Night Light of the North Coast: Ray of Beauty at Moonstone Beach

The lifeless ray lay on the shore with its tail still in the water. Above, the Milky Way, With Jupiter and Saturn, marked its passage in their night-long vigil.

An odd thing happened while out sifting through the coastal night light for a compelling image. The waxing crescent moon had already set, and the night was dark. My brother Seth and I walked without lights through the night along the beach, each step something of a leap of faith as only faint differences in the darkness revealed the sandy contours before us.

Presently a lighter object emerged from the shadows on the ground ahead, its dim form sliding slowly toward us as we walked. It was probably trash, I thought, remnants of a sunny day’s activities thoughtlessly left behind. I nearly kicked at it to ascertain its composition, but was spared that folly as my brother flicked his light on to reveal the lifeless form of some kind of ray.

White and pasty, it lay on the sand with its tail still in the waters of Little River, apparently left high and dry by the receding tide. Its smell told us it wasn’t freshly deceased. Hideous, was a word that came to mind, but these bat-like sea creatures had always fascinated me. Could I get a photo of this, I wondered? But the smell rose again and we moved on.

But later, after shooting the scene I’d come out to photograph, we walked back past the dead creature. I should commemorate it, I thought, honor its life. It was the day we’d lost a Supreme Court Justice, Ruth Bader Ginsberg, and here was this lifeless form washed up on the beach. I felt I should stop; perhaps there was a way to find the beauty in the end of its life, and pay the old critter its due respects.

What is in a perception? What at first I had thought was trash, upon closer examination became the smelly lifeless body of a dead sea creature. And after reflection, it transformed again to something I wanted to honor and memorialize, though I didn’t yet see in my mind’s eye how to make an interesting photograph of it. So we stopped on our way past it again to try. And something beautiful rose out of an object I had thought was only trash.

To read previous entries of “Night Light of the North Coast,” click on my name above the article. To keep abreast of my most current photography or purchase a print, visit and contact me at my website mindscapefx.com or follow me on Instagram at @david_wilson_mfx .

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Willie Bray
Guest
3 years ago

🕯🌳Thank you David for your distraction in this time of fires and other bad news. And thank you Kym for sharing.

KIDDZZ
Guest
3 years ago

Nice capture of that scene! And a good night to be at the beach, such a pleasant temperature with very little wind. Good times!

Rest of the story
Guest
Rest of the story
3 years ago

As always David’s images are way to see beauty worth sharing even in death. Have hope each day we are able to see what remains of ones life as tribute to past present and future

Pat Bitton
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Pat Bitton
3 years ago

Beautiful image, beautiful words – thank you.

kali
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kali
3 years ago

Seems like a befitting photo to be posted on H. G. Wells birthday.

Liesel
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Liesel
3 years ago

What kind of ray is that, anyone know ?

Guest
Guest
Guest
3 years ago

Beautiful image and pleasant enough backstory. But lost me when RBG was interwoven into your narrative. Couldn’t stop laughing after that. What a comparison! Sorry if your feelings are hurt. Maybe another nature walk can ground you again on our Earth below the Milky Way; speaking of that I need a candy bar.

Lynth
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Lynth
3 years ago

David, your stories and photos are so needed, and always delightful and beautiful. Thank you so much!