The First Day of Spring

Today is the first day of Spring and the first day of my new Blog. The beach is deserted and strewn with driftwood and litter. Too soon the tourists will pick it clean taking everything burnable to feed their campfires in nearby Nickerson State Park. But that will be later. Today I celebrate the start of a new season and the lack of tourists.

It was a bad winter for beach glass; I found none and today my luck was the same - none. I picked up a tiny rust colored stone that I am sure is a chip off a brick. I always wonder the origins.

As always, my goal is to make it to the riprap around 400 yards down the beach. I've walked this same 400 yards so many times. Now each step is a struggle. I've replaced a hip and one knee but this old body demands more, replacements, that is. It doesn't like me anymore. But it will not win. I will never stop trying to walk.

I lift my face to the sunshine and breathe deeply enjoying every single second of every breath. I am believing there is no place on earth as special as Cape Cod Bay. I bend over to scoop a handful of sand and enjoy its salty aroma as well. How slow can you go, one step, one step, something makes me go on. Its so close now.

At last, I wedge between the rocks and find my spot. There are two rocks that are the perfect height to sit and watch the tide change. I am about ten minutes early judging by how close the water is to my shoes. But my goal today is to be there exactly at 1:32 EDT when the sun passes directly over the equator and the season changes. At exactly this minute the sun's rays are perpendicular to the surface of the earth and I am here.

As I rest my bones, the tide splashes my shoes and I know its time to move on.