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#SOL24-16 Sunrise

Published on March 16, 2024

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We spoke not a word as we fumbled in the dark, searching for our sweatshirts and our shoes, and trying our best not to disturb their sleeping. The door creaked when we opened it, and we slipped out and closed the door behind us as quietly as possible. We walked down the unlit stairs, making our way in the grey, to the winding path. Trees loomed like benevolent spirits with their loose-fitting Spanish moss dancing in the early morning breeze. Carolina Wren and Carolina Chickadee provided the soundtrack to our spontaneous pursuit of watching the sunrise on the beach.

The young girl’s reed hut stood strong in the dark of dawn. She had spent the whole afternoon working on this, patiently searching for reeds in the sand, separating the lengthy and straight ones, adding these one by one to create her tiny home. I had thought the tides would sweep this away, yet here it is, greeting us on the beach.

there’s a straw hut shadowed in the forefront

I saw immediately that we were not alone in the quiet, and I admit to feeling a bit of frustration. Who were all these folks, walking and waiting, just like us, along the beach? They walked in singles and pairs, perhaps two dozen folks in all. Their dogs raced with joy across the sand. There was a threesome of young athletes, performing jumping jacks, high knees, twists, skipping, and waving their arms high.

I wanted these strangers to leave
to leave the sunrise for me 
yet why do I presume to be
overseer 
of the sunrise?

Is it somehow more mine simply because it is my first time all week getting out of bed early enough to witness it? There is more than enough for all of us. There is so much joy in the viewing.

In a touch of irony, one dog walker calls out to me – “I took a lovely photo of you two in the early morning light, would you like it?”

Her photo was a gift, and a gentle reminder to be kind.

The stranger gave us this photo, showing the two of us together at sunrise.

We continued our walking, towards the sunrise, slowly, slowly, slowly.

It was magnificent.

I suppose if one watched the sunrise each and every morning, they might say this one was average. An overcast start to the day obscured the sun, and it was a full half hour after the forecasted sunrise time before the clouds released the sun to us. However, as our only sunrise of the week (thank you, last weekend’s time change), it was absolutely glorious to us.

Here is a close up of that young girl’s straw hut, in better light:

rippling 

light isn’t always boisterous
bright front and center
sometimes it is a quiet offering
wavering shyly along the margins
slow to comprehend
look to the edges for light
gift a stranger a sliver

one last glimpse of sunrise, as we return home

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#SOL24-14 Wonder

Published on March 14, 2024

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

If you and I were home, sipping tea, talking about favorite places to be, I’d assure you I love the mountains. I’d say, put me in the woods, let me hike and climb. The mountains are filled with such beauty and wonder. Yes, mountains are my most favorite place.

But, hey, how can I deny the sea? I may not be a sunbather, but there really is no such thing as a bad day at the beach. It is glorious to walk alongside, and to be amazed.

This old photo shows I have always loved being at the ocean, too.

I’ve been writing a poem a day in 2024, and vacation doesn’t give me a pass. Today’s poem celebrates the wondrous sights of our beach vacation.

Hilton Head Island 

Low Tide mingles with New Moon 
Rippling waves begin to dance
Alligators sun at the lagoon
Osprey hides on a branch

Slender Fish jumps high with glee
Driftwood floats slowly along
Great Heron glides just beneath
Yellow Warbler creates a song

Shorebirds gather on found wood
Dolphins play hide and seek 
How still Snowy Egret stood
As we laze upon the beach

New River

Published on October 24, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

To celebrate my oldest son’s birthday, we had a family getaway to New River Gorge National Park – a weekend of hiking and autumn leaf viewing. This West Virginia park is only about a five hour drive from our home in Maryland, and made for a wonderful location for a few fun days.

Our Friday was misty and chilly, yet quite beautiful for hiking. Let me share just a few of photos –

Much to our surprise – and good fortune – we had an even more special Saturday. We had no idea when we booked our travels that October 21st was the annual Bridge Day. The New River Gorge Bridge in Fayetteville, West Virginia is the longest single-span arch bridge in the western hemisphere, measuring some 3030 feet with the arch alone measuring 1700 feet. The bridge was completed in 1977; since 1980, there has been an annual festival in its honor.

