SCENES FROM THE BEACH | by George Thatcher / OCT. 11, 2015

Two hermit crabs had left their shells briefly to bask in the morning's sunshine at water's edge. Suddenly, danger lurked in the threatening arrival of a flock of gulls, causing the hermits to scamper back into the safety of their shells. The motivation, of course, was simply self-preservation, that powerful, deeply imbedded, intuitive urge shared, not only with shorebirds and fish, but also with other living creatures, including humans. All of us, it seems, are endowed with a will to live forever.

-- Diary, fall 2015

From the diary of beach walker George Thatcher / Email: fishcrow@aol.com

Collections of Mr. Thatcher's observations are available from Quail Ridge Press (www.quailridge.com or 1-800-343-1583).

This story was originally published October 10, 2015 at 5:54 PM with the headline "SCENES FROM THE BEACH | by George Thatcher / OCT. 11, 2015 ."