Although it was only 32 degrees Fahrenheit today, the wind was kind enough to calm down and the sun found plenty of clear space in the sky. The horses were happy, the dogs perhaps more so. There is nothing more joyful than watching a dog run like the wind with ecstatic freedom possibly seldom experienced during its day at home.
White foam gathered in clouds as the waves shaped it over and over, like an artist stepping back from the painting to observe then approach to push the paint around a bit here, a bit there.
I was thoroughly enjoying this image in my mind, taking a few pictures, when three young women from Austria, India, and Israel who are presently working in Boston, approached me to inquire about the cause of the foam. They were convinced it was toxic and probed with their lovely thinking minds probable solutions, evaluations, actions. Now, I'm as concerned about pollution as most conscientious people and frankly sometimes think way too much, but this conversation was a bit like someone bursting into my studio and taking my paintbrushes out of my hand.
When I came home, I was determined to keep my images within the beautiful framework of my experience. At the same time, I decided to investigate the white foam. It turns out that most likely it is indeed from natural causes.
Science Daily had an article about severe cases of algae breaking down and being churned up by waves to create a sort of abrasive soap-like emulsion that actually killed a few hundred birds in Monterey Bay because it eroded their protective feathers. We have a lot of red tide here which produces this excess of algal bloom.
So you see, my imaginings were not so imaginary after all, the sea was creating.
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