On this single day, the bridge is closed to vehicular traffic. There is an enormous festival on the bridge, with vendors hawking food and crafts up and down the entire expanse. In the middle of the bridge, gutsy folks base jump off the bridge – which, seriously, has to be one of the most terrifying sports I have ever witnessed. It was wild to watch. Can you find the base jumper /parachute in the photo below? Who would dare to jump from such a height?

We spent a beautiful fall morning walking the bridge and enjoying the sights. Plus, of course, eating – yummy funnel cakes, barbecue, cotton candy, and pizza. Festivals demand that one partake, yes?

Later in the afternoon, we hiked Long Point trail, which allowed us to have a breathtaking view of the bridge from the side. We also enjoyed the surrounding fall foliage and we watched more of the daring base jumpers perform, from a much farther distance.

This is my oldest son (the birthday boy) and his daughter/my granddaughter, watching the base jumpers.

It was a fabulous weekend!

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A Novel Idea

Published on July 25, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

I am just back from a very special weekend in New York City. My book group and our partners visited together, to see a theater show (Hadestown) and an art exhibit (Mark Bradford). Each of these planned expeditions was extraordinary. Hadestown was the first live theater I’ve seen since pre-pandemic – the music was fabulous, with a live band on stage; the acting was so wonderful. I’m still singing the songs. Mark Bradford’s art was new to me – enormous constructs of abstract work created on old billboards. I was absolutely spellbound by his genius, passion. and creativity. The show included a 20-second video on loop he created as a 12 year old (back in 1972), imagining himself shot by police. He is a Black, gay man, and even at this young age he was profoundly aware of racism, how he was looked at by others. His life’s work has explored themes of racism and justice.

Left panel of “Two-Faced” by Mark Bradford

Our group had just the right mix of ‘all together’ time – Tony and I had lots of time to ourselves. Just the two of us, we enjoyed several long walks, taking in the sights – the people, the architecture, the antics. We walked the Brooklyn Bridge and we wandered Central Park. In four days, we walked more than 30 miles! We went to see an incredible art exhibit by Juane Quick-to-See Smith at the Whitney. Using found materials, her art advocates for the oppressed and for environmental justice. This show was a beautiful complement to the Mark Bradford exhibit.

“Who Leads? Who Follows?” Jaune Quick-To-See Smith

Moments of surprise –

when we arrived in NYC and had a little trouble finding our way out of the lower level of the train station, it was the unsteady gentleman standing along the tracks, holding a black trash bag of his belongings, who directed us to the escalator up
the marvelous remodeling of Penn Station/Moynihan Train Hall (completed Jan 2021), a clean, bright, and beautiful space
a man feeding pigeons crusty bread, one perched on his head, two on his forearms, and hundreds and hundreds of pigeons at his feet – and how their sheer number revealed such variety in feathering, coloring black, peach, grey, white, brown, tan
wandering through Times Square by mistake one night and knowing in my bones that I don’t EVER again need to see this bastion of chaos and commotion, exhaustingly wild
pervasive smell of marijuana everywhere, sold ‘recreationally’ in NYC since 2022, with shops on practically every city block

the surprise joy of a truck blocking traffic to unload cedar logs at a wholesale greenery shop, both sidewalk and alley overflowing with fresh cut flowers and branches, and this effervescent, life-giving scent filling the air
looking down on traffic from one restaurant window and witnessing sheer gridlock of traffic – yellow cabs, cars, trucks, pedicabs, cyclists, pedestrians, more – unbelievable, really
happening upon dozens of nudists in Union Square Park being body-painted for a ‘protest against divisiveness’
walking down 17 flights of stairs in our hotel when the elevator couldn’t be summoned, feeling head-whirly from the tight staircases, and laughing out loud at the ominous sign on the door at the bottom: FINAL EXIT
eating breakfast at this tiny hole-in-the-wall (only 12 patrons total), sitting on retro twisty stools, watching the short-order cook prepare yummy food so very quickly
On our last night, we found this sweet, quiet, and quite empty piano bar, just a few doors down from our hotel – a nice way to end our stay in this busy, noisy, non-stop city.
coming home to bounteous ripe tomatoes in our garden and realizing our day-to-day is so much softer and calmer than NYC!

