Bowling Ball Beach, I

 Our long-awaited return to Bowling Ball Beach was a different experience this time.  In fact, one of the exciting aspects of the seashore is that it is different every time.  But this time, I was reminded of an old Disney documentary, "Four Artists Paint a Tree."  My wife and I hike the trails and wander the beach together, and we talk, and we look around, but we see different things - or, we see the same things in different ways.  For instance, the approach to the trail descending to the beach is a long, flat area covered with dried out grass.  It was very windy, and I suspect most people walk quickly through this section just to get out of the wind.  Or, they decide it's too windy and return to their cars.  We never turn back due to wind, but my wife walked quickly while I was stopped in my tracks by this one flower (above).  I haven't yet identified it, but it was the only one I saw, and I will consult the field guides later.  Meanwhile, I tried to be patient as the wind moved the flower back and forth like a pendulum, until I could catch it at the end of its swing where it was still enough, for a split second, for a clear shot.

 When we descended the steep trail to the beach, including the last slippery ten feet or so, our separate missions became apparent.  Here's Bib looking for miniatures of the rocks that give the beach its name.

 Here she is again in an area covered with these kinds of rocks.

 These two examples now adorn our front deck and a few places inside the house.

 Meanwhile, I was looking for more biological rather than geological items.  I'll feature my findings in my next post.  At this point (below), I realized that the really large "bowling balls" we saw on our 2012 trip to this area were yet a mile or so ahead.  We retreated because there was more coast to explore and limited time.