A Pause Among Bathers

About this piece

A seated woman reaches toward a large white dog amid the movement of a crowded beach. Strong sunlight illuminates the dog's coat and the seaweed-lined shore, while blue umbrellas and distant palms soften into a dense backdrop. The diagonal sweep of sand gathers the scene around this small pocket of stillness.

The story

January arrives here in saturated blue and sunlit sand. Children hurry along the water's edge, crossing the golden-brown ribbons of seaweed. Beside them, a woman sits low on the beach and extends her hand toward a white dog. Its red leash lies slack across the sand. Beneath the crowded canopy of umbrellas, their pause seems to hold a little extra room.