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?