At the Beach, Manomet Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It was one of those days that makes winter worth it.



Warm but not too warm, a light breeze, and a few puffy clouds.



And if you don't want to sit, it's good for walking.



And if you want a section of beach all to yourself..........

At the Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's in the mid-80's F on this recent day, the bay water temp is mid-70's, and a severe thunderstorm watch is in effect for later.



Low tide in the middle of the day always encourages visitors - especially on a weekend day.



The bluff at the right side of this image is unusual.........



......because it has suffered much erosion over the past few seasons and the house and other property features are now close to the edge. It was recently listed for sale for $599,000. It is assessed on the Town of Plymouth website at $801,400. I am curious what it ends up selling for. Some work will be required........

Yoga on the Beach, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I think I must be spending too much time at Priscilla Beach Theatre lately.  Every scene in regular life I see with multiple people, gives me an urge to turn it into a dramatic stage ensemble vocal number like "A Chorus Line."

Of course, these folks are not stage performers but rather Amy's yoga group assembled on White Horse Beach for a morning session.



The angle of view for these first few images was directly into the morning sun so I wanted to take advantage of the silhouette effect and.......



....experiment with different effects in my post-processing software. (Photoshop Elements 14).



Moving out of the direct line of sun gives a better sense of location on White Horse Beach. The distant promontory is the northernmost portion of Priscilla Beach.

This early in the morning there are no other beach-goers out just yet - (and it's a weekday).








Yoga is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India. I found conflicting dates of origin but in any case, the practice is certainly thousands of years old.

Cloud Study, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I arrived at the beach for a walk as this dramatic sequence of cloud formations unfolded before my eyes.

Sort of a "Wizard of Oz" look.

All these scenes occurred over about an hour of real time. And no, I didn't get rained on.

Xcacel Beach, Tulum, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

I was surprised at how crowded this beach was compared to my visit last year.  Of course, it was a Sunday afternoon so maybe that was the reason.  There was also a lifeguard on duty and a police officer patrolling with his machine gun slung over his shoulder.

Even the crowds couldn't detract from a walk in the spongy, springy, squishy sand that make up this spectacular beach. 

Clouds rolled in and clouds rolled out but the air and water temperatures remained about 78 degrees F.

On reflection, I guess it wasn't too crowded after all.  I've seen a few beaches in my life - and this is one the more beautiful anywhere. 

A few hundred yards walk south along the beach is a small cenote. They recently began construction of this walkway and dock to prevent damage to the mangrove roots along the trail.

As soon as you get in the water, hundreds of little fish immediately swarm your legs nibbling away.  It is an odd sensation.

And this local resident was not too keen on humans interrupting his lunch - those same little fish who get too close to the edge.

This area is maintained as a turtle sanctuary to protect the habitat.  Entry fee was 25 pesos/person. (about $2.00 USD). The quotation under the name of the sanctuary  translates as: "Only when the last tree has died and the last river been poisoned and the last fish caught will we realize we cannot eat money" - American Indian Wisdom.

Afternoon at the Beach, Puerto Aventuras, Quintana Roo, Riviera Maya, Mexico

Hark, what is this man pointing toward?............

....perhaps he points toward this young boy momentarily distracted from his toy truck by some wonder of the sea......

....or, perhaps he points toward this young  man showing off his oiled and bronzed abs for the camera....

....or, perhaps he points toward the small fleet of sailboats offshore preparing for the upcoming regatta.

Regardless of where he points, the warm and gentle waves lap the shore as sunset approaches.... 

 

.....and it's time to say goodbye to another beautiful day.

White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This view is from an undeveloped lot at Manomet Point. The property next door is being sold for close to $800,000 USD.  Frankly, if I had 800K to spend on an oceanfront property, I'd go where it's warmer but, to each his/her own. It is a spectacular place anyway and only an hour from Boston or twenty minutes from Cape Cod. This is the low tide view - at high tide all the rocks and sand are covered.

And I do mean covered.  Here is a similar view last October during a nasty storm and high tide.

Back to present time, at low tide, White Horse is a nice flat walking beach......

.....with a few way cool big rocks.

Now that it's getting cooler, fewer people are out but there seem to be more gulls.

And the seasonal houses are starting to look deserted after the summer fun.

Priscilla Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Priscilla Beach at low tide.  And no, this is not a Photoshopped sky - this is really how it looked that day.

Looking south toward White Horse Beach and Manomet Point. (Panorama - click on image to view in full width.

This image suggests a huge cloud wave curling and about to break on the beach. 

Just the smallest bit of blue sky remaining before the clouds closed in. (Panorama - click on image to view in full width).

With or without clouds, Priscilla Beach and adjacent White Horse Beach are beautiful places on the planet. (Panorama - click on image to view in full width).

Horse, Plymouth Beach, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I don't see this too often but, now that the summer crowds are mostly gone, I guess it is a great time to take your horse to the beach.  He/she tentatively pawed (hoofed?) at the water's edge a few times before venturing out to knee depth then turned back and walked in the shallow surf.  It looked like the rider was letting the horse determine the course but it's hard to tell what subtle cues may have passed between the two.

I think a horse might be a better kid-magnet than a dog! They came running from all directions with daddies in tow to touch his/her muzzle from on tip-toe and stare upward at the huge gentle creature.