A fabulous weekend, for sure – and quite a contrast to hiking in Maine the previous week.

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Acadia Travels

Published on July 18, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

I’ve just returned from a wonderful family vacation in Acadia, Maine. I missed the ‘Slice of Life’ last week for the first time in months, due to spotty wifi and unending fun. How to describe the many sweet moments and gorgeous scenery? Let me share a few photos and tales.

We explored from sandy beaches to rocky cliffs. Throughout the park, there were wild blueberries on the rocky edges of paths. Most were still a bit green for picking, but we snacked on a ripe few. There were historic cairns as guides along the trails. We had lots of animal sightings – frogs, turtles, deer, crabs, sea urchins, and more. On our first walk, just as my son and I were passing by a marshy area, a barred owl took flight not ten feet from us – magnificent!

Deep in the woods, I stopped from time to time to listen to the delightful chatter of new-to-me birds (thank you, Merlin app, for helping me identify these precious sounds!) – red-eyed vireo, dark-eyed junco, black-capped chickadee, golden-crown kinglet, and a variety of warblers with adorable names – black-throated green warbler, yellow-rumped warbler, magnolia warbler. I heard these birds so frequently, I began to recognize their calls.

Early morning at Cadillac Mountain, our views were obscured by mist and fog. It was exquisite, all the same – and made for somewhat cooler hiking. We hiked along Dorr Mountain trail and enjoyed more visibility as the morning progressed.

Look closely, and you can see my granddaughter Frog standing on an outcropping. I remain awed by her prowess on the challenging rock scrambles of this and other hikes – she is only four and half years old, and moves with courage, flexibility, and desire. She was amazing! I, on the other hand, have returned home with new fitness goals for myself, in hopes of being stronger for next summer’s family hiking trip. I became so fatigued on this hike, I could only climb up higher on rocks by using my two hands to lift my leg up. Oh my!

Tony loved the hikes where you reach the summit and partake in these extraordinary panoramas. I was thrilled by these, too, but the Acadia tidal pools nourished my soul. We had planned our visits with low tide, allowing us to see the beautiful diversity of these fragile regions. The beaches filled with rounded rocks in brown, orange, red, yellow – these were absolutely exquisite.

I am filled with many special memories from this beautiful national park. Let me close with a poem I wrote yesterday, for Ethical ELA’s OpenWrite…a ‘venn diagram’ poem about the different parts of Acadia that Tony & I loved, and the overlap between the two.

Acadia

he treasured the vistas
panoramic views from mountaintops
sweaty exertion of climbing
weaving paths negotiating roots scrambling rocks  
our hiking chatter grunts laughter

tide pools mesmerized me
close intimate looking and tiny finds
slow steady careful stepping
so many lives both strong and fragile 
waves rippling rocks

invigorating
all our senses, tingling
immersed in precious wonder
being in nature
together

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Sentences Together

Published on June 6, 2023

*Hanging Sculpture with Beads* by Nick Cave – Tampa Airport

I know I am not the only one who reads a great book alongside a vacation, and the two end up a couple forever – when I think of the book, I remember the vacation; when I reflect on the trip, I remember my reading. I just returned from a very special weekend trip, and Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence will be forever infused with this trek. On the plane ride to and from, traveling by myself, I got lost in her magical and thought-provoking story.

My trip was a girls’ weekend, and a novel one at that. My cousin (Gem) and I traveled to Florida to visit our mothers’ last remaining sister – our dear aunt. Gem and I were close when we were teenagers; I have always adored her. We didn’t really keep close from our college years onward. Life is like that. No rhyme or reason, really. I’d say probably due to our physical distance – she lives in Massachusetts, and I am in Maryland.

Then we dreamed up this trip.

