Life abounds even in December

Beach Lady has been on patrol throughout this Post Christmas/Pre New Year’s week off. Every day I go for a four mile trek on the beach (still looking for that suitcase full of money) and take in all that’s new, changed or unusual. Yesterday Beach Lady was almost blown off her feet by the stiff winds blowing from off the Sound. (No small feat since I have never been referred to as “petite”). I found several crabs that had been stranded by the high tide and I saved all of them, telling them how lucky they were to be found by me, a vegetarian, and not by some famished sea gull. Today I found four horse shoe crabs STILL ALIVE on the beach. This is very unusual at this time of year. I threw them back into the water and instructed them to “do whatever you guys do during the winter.” This evening I watched the sunset and got more than I hoped for when four deer walked right in front of me. Only the largest deer knew I was there spying on them. The other smaller ones were oblivious.

Usually the deer have a deal that they don't come come out until sunset, but they were early this evening.

You just have to look for it

There is beauty every where here, even on a rainy day. Sometimes you just have to look a little harder for it. The Smithtown Bay is calm as a lake today and ducks are hanging out waiting for the fog to lift or hunters' guns to stop going off. I'd keep my head down, too. These bittersweet were still holding tight

to some raindrops.

Winter blows in

Okay, okay enough with the cold wind. I am still chilly from not having any heat two weeks ago. After yesterday's warm, sunny day, today felt bone chilling, although I am sure it probably did not even reach freezing. I still have flash backs to those cold nights without power and it felt colder. The waves on Smithtown Bay were four feet high this morning. They were crashing on the shore and waves usually "lap" onto the shore here, not crash! The sunset tonight took on the look of a religious painting right before the second coming. The sun hid behind the clouds and sent out streaks of light into the sky. I think I heard a choir singing, too and someone call my name.

Stairway to Heaven Grand Re-Opening

Like a pit bull that wouldn’t give up, I envisioned, wished, waded, dragged, carried, sawed, nailed, and even broke down and asked for help from my son. But here it is: The new staircase for the beach! The best part about the whole story? It was FREE and I did it without having to date a carpenter. (Not that this idea would have been a bad thing! But they are quite busy since the hurricane) My son Alex helped to hoist it into place and saw the extra footage off at the ends. I installed stakes and rope to hold it in place near the top and I added a last step to it needed. (Did I mention that Home Depot ADORES me?) I want to dedicate that last step to my friend Kathy, who when I told her last week to watch that last step because it didn’t exist, she said, “It’s always something.” So now she doesn’t have to “watch out” for anything. Did I buy any wood? Com’on, you already know the answer to that! I asked the universe and Smithtown Bay to send me one last step landing and I got it this week. Just needed a little trimming. I am so excited that I think I will decorate the whole thing with some Christmas lights.

Tonight I sat and watched the cormorants glide on the glass-like surface of the bay, diving down for as long as one minute! I try holding my breath when they dive to see if I can last as long as they do, but I always give out. Then they pop up 30 yards from where they started out. What the heck are they DOING under there? The sunset was awesome with intense oranges and some weird clouds that looked like “Something Wicked this Way Comes.”

Sandy update 11:30 a.m.

I just watched as my old, trusty stair case washed away out to sea. I was kind of glad I was there to say goodbye. It's been a good friend. The water is already higher than I have ever seen it. I am going back down there to move my double kayak to even higher ground. I am pretty sure that the water will crest higher than ever tonight at the next high tide. YIKES! I know this is small stuff compared to what my friends in Long Beach must be experiencing. I will update this blog throughout the day as long as I

have power.

Glimmer Glass before the storm

The Smithtown Bay looked like glimmer glass today. It was so calm and quiet I sat on a rock for 15 minutes and did NOT HEAR A SOUND. How is this possible on Long Island? It's a miracle! You would think there would have been some noise as people prepare for Sandy. In other news...

my boat is gone. My new stair case is in danger of washing away even before I can put it in place unless the Hulk shows up tomorrow to help me lift it to safety. Otherwise, I plan to just tie it to a tree as best I can. Damn! I would have been a great partner for Tom Hanks when he was a castaway on that island, don't you think?

My new boat…well not yet

Just a week after I wrote about the “ask and you shall receive” phenomenon surrounding the Universe and Smithtown Bay, I have received a new boat! Well, not really. Well, maybe. I found this boat (see photo) washed ashore on Sunday. I immediately called the non emergency number for the Suffolk County Police, but after being on hold for 15 minutes I just called my favorite Suffolk County Marine Patrol Police Officer and reported it, just in case someone was looking for a missing boat. Turns out the boat is from Connecticut. No one had been aboard when it drifted across the Sound. I don’t know yet if the rightful owner will be coming to pick it up. But if the owner fails to retrieve the boat, it can be salvaged by a private party (me) who can make a claim against the owner under Admiralty Law.

