The beach was occupied that day by a wide assortment of folk. From the elegantly dressed woman to the boy dashing in a swimsuit. From two people making bubbles to the over-dressed seated on sand. Why is it that a beach can show us at our best and at our worst? Often simultaneously.

The kite festival was held on the beach at D-River Wayside in Lincoln City, Oregon. The beach was wide and filled with hundreds of people all there to watch the kites. Unfortunately the day was virtually windless, so very few kites were flown that day.

The beach at D-River Wayside in Lincoln City, Oregon was wide. As a consequence, hundreds of folk could crowd onto the beach but there remained plenty of space between them. Perhaps people on a beach obey the law of Brownian motion when their motion is subconscious rather than motivated.

The public had to occupy wide strips of land between fenced off areas reserved for the festival participants. In this shot, the area to the left was supposed to be filled with large kites flown in a strong wind that never appeared.

There were so few activities at a kite festival without kites that folks resorted to burying their children for fun. Two kids had been buried lying down, and a third had been buried standing up. No child was actually at risk of harm.

Folk had hauled large quantities of paraphernalia out onto the sand. Many had carried out seating for comfort. Fewer had carried out umbrellas or tents for shade. One party had rolled a wheelchair out onto the sand.

No beach is complete without a few posted rules. Here was a sign that read, "Keep off the rocks." This was one of the few areas that was off limits.

A cooling haze floated near the surface of the sand and reduced visibility. It persisted because there was no wind to blow it away. The effect was to cause people further away to appear less distinct than those nearer.