We had a very special travel companion, Gem’s twenty-year-old daughter (Vine). This was the first time that Vine had met a family member from this generation, since my cousin’s parents had both died before she was born. The three of us rented a car together in Tampa, and an airbnb in Ocala. My aunt and uncle are in their 80s, and we didn’t want to totally exhaust them by staying in their home. This was such a fun setup! It was very, very special to be with my aunt, hearing and sharing stories, looking through photographs, and piecing family history. Remembering and wondering, together. In the car and back at our rental, Gem, Vine, and I were able to talk talk talk and talk some more – getting to know one another more deeply.

Let me share a few photos from our walks. It is always a thrill to see different animals and nature.

In a fun coincidence, Louise Erdrich’s The Sentence has a mother-daughter relationship woven within the plot (which involves a ghost in a bookstore). I won’t give too much away – you should read the book. All weekend long, mothers and daughters and those who have passed were our themes, as well, with memories coming up over and over. No ghosts, though – thankfully.

Oh – another fun thread of the book is the word ‘sentence’ and its multiple meanings, with a special emphasis on writing beautiful sentences; there’s also witty writing about new words. I dog-eared so many pages of this book, trying to hold onto passages. I just returned home from the trip, and I am still processing all that my loved ones did and discussed – sentences keep popping up in my mind, special things we shared aloud with one another. How to hold onto all this?

Yes, it was emotional – in good, rich ways. So wonderful! Gem and I will not let so much time go by without getting together again. In fact, we have vowed to write letters to one another – to continue to build our close friendship (cousin-ship?).

A great weekend – with a great book, as well.

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SOLSC #13 – Whirlwind

Published on March 13, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

Winter Storm Warning
…in effect from 5pm Monday to 8am Wednesday
…accumulations of 12 to 18 inches
…heavy wet snow expected
…travel will be difficult to impossible
…likely result in power outages
…a long duration and high-impact snow event

These words blasted across my friend’s phone, as she checked the weather for the next few days of my visit in Connecticut. 

Oh no!, she exclaimed, Maureen - I hate to say it, but you have to get out of here. Now. This is going to be a doozy of a storm.
 
What?! 

If not for AccuWeather, we would have been absolutely blindsided by this storm. The weather yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous winter day in New England - it was sunny and in the low 40s. Impossible to believe a big storm was hurdling this way! This was a perfect day for a brisk walk, and we took a wonderful one around the lake. The world looked especially beautiful. Here’s a photo of Harwinton Lake –

We enjoyed a three mile walk, with our usual nonstop conversation. The only pauses in our talking were the hills, lol. I always forget how much hillier it is in her neighborhood. I walk a lot at home, but I am not used to getting winded as I walk; my neighborhood is mostly flat. Note to self: I will set the goal of walking more briskly at home, picking up my pace.

Check out these fun rock sculptures someone built in their yard. They reminded me of people, bundled up for the cold and trudging through snow to gather together. It’s been a fun visit here.

But the weather forecast was clear: this gorgeous weather was not going to continue; the storm would begin Monday evening and continue through Wednesday.. So much for a loooong weekend with my college bestie; I needed to get home to Maryland ahead of this snowstorm. With that, I was looking up flights and changing my itinerary, and I was able to book a flight for this morning.

Fast forward – first thing this morning, I woke to a rap at my door – my friend had to wake me up, because I was oversleeping. The daylight-savings time change had wrenched my “I’m always awake by 7 a.m.” into an unexpected “Hey, it’s 8 a.m., you have to get up!” I raced about in foggy-headed confusion, and we were out the door for the airport.

A fitting end to a very full two weeks, I suppose. I crammed in every possible thing – including my sleep, lol.

My friend will have the thrill of shoveling and possible outages; I will rest and recover from all the fun I have had for nearly two weeks now. And, I’ll be home and ready to babysit my grandchildren later this week. Yes, it is time to be home.

Goodbye, Connecticut!

Welcome back, Maryland!

SOLSC #10 – Jazz

Published on March 10, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

You make me!
You make me!
You! You!  You! 
You make me!
You. 
Make. 
Me. 
Feel. 
Like. 
A. 
Natural. 
Woman.

