Bite The Sea

Barley, a dog, braces herself to chomp at incoming waves on a rocky beach.

Barley’s experience of the river may have been an anxiety-provoking experience for her, but she’s always seemed excited to visit the beach. Certainly, it’s a carnival of odors and no doubt her nose is alive with the smells of ocean, but she also seems to find waves very compelling. Her inclination, I think, is to see each swell as a distinct “thing,” and the undulations of the waves (rushing forward and withdrawing, telegraphing their motions) seem to put her into a playtime state of mind.