Leslie and I paddled across the Cape May Harbor then up Spicer Creek, to see and hear and smell and feel what we could, as were blessed, again and as always, with life.
The empty Schooner has a fir tree hanging from its fore-mast, twisting in the breeze, an effigy of a bare Christmas tree, reminding us we are in for some dark days.
Leslie paused in her kayak--I was amazed at how closely she had drifted to a great blue heron resting on a drain jutting out of the sod bank. She did not see the heron--her eyes were on a bald eagle just up the creek, perched in an abandoned osprey nest.
Along the bottom, thousands of tiny whelk scrawled along the mud, etching parallel lines at an angle to the shore, responding to something I could not sense. Coyote tracks could be seen just under the water--I paddle slowly following them to the point they had left the water and ran up a side trail.
On the way back, we sliced our way through a small flock of bufflehead, tiny harbor clowns flitting in, on, and under the water.
Last night my brother and I caught the Andromeda galaxy in binoculars, photons that have spent the last couple million years flying through space, now bent by glass, onto our retinas, right here, right now.
I need more days like this, so I deactivated my Facebook account.
All photos by Leslie.
Vicarious living ain't....
Yes, my account is active--when I deactivated it, Leslie was no longer married to "Michael Doyle"--so it's back.
Yes, my account is active--when I deactivated it, Leslie was no longer married to "Michael Doyle"--so it's back.
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4 comments:
A friend and I were just talking about this yesterday. Kudos :)
Dear Brazen,
I should have done it months ago. I may get my typewriter overhauled--I realize that its quirks are preventing me from diving back into letters.
I need to start writing letters. Again.
Well, that explains why you've been ignoring my private message :). Congratulations! I deactivated mine a while ago then reactivated it because it's the most convenient vehicle for me to partake in my brother's life. Other than that, it's worthless and a waste of time. Actually, after much long thought (again), I've come to the conclusion that the Internet in general is a waste of time. Yes, there are the advantages of having "information" at one's fingertips, but unless one can reign in the tendency to go off on tangents, it can be more useless than useful. So while I won't be leaving entirely, in a very short while I will be paring down my "friends" list to a very small number. And not visiting nearly as much as in the past. I will check out your blog regularly though, now that I know where to find you when I need a nudge in the right direction again ;).
Dear Lee,
Your reason for using it is good, and Leslie uses it for the same reasons. She's my lifeline to the outside world, always has been, and she keeps me up to date.
One of the nicest things about FB was seeing your words and others (Barry is a love) after all these years. The decent folk in our lives are still decent folk. I'd just rather hang out on a stoop than on a computer.
In the meantime, my gmail is always open: doyle.bhs@gmail.com
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