On the Beach

Last Friday night, the beautiful full moon teamed up with a very high tide, a strong westerly wind, and a deeper breakthrough of the estuary to accomplish a rapid and thorough remodel of San Pancho's beach.

I walked down to take a look. The beach was flattened, the earlier stairstep effect erased. And where once was sea-cleaned sand was now a wave-deposited junkyard.

Sure, some of it was natural drift: wood and seed pods and jungle plants washed down the river.

But a lot of it was garbage, either litter or the contents of garbage and recycling containers swept away by wind or water.

The dogs liked it.

And the pelicans didn't seem to mind.

Out in the ocean, the surfers were delighting in the huge waves. Can you see the fellow paddling his board just below the right edge of the wave break?

Our San Pancho surfers caught wave after wave.

I took a few photos then looked back to see a group of young people approaching the mess. They opened a big plastic garbage bag and set to work.

I spoke with one of the young women who told me they are San Pancho residents, students at the Secondaria, who had been divided into teams and sent off to clean a part of the town. This group got dibs on the beach.

As I watched, they filled their giant bag.

Then Cece, an American friend who owns Cafe Arte here in town with her Chilean husband, showed up with a generous supply of additional bags. That's her on the left, helping the students clean.

Everyone seemed to be having fun. After all, cleaning the beach beats sitting at a desk. Before long, the nearby drift was cleared of its plastic debris.

I talked to Colo, preparing to serve customers at La Perla restaurant. He told me they'd been there half the night saving tables from the waves and removing drift from the sand that is the restaurant floor. By the time I arrived at ten a.m., they were cleaned and raked and ready to go.

Down the beach, in front of Las Palmas restaurant, another team was working.

They had a little helper who seemed fascinated with her part-time job.

So the beach is inviting yet again, two of the three palapa restaurants open for business.

But this is September, the month that brought the floods two years ago, and we're way behind on rainfall. We'll see what happens in the next month before rainy season comes to an end once again.

In the meantime, there are mornings that are beautiful for walking the beach. You never know what you'll find, but there's always the sea, warm sand underfoot, and, if you're lucky, a hand to hold.

Comments

[Gretchen]

Lovely to see........ I guess years ago there were not so many plastic things to wash up on beaches.... sad place we have reached...... we need to all help in our own little ways, for one leaving the excess packaging behind at stores to make someone aware of the fact there is TOO much. thanks again Candice for reminding us of what the young people are so aware of now... our excess plastic mess! "the sins of the fathers"....

[Jeanne]

What a huge mess! Kudos to all the volunteers - that's hard work!

What will be done with all the driftwood, etc. that was washed ashore?

[Candice]

Wasn't it? You know, this is a fairly new concept here in Mexico, this picking up of litter and recycling and all. Fifteen or so years ago it wouldn't have happened. Now the streets of San Pancho have garbage and recycling containers every few blocks, and the newer generations are learning to care better for their environment.
xo
C

[Char]

What a beautiful community effort!