My guess is that by the time that guy gets here, the motor will be missing and anything that is not nailed down will be gone and on EBay. But it’s cool to just day dream that I may be in the running to adopt this boat. I went to check on it again today and encourage it to hang around and wait for me. I said things like “Aye, you’re a sturdy ship.” And “Don’t fret, I’ll get your bilge pump working again.” I figure this will give me an edge if I have to present my case in court as to why I should be the boat’s new owner. Maybe instead of that suitcase full of money I have been waiting for, my ship has come in.

Upstairs, downstairs

If you ask the universe for what you need you might be surprised at the answer. After a December 2010 Nor’easter the stair case down to the beach washed away leaving me with no way to access the beach. I had to get creative. I re-routed the pathway down a sloping hillside and found a section of dock that had washed up. I always say that if you need something, just wait long enough on Smithtown Bay and it will wash up eventually. I am still waiting for that briefcase full of money, but I did get the dock. This has served as a pretty good substitute, but in the almost two years since the storm, it has become more difficult to get down. So I always ask the universe for a new staircase, since having a new one built is just not in my budget right now and I am not dating a carpenter. I never lost faith that one day the universe would send me what I needed and last week, there I was walking a half mile from my house when “Viola!” There is was. A 13-foot almost-intact staircase. Sure it was missing a few stairs, but I was ecstatic. It weighed about 75 lbs, and I stared at it for a while trying to figure out how to drag this monster a half mile. I felt like a Neanderthal faced with a huge problem in physics. I dragged it a few feet into the water, tied a piece of nylon rope around it and pulled it like a mule on the Erie Canal for half a mile of shoreline. I dragged it up to its new home and here it will stay until I find a very strong person to put it in place for me. I think I have it all figured out how to anchor it down with some giant stakes and rope. Home Depot loves me. I hope to have it in place by next week when I will celebrate with a ribbon cutting. Of course I will not be paying for ribbon. I am sure I can find some down at the beach. However, I am still waiting for that brief case of money to wash up. Give it time. Give it time.

Draconid Meteor Shower

Rain o'er me, meteors! Tonight be on the look out for the DRACONID METEOR shower. According to Space Weather News for Oct. 7, 2012, http://spaceweather.com

 Earth is about to pass through a stream of debris from comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner, source of the annual Draconid meteor shower.  Last year, Europeans witnessed a faint but furious outburst of 600 meteors per hour when the shower peaked.  No such display is expected this year, but the Draconids are notoriously unpredictable.  Northern-hemisphere sky watchers should be alert for slow-moving meteors emerging from the head of the constellation Draco the Dragon (not far from the North Star) on Sunday night, Oct 7th, through Monday morning Oct. 8th.

The waves are huge...

...for Smithtown Bay, that is. I would say about four feet. I love the wind whipping across the water because it means NO BUGS! Blow those little bastards out to sea, I say. The sunset was vivid orange and it had the feel of the south shore this evening as the waves crashed onto the shore. My glass of wine actually blew over. Now that is really sad, isn't it?

Stormy Treasures

I went down to the bay just to see how it was reacting to the severe winds. The rain was pelting me, but I still managed to assess the situation since, after all, I am the Beach Lady. There was a tug boat out in the bay pulling a huge barge. I guess Smithtown Bay will provide a safe place for it to overnight, but then again, what do I

know about ships, tugboats and all that nautical stuff? Nothing! At least there were no Idiots out this evening with their sail boats or fisherman in tiny boats who think the weather reports do not apply to them. What gives? There's usually one idiot per storm. I did get lucky by stumbling upon these two treasures: an awesome rock and a piece of drift wood that will be transformed into something useful, as soon as I figure out what that is. So even the gloomiest of days have an up side. You just have to look for it.

It's a tough job

Yes, I have a tough job on the weekends: watching the sun go down. Somebody's got to do it. I am fabulous at it, too. If only someone, somewhere paid me to monitor the nightly miracle!

Tonight was quite lovely, with all the low clouds hanging around just waiting for the moment to shine and throw off pinks and oranges into the sky. Last night my friends and I got to see fireworks all the way in Connecticut. What were the celebrating? Friday? I'll drink to that!

