Kids bounce up when the school bus heaves over a giant wrinkle in the road, and slam back into their plastic bench seats with a THUD and a jolt to their spines. I just got back from a trip to my home valley. Much there is the same, but whatever is different – has been […]
Wind whips the water into white caps. The first time I saw whitecaps, I thought they were dolphin fins, and what luck – that I could witness this mystical herd passing by.
Winter is a monster. When folks ask “how are you?” I say “fine,” but the honest answer would be “I’m really great, but I still feel sorry for myself.” I’m to blame, and the weather. This weather that’s normal for my beautiful place, this weather that I’ve chosen (but forget about every summer). Winter isn’t […]
Sea smoke rolled over the water’s surface. This morning, in small wisps it steamed up, and sea wind carried it forward. Everybody talked about it. I caught it on tape and sent it to Mom. The storm door froze shut. I tugged and hauled on it for a minute or so before it finally pulled loose. […]
A nor’easter is coming, and I can see it in the way the ocean breathes. The ocean’s breath resembles mine after climbing too many stairs. When I pay close attention to the air around me, I feel the small edges of the storm. Yesterday the ocean steamed in the morning – it somehow looked like […]
Trees balance icy snow on their branches, and lean over the road like they’re expecting to fall and hope to halve the distance. When the setting sun’s orange light hits the ice coating on a twiggy branch, glowing crowns float above the ground, out of place and glorious. The snow comes and leaves a few […]
Yesterday morning a young male deer yanked apples off a tree with an eager mouth. His antlers were as tall as a hand. This morning the sun bounced off clean snow into every window of the house. Now, dimming light rests on the small waves coming into shore. It is the ocean’s lavender hour. Evergreen […]
I haven’t updated you in weeks. I moved over to the Quiet Side of the island, and now the ocean is in my front yard. I inherited a garden. I have two paint-chipped porches. The former resident painted the kitchen a “terra cotta” color. I still work on Frenchman Bay, so I travel a couple […]
I search for the smallest seashell on the shore. Mosquitoes suck at me, and I foolishly scratch a bite on my ankle until it swells up to a disturbing size. Kayakers scurry by, but don’t say hello, maybe greeting us with a slight tip of the paddle, maybe ignoring us altogether. Two days ago […]
I may be close to obsession when it comes to lichen, moss and rock. How – how? – does a mountain summit in coastal Maine resemble the moon? Back at the water, I sway on a steel float and wait to catch the boat. The moon pushes the water at me and everything […]
This blog has been archived and is no longer being updated.
