So what’s the best thing to do when the sun finally comes out and you have an hour or so off for lunch? Take your lunch and sketchbook to the beach and hang out for a while with your bare feet in the warm sand. I chose a place where I knew I would be out of the beaten path–in fact I never saw another person on the beach though there were many on the beaches around me. There were terns flirting, ospreys calling and clear water changing tides. The air smelled clean, warm and salty, a true sign of spring on the Cape.

This was my walk down to a little quiet cove….

the first of the rosa rugosas, also called beach roses, are just now in bloom….

and as I sat quietly in the sand making notes of the birds and plants around me the fiddler crabs came out to play.

Fiddler crabs often retreat to their holes when they hear footsteps or see you coming but if you stand or sit quietly on the sand they will slowly emerge and begin to go about their business. In this case their business was waving their big claws in the air, which is both a challenge to other males in the area and a come on down gesture for any lady crabs in the area.

If you click on the pictures you will see them a little better and should be able to read my notes as well…

Tough way to spend a lunch break but someone had to do it….