Twigs

I love the look of the bare trees this time of year. If not for winter, how else would be know the beautiful architecture that lay beneath the leaves of summer?

Close your eyes and imagine

Remember when you had to just use your imagination and there were no photos or videos to accompany what you were reading? Well go back to that time for a minute. There is a law of the universe around here that goes something like this…”When you neglect to bring your camera down to the beach, something amazing will happen before your eyes.” I know this to be true. I have experienced boats being stranded, an almost-drowning victim and other phenomenon when I am down at the beach without my camera. I just know that someday that mermaid or whale is going to surface in Smithtown Bay and I will be standing there with nothing but my wine glass in my hand saying “Oh, Sh$#.” But I also believe that the universe reveals special gem moments when you do not have any way to document it. It’s meant to be that way. So tonight I was home early from work and got to see the beach after sunset, but while there was still plenty of low light in the sky. I spotted two deer down the beach that had come out into the low tide and seemed to be eating something. Seaweed, I guess? I was at the water’s edge but I slowly sat down so they would not notice me and think I was a rock with a furry hood. It worked. They frolicked and jumped and played all the way down to where I sat. As they got closer I could make out one big deer, a female, and a smaller one, which looked like a yearling. The mother stood looking out at the water and all I could see was her silhouette. The peaches and pinks of the sunset still hung in the sky. She looked right at me, but I dared not move! I had an itch on my face, but would not scratch it. She passed about 10 feet in front of me. Then the little one kicked and jumped like he was auditioning for a Disney movie and it too passed within feet of me. I wouldn’t even turn my head to watch them move behind me but I heard them scamper up the hill. Then just as I was thanking God for the show, a flock of birds passed through the sunset, undulating in all sorts of free forms and flew by on their way to somewhere. The icing on the cake. This show is not available on Cablevision or Verizon.

Nothing stops the Beach Lady

I declare this first snow storm of 2012 just about perfect. It was thoughtful enough to come on a Saturday when I do not have to work; it was just enough to be pretty; and I was very content being home. I am not boasting, but I really am the unofficial guardian of Smithtown Bay because on a day like today, I was down there checking on everything and there was not one other person to be seen. I am never off duty. I just want everyone else to relax and know I am on the job. I let nothing stop me. I slip and slid down the staircase to the beach, leaving my impressions in the new snow. At least if I fall and kill myself, there will be an obvious path to my body for the police to follow- "There she is. Looks like she slipped and killed herself. What an idiot coming down here in the snow." But despite the danger, here's the Beach Report: Water was calm. No boats out. Not even one knucklehead who thought he should take his boat out on a day like today. Snow storm gently pushing down like a blanket, but life went on down there at the shore. The ducks sat in the water waiting it out. This afternoon, the gulls were back in business eating their mussels and doing what gulls do. We mostly have herring gulls down here in Smithtown Bay, who have a white head and body and gray wings tipped in black. But today I noticed a new face. A gull with black wings. He was all alone. I believe he was a Great Black-backed gull (which is probably more than you want to know) or maybe a Lesser Black-backed gull. Which wouldn't make him lesser in my eyes. The beach rocks caught my eye today, looking almost like an expensive mosaic floor!

Invaders!

Beach lady is not happy. Some motorized vehicles have been on the beach. It's not that I am against these dangerous, environmentally obscene vehicles, but I believe they are NOT allowed on the shorelines around here. I took some photos of the tracks, which I spotted between Crane Neck Beach and West Meadow. I am no tire print expert (I leave that to Marisa Tomei in "My Cousin Vinny") but I think it is a motor bike. Beach Lady will leave this to real police. I barely have time to pick up the plastic wagon wheels, let alone make citizen arrests.

The trees are just something that caught my eye along someone's driveway.

Hold on to your hat

It's windy this morning and I watched a sudden rain storm approaching from out in Smithtown Bay. You could see the wall of rain out over the water. When it hit me it came in sideways and then was gone as quickly as it had shown up. The sun won the battle and the rain cloud headed east. Big waves, mild temps and that's all I have to report today.

A gift

Today was surely a gift from Mother Nature. I needed to sit on the beach and watch the sun set and that's just what I got. Best thing is that I did not have to fly to Key West to do it! The gulls were chasing me down for a taste of the Italian bread and flavored olive oil (Provence herbs) that I was snacking on, along with my Chianti. I always feel bad for the ugly gull. There's always one in the crowd. I tend to throw him all my bread.

FIRST METEOR SHOWER OF 2012

The annual Quadrantid meteor shower peaks on Wednesday morning, Jan. 4th, when Earth passes through a narrow stream of debris from a comet thought to have broken apart some 500 years ago.  The shower is expected to be strong (as many as 100 meteors per hour), but elusive, with a peak that lasts no longer than a couple of hours.  The shower's radiant near Polaris favors observers in the northern hemisphere.  Images, live audio from a meteor radar, and more information are available on today's edition of http://spaceweather.com 

Prepare for take off

These wind surfers were FLYING this morning on Smithtown Bay. There were eight of them criss-crossing the shoreline at speeds that looked like about 40 mph. I can't imagine the rush they must feel, but I wouldn't want to experience that cold water dripping into my wet suit.