Day 53. What’s Left?

Autumn Beach in Wildwood Crest, New Jersey

Summer beach is glamorous. Dazzling sunshine, colourful umbrellas, sounds of breaking wave, overly excited teenagers, beautiful tan line, smell of coconut oil, and even reading on the sand beach is glamorous.

People often go to beach in winter. It’s nostalgic. Aching cold wind remind us how gorgeous this summer was.

What about autumn? What’s left, when everybody’s gone?

Beach in autumn is somehow gloomy. Summer is fun and gorgeous, winter is nostalgic and poetic, but beach in the autumn is, blue.

Wildwood Crest, New Jersey. I was here almost exactly two months ago to spend a week. Boardwalk, I put my feet on the Atlantic Ocean for the first time, sunshine… everything represents the perfect summer. It was little different this time of the year. Sea creatures – shore birds, horseshoe crabs, clams, crabs and seaweeds were taking over the beach instead.

Wildwood Crest has the bird refugee area that you can’t walk for all year around. It was necessary step specially in summer, but in autumn, the birds seem like find their peace inside and outside of their protected area. The sand piper was really fun to watch.

Moreover, I don’t remember when I saw a horseshoe crab this close. I saw lots of deal shells in summer but this time, I walked with baby ones and ones that still alive. They look like an ancient creature. It is almost one of the most fascinating living creature I’ve ever seen. Can see why they are considered as a living fossil.

It has a different than cheery summer atmosphere, but I enjoyed it very much. This must be more natural way of the ocean, as it is.