I was absolutely enchanted as the jazz singer improvised this Aretha Franklin song. Her name is Louise Spencer, and I particularly enjoyed how her voice dropped lower and lower as she “punched” those last eight words, the title of the song. She sang every song in the set with such gorgeous volume, playing with the lyrics – adding syllables unexpectedly, using repetition for emphasis, varying the range of her voice within a single phrase. What a joy to hear her, to be in this jazz club listening to live music by these gifted musicians. 

All day today, I’ve been reliving the fun we had this last night of vacation, visiting the local jazz club and listening to the Lavon Stevens Band. 

Of all the ‘ear worms’ I’ve had stuck in my head - this is one of the very best!

SOLSC #9 – Beach Finds

Published on March 9, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

I love my long walks outside, and it’s been particularly delightful to walk the beach these past few days. I’m not a big swimmer; I am not a sunbather, either; no, I like to walk and explore. There are so many new and exotic sights. I love the feel of the sea breeze and to watch the ocean waves crash onto the shore. The water is cool and invigorating, washing over my feet – and that’s a thrill, too, to walk barefoot; I don’t do that when I’m walking in the woods back home.

There are very few seashells on this part of the Hilton Head beach – I feel as if that’s always been true, for as long as I have visited here. My parents retired here back in 1988, and I had many vacations here over the years, before my parents moved back north, closer to us children, in their frail elderly years. This is our first time back to visit the island since 2017, a bit of a nostalgia trip in some ways.

So, yes, back to my walks on the beach. Here, at low tide, the beach is vast and wide and flat and almost entirely soft and bare. Every now and again, you’ll come across something novel, such as a horseshoe crab or a jellyfish, beached on shore. Let me share photos of my special finds these past few days –

Check out this jellyfish – it is easily more than 12 inches in diameter, bigger than my big ol’ foot. There were several on the beach that were perfectly clear, but this one was different – I could see undigested small shrimp and other crustaceans, oh my. TMI, lol.

There are beautiful grasses and sponges in a variety of colors. I imagine these riding waves, feeling the ocean in and around their being.

Check out this strangeness. This blob was about 12 inches long, a gooey gelatinous mass. Google helped me identify it, labeling it a “sea pork.”

Last but not least, here’s my favorite sighting – I always feel as if I have visited Hilton Head, if I see a dolphin in the ocean:

Today’s our last day at the beach – let me go enjoy!

SOLSC #8 – Refuge

Published on March 8, 2023

It is Tuesday and time to write a 'Slice of Life." 
Thank you  Two Writing Teachers for creating this supportive community
of teacher-writers!

We walked the Pinckney Island National Wildlife Refuge in the late afternoon, about an hour and a half before sunset. I took so many photos of this glorious area, where you are surrounded by salt marsh and tidal creeks. I could imagine what the Lowcountry terrain looked like before all the developers discovered this jewel of the south.

Our first wildlife encounter truly startled us, when an armadillo crossed our path – right in the midst of all of us. We would see another, later in our visit. I had only seen these as photos (or, sadly, roadkill, out west). What funny little beings! These two seemed absolutely oblivious and uninterested in us; their mission was to gnaw on decaying trees, in pursuit of protein-rich bugs, I suppose.

The trees were rich with all sorts of birds, well-hidden by the pines and Spanish moss. We heard them singing and calling out. My sister-in-law opened up her bird app on her phone, and multitudinous birds were identified – woodpeckers, gnatcatchers, marsh wrens, mourning doves, and so many more.

We walked to a pond on our trail map, and witnessed a gorgeous rookery, filled with white ibis, heron, and egrets, all settling in for the night in their respective tree nests. Let me share a few of my ridiculous number of photos from here –

As we watched from the pond’s edge, my brother noticed a large alligator in the pond…and a baby alligator right along the pond’s edge, much nearer to us. Okay then! This sightseeing is done for the day. We walked quickly away from this precious interlude, thinking these wildlife should enjoy their beautiful evening all to themselves, without the distraction of us.

Another gorgeous day in the Lowcountry.