We check in most every year, this rock and I. Down in the low zone when a minus tide and modest swell permit. It’s more accurate to say I check in. The last time was a pleasant, cloudy morning in May. I’m always eager to catch up. The rock hosts mussels and barnacles up top, and red seaweeds run down its shoulders to the sand. A swash of green surfgrass separates the salt and pepper on top from the coralline below. These occupants lend a look as familiar as an old friend’s, and as people do, I look for changes.
Before last May, the most recent photo I have handy is from May 2018. Over three years, the changes have been subtle. Do you notice any? (One thing for sure, the weather was remarkably similar.)
Following the reunion, I took advantage of the short time afforded by the rising tide to renew a couple of other notable acquaintanceships.
Here’s the rock as it appeared the first time I photographed it.
I share other comparative musings in On the Rocks: Now and Then.