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It's spring! It's so warm and sunny out that we have to go to the beach. There's no choice or decision involved; it's a compulsion. We got up early and headed for Point Judith. We intended to look for birds but most of the interesting sea ducks were out enjoying the fine weather like we were -why stay close to shore when it's this nice out? |
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Along the way we passed a small pond with two swan butts sticking up in the air. By the time I found a place to pull over safely and got the camera out they were both steaming straight toward me busking and hissing. I guess they thought I was paparazzi or something. We stopped at Fishermen's Memorial State Park to check for birds but didn't see anything interesting, then on to Point Judith light where we saw a raft of common eiders and a whole lot of red breasted mergansers. The sea sparkled in the sun like a giant blue jewel - it was so gorgeous the only thing I could say is "wow!" |
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We walked along the docks and back over to the little strip of Salty Brine State Beach next to George's. Then we just walked and walked and walked along the beach, along with an endless procession of other people all reveling in the unbelievable weather. As Nancy put it: "This isn't 'last nice day syndrome' it's 'first nice day syndrome'"
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We thought we'd have lunch at George's of Galilee but apparently the entire population of Rhode Island had the same thought. The marquee at George's said " A Good Day for Takeout" - which it was. The takeout window was mobbed too and people were taking their fried aquatic life forms to eat at the picnic tables, on the rocks, even strolling along the docks. We had sandwiches at the Portside Restaurant instead. It's a homey little place with charts of fish species and whale species from some Scandinavian fishing encyclopedia on the walls. I had grilled cheese with tomato and mushrooms. Nancy had a fried fish sandwich. |
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We came across this barnacle encrusted chair that had washed up on the beach. It's marvelous. A whole story if we could only read it. Where did it come from? How did it get in the water? How long was it there to grow so many barnacles? Who came along and set it upright or did it land that way when it washed up? I had one more exposure left in my camera so I walked all around it trying to pick the best shot to capture it. Not easy because by this time it was later afternoon and the shadows were long. At least it's enough of a picture to remind us what it was like. Our last stop was Roger Wheeler State Beach, where the book said we might see some loons. The one bird I thought was a loon was a red breasted merganser. They were everywhere today - we rounded a corner on one of the residential side streets in Galilee and spotted a raft of them near a dock, every faraway speck on the water turned out to be a red breasted merganser wherever we looked. |
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