Walking on our nearby beach on Monday, March 13th, as the tide rolls out. The temperature is over 70. The place is packed. Thirty surfers float expectantly near the surf break, which is closer than usual. There are swimmers and boogie boarders, kids and dogs, sun-bathers and beach joggers, tide poolers and water-gazers. Three slender young women strolling in front of me are wearing approximately nothing; a harbinger of the summer?

As usual, the only spots open at Whole Foods are labeled Compact, so I nudge my Compact SUV into one of them. To my right is a Toyota 4Runner. To my left is a pickup truck. No one has trouble fitting into the spots, or getting in or out.

Driving home from Whole Foods I see a bank of fog traveling toward me from the ocean. It is moving fast. Houses nearby are unaffected, houses two blocks ahead are a little blurry, and houses four blocks ahead are hard to discern. Soon I am engulfed. Three hours later, we see a sky full of stars over the hot tub.

During my last trip to the nearby redwood forest, I learn that banana slugs have more teeth than a great white shark, in absolute numbers. Redwoods are too tannic for insects to survive underneath them, so banana slugs are the primary detritivores there. The ranger spends time talking to us about them, with the help of an excellent photo on his cellphone.

Waiting to turn left onto East Cliff from 38th is a full-sized pickup with a tall man driving and a tall collie in the passenger seat. Their heads are at about the same height, and both are silently watching the road, waiting patiently to turn. I don’t notice if the dog is wearing a seatbelt. Walking by, I see a woman riding a bicycle. There is a yellow and blue macaw perched in the center of the handlebar.

After almost an hour of tidepooling, I am rewarded by the sight of a largish ochre star, perhaps seven inches in diameter. Other than that is was pretty much anemones and hermit crabs, not that I don’t enjoy seeing those. I have recently realized that, just as a forest hunter needs to be aware of the wind direction, I have to position myself with respect to the sun. My shadow looming over a tide pool ensures every creature will hide.