forms magical concentric rings worth pondering. That reminds me of skilled Olympic divers smoothly entering the water and minimizing splash by creating only ripples.

Visit Robin at Breezes at Dawn

Looking into the shallow water near the shoreline at the sandy bottom, I see ripples of sand appearing as wavy ridges. I’m sure water’s ability to bend (refract) light influences what I see, but I know the sand ridges are real. They seem to mimic the flowing water – ripples of sand collecting the moving sand carried by the ripples of water. 

I notice this beach isn’t flat – but a slight, gentle roll. Away from the shoreline, the rolls are more pronounced and protected with sea oats and shrubs. My first thought is that these are ridges of sand, but then I realize they are large ripples on the vast landscape of this beach.

Because a stretch of soft, soupy sand is difficult to walk, I move away from the shoreline to find firm sand. I find an area that is slightly lower than the surrounding sand. I imagine water must have pooled here, and then the wind blows over the water causing it to ripple. As the water evaporates and percolates downward, the rippling water leaves ripples of sand as evidence to ponder. That’s only my guess because I don’t know the actual reason.

While thinking about ripples, I look to the sky. The puffy white clouds catch my eye as I notice their ripples. The ripples seem absent in the wispy streaks higher in the sky. I suddenly flash back to yesterday and the heavy cloud banks that dominated the sky. The lower surface of the clouds appeared as waves mimicking the water’s surface. I wonder: Is the wind matching the ripples across two surfaces?

Reaching the rocky point, more people than usual are here. A few are fishing, while others enjoy a beach day – and some are beach walkers like me. Looking around, I notice a different set of ripples. The hair of some people is wavy, which (to me) is a softer look than curly. Is wavy hair ripples?

One person is flying a kite – and the ripples of the kite’s tail are obvious. Beyond the rocks, a small pleasure boat is returning from the sea. Given a no-wake zone, the boat causes ripples of small waves to move across the channel.

Photo by Ron Lach on Pexels.com

As I begin my return trip, my mind continues churning about ripples. Although today is a sunny day, everyone uses occasional ripples across a puddle as a sign of raindrops. I chuckle thinking about needing to iron wrinkled clothing to remove the ripples.

Thoughts about ridges led me to ponder ripples – and it worked. Then again, the human brain maximizes serendipitous moments with thoughts. Just another reason why I like to walk on the beach; which is good for the mind, body, and soul – and refreshing on my feet.  

I’m linking to Jo’s Monday Walk to Setenil de Las Bodegas. Tell her I sent you.

See what other bloggers have posted about Ripples

• Ripples (a poem by a reader here)
• Ripples (a short observation essay)
• The Ripple Effect (a poem)
• Friday Ripples (a poem)
• Ripples in the Sand (a photo)

Next Post: Solitude – a future Saturday in July @ 1 AM (Eastern US)