Sandstorm along the Northsea Beach

The storm blew wet sand into my eyes. I had to step down from my bike, being too powerless against the headwind. On the almost deserted beach I crossed to the sea, protecting my face. Because of the sandstorm only the Northside could be taken in the viewer. So I did make some photos. But protecting my camera as much as possible. The storm wanted to tear it out of my hands. In between the shots I hid the Lumix in my pocket. There I stood shaking under the storm blows, thinking: why don’t you just return home for tea?


And that was the moment I saw the man walking with his dog in the sandstorm. Almost as if it was rather usual to walk and play with a ball. Just a monday afternoon. The dog was jumping in and out the surf to pick up and carry back his play-prey. That’s fun, said his wagging tail. Regardless of the weather conditions. And his young master kept joining in all the way to the North. For a while I followed them until they vanished in the dusty distance. Then I climbed back to my bike and sailed home.

After shaking off the sand we enjoyed tea together in our comfy living. The rest of the afternoon I left the tv turned off. Feeling both tired and refreshed by my stormy experience. I feel as if I’ve been under a desert storm since last Wednesday. We will learn to discern anew and see with a clear eyes. We will remember the Seventh to the Eleventh of January 2015. The birth of a new era in Europe. From the Fall of the Berlin Wall to the Paris Massacre. That’s history now. And still and again a dog is playing at a stormy Northsea beach.