It's Beach. How does a place get a name like that? It's Beach has so many memories for me. Anyone who attended the fine University Of California at Santa Cruz and is proud enough to call oneself a slug has had ample time spend on this little beach just around the corner of the point at Steamer Lane. This place is a summer time draw for drum circles. People love to come here to walk their dogs. There are of course the derelict/homeless vagrants who swim naked here as a form of showering. And then there are the perfect shore break barrels -- perfect for body surfing!

With the Coldwater Classic in full effect less than a football's throw away, there was major food chain activity occurring in the waters here at this little cove with sandy beaches and gentle bluffs. Hundreds of sea birds, sea mammals and fish swarmed into a big massive, pulsing entity literally ten big steps into the water from the shore. Within this mass that resembled a bee swarm but underneath and on top of the ocean's surface were many levels of predation occurring simultaneously. Heermann's Gulls, Bonaparte's Gulls, Western Gulls, Ashy Storm Petrels, Surf Scoters, Brown Pelicans and Brandt's Cormorants were distinguishable among probably several other species of aviary grubbers. Breaking the surface with tail whips and surface-busting gulps and gasps were a gaggle of seals. Of course, invisible to the terrestrial dwellers like myself, there must have been many versions of "big fish eats little fish" playing out over and over again. This naturally includes a few great whites that were probably prowling the deeper waters waiting for a gorged seal to mistakenly swim past.

One such seal was too smart for that. Stuffed to the gullets with all that prime seafood, she beached herself with the tide and had to lay there enduring the endless cackling barks of a tiny dog that would not leave her alone. Other passers by had to step in between the seal and the dog on numerous occasions to try to dissuade the instinctual freak out that was occurring. Where the hell was the owner of this dog? Have some respect; get your yapping pooch away from the marine mammal!

Then a little set wave came through. Before this pulse of energy, the frenzy was happily increasing intensity, but when this wave snuck up on the party and unloaded, it sent sea birds and flapping wildly every direction and even plowed over a few pelicans that got driven backwards with the crashing surf. Shaking off the surprise blast, these beautiful sea faring creatures flapped and flapped, finally regained control, and circled over the food pit for another drop-in.

ER Harris