Tornado watch

It's all quiet out there on Smithtown Bay. The waves were crashing, but it was much calmer the further east I walked towards Crane Neck. No tornado.

s to be seen. Mother Nature is buzzing-bees, butterflies, birds, squirrels, deer-they are all running around gathering "stuff." Even the trees are busy dropping acorns, pine cones and other weird, amour-plated nuts. Flowers are still blooming and I haven't let go of summer just yet.

Victory on the wagon wheel issue...or 'Am I a pain in the neck, or what?'

I know have been like a pit bull with something in its grip, not wanting to let go of this issue, but I think, finally, some progress has been made on the plastic wagon wheels! Just to give a quick recap, in March 2011 a sewage water treatment in Mamaroneck accidently released thousands nitrogen filters into the Long Island Sound. These filters look like little plastic wagon wheels and if you walk the beaches along Smithtown Bay, you have surely seen them. I periodically collect them by the bags full and then send then with a terse letter to the Environmental Facilities Commissioner over there, Thomas Lauro.

He said he tried to come here to clean them up, but couldn't get on our beaches. So I wrote to Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn, who took on the issue and finally the Commissioner took notice. Now this recent article, http://www.lohud.com/article/20120830/NEWS02/308300054/Westchester-nears-Sound-cleanup-deal-over-Mamaroneck-sewage-treatment-plant, from a Westchester paper states that Westchester County, where the plant is located, could be fined and there will be some money to clean up the wheels. Hurray! That's all I ever wanted. I wanted to see them take responsibility for the garbage and to be fined. I think that is the least that should be done. I mean, who do those people think they are...Wall Street bankers? I have to say I feel good about getting results on an issue that matters. I love my beach. Don't mess with my beach. Thanks to Legislator Hahn for always being an advocate for our environment! It would have been nice, however, if Mr. Lauro had at least mentioned me as a thorn in his side, maybe slamming down a box of wagon wheels that I sent him, saying, “I’ll do anything, just please stop her from mailing me these packages!”

Artistic landscape

The Beach Lady is back after a long hiatus. The Smithtown Bay shore at low tide is full of nature's sculptures, paintings and performance art. When the water recedes I feel like a five-year-old exploring the tide pools,baby mussels, fish eggs and other unidentified sea creatures. The sunset was hidden by a veil of clouds tonight. The bugs gave me a reprieve

. Bless their little blood-sucking hearts.

A new kid in town

Sometimes the rainy nights at the beach yield the best surprises. I went down in the rain to check on the water (make sure it was still there). It was low tide and the gulls were sweeping by in the air clutching spider crabs and mussels. But there was a new visitor. I have never seen this bird before. I knew he wasn't an egret and the funny thing about him was that when he saw me, instead of flying away, he inched closer. Sorta like I looked like his mother or something. He was not afraid of me, but rather wanted to get closer. (I don't make this shit up.)He liked people. I moved closer to get a good look because I knew that later I would want to ID him him in my bird book. It was a Yellow Crowned Night Heron. Which explains what he was doing out at 8 p.m. He is a bird with a lot of personality! Smithtown Bay seemed to be taking a respite from all the boats, fisherman and beach goers tonight. I heard it heave a sigh and say, "Peace and quiet at last!"

Prime time

As Billy Joel says, "These are the days we will remember." The summer has been filled with perfect beach days and wonderful company. Friday night was an evening with "the most interesting women in the world." We philosophized about the Higgs Boson, compared notes about personal lives, went for a swim and then whipped up an amazing meal. Oh, and then there was also dancing! How fortunate I am to live here and i give thanks every day.

Clouds and lace

The second storm of the day gave me a reprieve so that I might go down to the beach to just conduct a quick horseshoe crab patrol. All is well, but the clouds and rain were still threatening from over i n Connecticut. That research ship is still anchored out in my bay. And to think they never even asked permission! I would have said yes, but it would have been nice if they had asked The Beach Lady. The Queen Anne's Lace is beautiful and the sun broke through the dark clouds for just a minute.

