Hi! Yes, it's Spring (maybe?). Time to resume my daily beach walks. No excuses allowed, no matter how much fun I am having making doll quilts and other treasures with the recently arrived and very enticing boxes of 19th century fabrics . [next post]. It takes a hardy soul to enjoy the chilly spring beach. My friend stopped by one evening to give me the shard of cobalt seaglass he'd found during his run. And he was shivering, mentioned that it is so much colder by the water. Well, yes. Air may be 40s or even 50s but we looked up the water temp---ony 37*! With the wind, it's like primitive airconditioning. Only colder.
This week we've had intermittent days of sun as well as heavy rain, but I promised myself I'd persevere. Since the beach is generally barren of treasure, I tell myself I am getting in shape for the spring flea market. Fingers crossed for Sunday!
Sometimes I wander through my small neighborhood, searching for spring sprung-ing flowers. Don't you just love stripey crocus? So hopeful.
Oh and Mr Mockingbird is definitely back. He looks fuzzy and flustered, poor little man.
But most days I am on the beach by mid afternoon. Below, a natural dune, recently formed by end of March high winds.
It's a bit like having your daily walk down the fast lane of the Long Island Expressway at rush hour. See all the tire tracks?
The guys wave to me now, and I know and appreciate that they're working so hard to restore and enhance my beach. But it can be scary.
Look how close the trucks came to the oystercatcher!
He is scared! Not hurt, he got up and waddled away right after this.
Look at these deep grooves in the sand.
I followed tiny plover tracks up towards the dunes. Here is one of the try-out nests. The males make them to attract the females. This pair nests here every year.
This is what is happening only a few yards away.
Piping plovers are tiny, about the size of a sparrow. So their nests are hard to locate and entirely invisible to a man in a giant earthmover truck.
Then I walked east. Ruminating. "The OCs usually nest right about...yes! Here." And here is their nest.
Only two are here at the moment, down from 3 last week.
Usually we have at least 12, making 5 or so nests. They are partial to threesomes, apparently two males may share a female and help her with the nest and eggs.
This is a bouquet of ''easter egg tulips'', as my mom called mixed colorful bunches of our favorite cut flower. It's here for Mel who asks me why I so often choose white flowers. Nope. For April, I am going bright!
love
lizzy
gone to the beach!
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