april 16, 2018. windansea
when the sun sets on the edge of the waves and turns the froth a translucent, iridescent purple...that's my favorite. i wish there was a paint chip name for that color. i would paint my entire bedroom that color. if i can find it, i'll tell you.
the waves glisten at golden hour and look like big oily strokes on canvas. living here, i can't decide which is more unreal - the paintings or the real thing. i can't imagine a texture better suited for depicting sunset waves than oil paint. kids run in and out of the water. a dog falls over himself to avoid getting swept up in a crest not much bigger than he is. the waves are strong at this beach. i once was stuck just 40 feet off shore, unable to swim back, contemplating drowning.
juxtapose the most perfect beach with a frenzy of photo shoots. exploitation of a perfect moment. parents yell at children to behave, brides-to-be scream with delight as their hems become soaked with water. photographers snap photos as the sunlight wanes. a newly wed couple arrive, young and pale - she's in modest white lace and he's in stark black. they traverse the rocky, steep terrain with worry.
a middle-aged couple watch the sunset while lazily propped against the rocks. he steals glances at a young woman in a bikini. she looks back and forth at him, feigning aloofness. we're all looking. and in a moment the sun passes. "one thing that's guaranteed every day," she remarks and they leave in a haste. what was once bathed in golden light is abruptly shrouded in a purple, grey haze.