Oddities

I've noticed a couple of things, walking the beach......

Like, how when my face is totally relaxed, my lower lip hangs loose like an orangutan's. I had no idea it did this. I felt it drooping there the other day, keeping time with each step. Dangle, dangle, dangle. And I thought, good grief, when did that happen? What if I wore dentures? They'd plop right out of my mouth, drop to my feet and stare back at me wondering what the heck they're doing down there instead of up in my mouth. I'm wondering if this looseness has to do with all that collagen-loss magazines harp about regarding, you know, women my age? Never in my wildest thoughts did I ever think I would wonder about dentures, sloppy lips, or botox.

I've also noticed while walking ~

Dead things:
Cannon Beach has souvenir T-shirts with touristy slogans, one of which is, I walked Cannon Beach and Poked at Dead Things with a Stick. And there are dead things; all kinds of sea-life washed up with the tide, waiting to be prodded and examined. Most of what I've seen has been pre-assaulted by gulls. They tend to precisely poke out the eyeballs of fish, other gulls, seal, pelican, and various other bird-life I don't know how to identify yet. When I see these critters I can't help but to feel a kind of sober awww-that's-sad, moment. Except when it's a crow, and then I can't help but feel a kind of, yes!

Disgusting things:
I wonder how much dog poop is laying just below the sand surface? Cannon Beach loves dogs. It's a great place to let your best friend romp in sand and surf, and most dog owners carry their little blue baggies with them, scoop the poop, bag it, and dump it appropriately. But, there are other common methods I've observed as well. Like the, aw shucks, I forgot the baggie shoulder-slump, quick look around, dig a hole with your heel, push the pile in, bury it, and tamp it down method. It works. No one's the wiser; it's natural, and the tide is a good accomplice. And then every once in a while there are those proud little piles left right there on the sand.....waiting.

Other things:
A muck boot; a pair of men's briefs; a glass float from a fishing net. And tennis balls. Lots and lots of tennis balls in various stages of life. Remember, this is a dog lover's beach, and in particular, for dogs who live to fetch around the water. Some balls are still lemony, nappy, and bouncy. Others are soggy and grayish; and then there are those that look as if they've bobbed around the sea for ages, a thread-bare mushy mass of retrieving-memories.

But, circling back around to the kind of observation that startles me into the self-aging-upkeep-awareness thing ~

The oddest thing I thought I noticed while walking the beach was a boob. I could see from a distance, this geletaneous mass, protruding, nice and perky, looking exactly like a saline implant. Now, I knew there were bits and pieces of jellyfish strewn here and there, and I was pretty sure that's probably what it was. But, this was different. The other jelly masses flatly blobbed on the sand. This was perky. Shaped, well, it had that, you know, just right protrusion at the tip. And I thought, what in the world? How on earth could someone lose a breast implant? What kind of horrific impact or sea accident could cause such a thing to, pop out? And when I stooped down to examine it, there, just as perky and perfectly shaped as any C-cup boob could be, was a jellyfish blob perched on the top of the domed lid of a Slushy cup.

These are some of the oddities, the other kinds of things I notice and wonder about while walking the beach....what does that tell me?