Several few days ago, a dog walker died on the trail Aki and I take to the beach. Another hiker found the body but couldn’t approach because the man’s German shepherd protected his body. The news story didn’t report the exact location, just that a woman found the body on the trail near the tree line. I don’t need to know anything else about the death other than it took place on a beach that he probably loved as much as I.

He might have died in the sun but today the beach is wet, windy, and chilling. Gulls watch, without much apparent interest, a raft of mergansers, golden eyes, and mallard floating just offshore. The head of every duck is jammed into the water so I figure they are on top of a big ball of feed. Aki scampers close the tree line and takes the first trail offered that leads away into the old growth. Is she cold or wanting to escape a place where her sensitive nose can still catch the scent of death?