Blackpool is the Atlantic City of the UK, and frankly, this sort of place makes me sad. It's casino-amusement park-generic souvenir-bar land, and most of it is closed because it's the off season. I had found recommendations for an excellent looking creperie for dinner, but this too was closed. This isn't the sort of place we would choose for a holiday, as we're here for business. I took a stroll along the promenade that lines the shore, watching the incoming tide swallow up the beach, it was in the 50's and sunny for this particular day, ideal for a walk. I became obsessed with how fascinating the beach looked after the tide had receded, leaving behind miniature sand dune ripples. Looking at them from one angle produced a strange optical illusion And there followed a photographic study of the lines and shadows in these ripples: Dune ripples Desert or Beach? Sun highlighted sand dunes in miniature Miniature sand dunes "Dunes" separated by an inch of water pooling Low tide ripples in the sand creating an optical illusion