I'll take that to go

Today was one of the top 10 best days of the year. Since it was a Monday, some people may not have noticed. But I did. I had the day off. (I know. I look like a genius.) I took my kayak out and Smithtown Bay cooperated by being as still as a lake. The water is so clean that even when I was out quite far I could still see all the way to the bottom. I brought a thermos of tea with me and sat there drinking it, while I just let the tide take me where ever it decided. Not a bad day at the office.

The Stairway Down to Heaven

As I came down the stair case to the beach the other day at around 4 p.m., the light was extraordinary. It was low in the sky and filtering through the trees, but it was more than that. It seemed to be a pure, white light, the kind that the gurus tell you to imagine coming out of the top of your head when you are meditating. All the vegetation around me seemed to be alive and breathing. It was as if I had been given the ability to really feel the life all around me. I stopped in my tracks and just took it all in. It was ethereal and I almost felt as if I had stumbled into a tear in the fabric of the universe. No light could be this pure. No leaf could look so green. Well, unless you are tripping on acid, but you know what I mean. So I guess in the end, if God wants to lure me into that white light, he will

just make it look like a staircase down to the beach, because for me, that would be heaven. "No need to push! I'm going. I'm going."

Submerged

The only place to be this week is submerged in the water like a frog, with just the tip of your head poking up. The water is just perfect right now-refreshing,clean and sparkly! I am filled with gratitude that I live here and can just impulsively jump in the water whenever I feel like it. Last night my friends and I created this Beach Lady, made from all natural ingredients.

Seaweed invasion imprisons horseshoe crabs

Today there was an invasion of seaweed the likes that I have never seen. TONS of it was deposited onto the shore and it was inches deep. Bad timing for my friends the horseshoe crabs who just made their debut today! The ones that got caught when the tide went out were trapped under several pounds of seaweed. Beach Lady to the rescue. I had to look for their tails waving in the air and then I uncovered them. I tossed them back into the water so they can do what horseshoe crabs do this time of year. I hope I made a slight difference by saving 10 of them.

I am supervising the bay and the installation of a new roof

The Beach Lady (me) has been very quiet lately, not because she has lost interest in the beach (Never!) but she has just been in a quiet, reflective mood. That’s what winter and a cold spring can do, but she is awake now and enjoying the sprouting of spring blossoms and bulbs. Here is what’s new in Smithtown Bay: Do you know what Brant Geese are? They are smaller than Canada Geese. They don’t “honk” like those other pain-in-the-ass geese, but make a low, guttural, croaking which is actaully kind of cool. They stay all winter and they are still here—and why not? Who would want to move when you can live in Smithtown Bay? I like to watch how they live side by side with the gulls, although they sure do have a very different temperament. When they see a person or hear a slight noise, OFF they go all flapping and excited. Maybe that’s where the expression “Silly Goose” comes from. The gulls just continue eating and doing what gulls do. The There was one lone fisherman out yesterday evening, the first I have seen since last year. I have seen only a small number of boats out so far--one sail, one Jet Ski, one motor and one kayak (me). I am very confident that this year the dolphins will make an appearance. I don’t know why I feel this way, but I just do. It’s been a few years since they visited us here in Smithtown Bay, so we are due. Last time they were here I was jumping up and down like a crazy person on the beach yelling to everyone, “Do you see the dolphins!” like I was their press agent or something. The Village of Old Field is having some work done on the lighthouse keeper’s dwelling, a 1-1/2 story, five-room house that is made of the same beautiful stones as our light house. The dwelling is located on the eastside of the lighthouse. The little house is getting a whole new roof. Miss Nosy Lois Lane (me) went in to talk to the workers, who I am sure were very excited that some lady was bothering them while they were up on 50-foot ladders and scaffolding. I know I have stated before that I want to live in the lighthouse, but after checking out the small, sweet house, I decided I would be just as happy living there. I will be back tomorrow to finish supervising the remodeling. Aren’t they lucky?

When you meditate, this is where you try to go

I was too late getting home tonight to see the sunset, but I actually caught an even better show. The light and ethereal mood of Smithtown Bay hung in the air long after the sun disappeared to the right of the Northport LIPA plant. The water was as still as a lake tonight, a total 180 degree change from last night when it looked like the South Shore. I stood watching the sky, water and occasionally flying insect buzz by (that’s right…insects have hatched!) and a deer on the cliff behind me made his presence known. I stood perfectly still for 20 minutes just watching him, waiting to see what he did. I only moved my eye balls. He stomped his hoof on the ground as if to see if I would move, but I wouldn’t. Then he snorted. That’s when I started to laugh. It was standoff. A few ducks out in the bay fluttered their wings and I could hear it as clear as day 300 yards from shore. This is why I never gossip while on the beach. The fisherman can hear everything! The bay was like a holy place tonight—still, beautiful and glowing with the colors that I am sure can only be found here on this, my favorite planet.

My Moody Bay

I love my Smithtown Bay even when it’s feeling dull, rainy and lethargic, like today. There was not a sole on the beach today because let’s face-most people and critters and fair weather friends! I’m here. I still love you, Smithtown Bay! It was me and the ducks. I sat on a wet bench and had my moment of Zen, and enjoyed watching the drizzle on the flat, mirror-like surface of the water. That bay sure is a bi-polar presence. Last week that bay was so angry and churned up. Today…ah…just chillin’. I took some photos of the beautiful red sand that runs along the shore line. I just think this sand makes for a perfect backdrop for the shells and rocks. Who needs an art gallery?