The look and feel of the beach...

can change measurably with time of day, season, coloring of the sky, etc. Fog can make the beach seem like a padded room, close and intimate. Cold winds can send shivers through you... and sand into your clothes, making you decide that a quick look, rather than a long stroll down to the cove, might be in order. Sunset turns the water's edge to pale gold. Here are a few variations I've observed.

Winter and its lowering skies may seem oppressive, but
they turn the curling waves an amazing, delicate green.

Sky tones can affect the look of the water's surface. Here pelicans fly over a calm sea of seeming silver on an overcast afternoon.

Sunset stains the sea with warm,
deep colors and give it a sheen.

Beyond the bridge and sea wall, emerald-colored
winter waves curl and crash in a putty-toned sea.

Even mundane details of beach reality
can be very beautiful. These delicate trails
were produced by water making its way
back to the shoreline around three stones.

Beyond the shoreline, the Channel
Islands are tinted with warm orange
tones by the late afternoon light.

Patterns texture the sky at Mugu Rock,
a local landmark, as evening approaches.