Wheels keep on turning...up

In the continuing series of what I like to call "Beach Lady vs. Big, Arrogant Water Treatment Plant," I recently mailed more than 350 plastic wagon wheels back to the Mamaroneck plant. This is the third delivery of the water filtration devices that I have mailed back and I think that makes well over 600 of in total by now. Six hundred of anything is a lot. Here is my letter, below and a photo of the contents of the package before I mailed it to Mr. Lauro. I will keep you in the loop when I hear back from Mr. Lauro. Thomas Lauro Commissioner, County Department of Environmental Facilities 270 North Avenue, 6th Floor New Rochelle, NY 10801 Dear Mr. Lauro, I am sure you remember me from last year. You wrote back to me in December 2011 about the wagon wheels I have been finding (and sending to you) on West Meadow, Crane Neck and Old Field beaches. You said that you couldn’t access the beach in Old Field, but I thought that was a weak excuse for not cleaning the plastic garbage up. I am enclosing 364 more wagon wheels that I have picked up from the beaches since my last delivery. Obviously the problem still exists and I think you need to come here again, speak to the mayor or Old Field Public Safety or whomever, and do a thorough clean up (Finally!) of our beaches here. For goodness sakes, it’s been a year and a half since the accident. I think the oil leak in the gulf was cleaned up faster than this. Please let me know when you and your crew will be arriving because I can be very helpful in showing you the worst places where the wheels show up. They really turn up after a storm, so maybe you want to plan to come on a day like that. I await your reply, as done everyone who lives in this area. Thank you and I am sure you’ll do the right thing. Sincerely, Carole Trottere Cc: Christine Sampson, The Patch Cc: Old Field Mayor Michael Levine Cc: Suffolk County Legislator Kara Hahn

My First Fish!

I caught my first fish tonight. I have been trying for a few months now, but with no luck. Tonight, I thought to myself that this would be the time to sneak up on them when it's raining and they think I am in the house watching "Ellen." I hooked a sea robin on my first cast, then every time I cast I got another. After three of those creepy little winged bastards I stopped. I returned them all to the sea, but when I put one back in the water and he turned around to back at me like he was really pissed off. Those fish look like the ones you see in on PBS shows that sprouted legs at the dawn of time and started walking on land. They gave me the willies. The tide was exceptionally high tonight. Little breeze and lots of gnats.

Who? It's Bamboo!

Nature never ceases to amaze. This is a new shoot of bamboo coming up along the path to the beach. Not even Martha Stewart could come up with colors like this!

An artist's brush

If an artist painted a sky that looked like the evening sky tonight, most people would say, "What kind of painting is that? Skies never have wispy white and dark clouds all twirling together like they are in a blender. You are wrong and a lousy artist." Well those people have little imagination, b

ecause that is exactly what we had tonight.

Still life with heart and burning sage

This is my Friday night. The photo says it all...

What's the message?

Get all your ducks in a row? It might be an expression, but here on Smithtown Bay, it's a reality. I felt as if the ducks (Mystery Ducks, I call them. I can't figure out what they are.)were trying to tell me something. It makes more sense than reading a silly horoscope. There are lots of fisherman out lately and I have been trying my hand at fishing from the shore. No luck yet, but I love just being down there and doing something. It's very Zen. The photo of the orange umbrella was taken on Sunday. I tried out my friend's gift: a 2-inch thick

slice of a tree with a hole in the middle that serves as an anchor and table for cocktails! Ingenious, right?

Meteor Shower tonight...bring your umbrella!

LYRID METEOR SHOWER: The annual Lyrid meteor shower peaks this weekend on the night of April 21-22 when Earth passes through a stream of debris from ancient Comet Thatcher. Usually the shower is mild (10-20 meteors per hour) but unmapped filaments of dust in the comet's tail sometimes trigger outbursts ten times stronger. This year's peak coincides with a new Moon, which has prompted NASA to attempt an unusual 3D meteor photography experiment. For more cool info visit one of my MOST favorite websites spaceweather.com

Beach Party!

The beach was graced with the presence of some amazing women last night!

Glimmer Glass

Somebody grab the kayak! I have been waiting weeks for this smooth glass surface. The rain clouds pushed out to Connecticut and have left us with a quiet calm.

They're here...

Just when you think a day can't get more exciting...it does! The first horseshoe crabs of the season have arrived on shore. I am happy to report that I saved three lives tonight. All young males who obviously haven't read the tide tables for Smithtown Bay yet. I tossed them back into the deeper water at the expense of my non-waterproof shoes. I LOVE horseshoe crabs. If you want to read more about my obsession with the limulus, read a story I wrote for the Long Island Press a few years ago.

http://www.longislandpress.com/2009/09/07/saving-the-horseshoe-crab/

A Dessert Sky

I knew the sunset was going to be special this evening because the clouds were low and full of texture. I think the sky looks like some sort of layered, custardy, yummy dessert! There was an acrobatic seagull putting on a show this evening. He flew high with a mussel in his beak, then he would drop it and let it fall about a foot, then swoop down and grab it again. I have never seen any seagull do this before. I think he should sign up for Cirque de Soleil.

Even the rocks are blooming

I never noticed before but the seaweed in Smithtown Bay that clings to the rocks has a spring bloom, along with the rest of our plant life. The green is almost electric and at low tide it is spectacular. I saw a seal today, too. Usually they are long gone by now.