(+5 insets) (Please click! Wonderful crow details await!) (Sscroll down to "Today's Image" for photo info)

Notes Written on the Road: The Elderly Gentleman
On my walks I often encounter folks along the way, and sometimes I run into them again during the same stroll! One fellow brings a smile to myself when I think about him.

One morning I was walking up North Harris Beach and I noticed a person standing stock still at the base of a craggy boulder where the waves were creeping up with the tide. Hands held at his side, he was staring intently at something where the water hit the rocks. As the waves sank back, he crept closer, penguin-style. If the waves got too close he waggled backwards. What a funny sight! By the time I made it to the rock he'd been scooting back and forth on, he'd backed away from his tenuous position and disappeared up the beach. I couldn't help wondering what he'd been looking at.

Later I trekked up the trail that winds around and leads up to the small but impressive Harris Butte which overlooks the coast and boasts a fabulous view. (I shared a picture in my last presentation) On the way, who should I meet but the fellow I'd seen on the beach! As we passed, I had my opportunity to quell my curiosity and after wishing him a good morning, asked, "What were you looking at down there on the beach?" He smiled widely, remembering where he'd seen me and reported proudly, "I saw two starfish, one purple, the other orange! I thought there was another one but the waves kept coming in and I didn't want to get soaked." I congratulated him and told him that I might try looking myself another day.

I would see him for three more days on this trail and each time we said hello as we passed one another. I loved that he was so active and interested in the beauty of Harris Beach and wondered how he came to be there and if he was a full-time traveler. It would have been fun to have a chat with him. In the end, I never did check out the side of that rock down at the edge of the water but I can picture the starfish that he saw. (I wish I'd gotten a picture of him at some point but it wasn't in the cards.)

A Note to Introduce Today's Picture
Harris Beach State Park is unique because it has two wonderful beaches: North and South. Between them sits a boulder-glutted area and a very large, healthy tide pool--all of which can be scrambled around when the tide is low.

Further bi- and trisecting the beaches, a number of creeks empty out into the ocean in several places and create lagoons or busy streams which snake down to the water's edge. Crossing them to continue walking along the beach can be a simple wide stretch with some momentum, a careful hop or a running leap. Alternatively, one may choose to abandon any decorum whatsoever and splash across or, for those who really don't want to get soaked, the adventurous can climb over the cobbled driftwood and rocks that collect at the tops of the beaches where the streams come down the hillside.

The streams running down to the ocean are very popular with the local birdlife and there are usually a cluster of seagulls hanging out, bathing, or hunting for a meal. Plovers, oyster-catchers, and sandpipers are also regular visitors too.

Today's Picture
One day I walked to the edge of one of the streams emptying out into the ocean and watched a crow with something in its beak. It would toss it in the water and then pick it up again. Then it would walk to another spot and do it again. I wasn't sure what it was up to but I think it was washing the sand off of its goody! The main picture shows this crow eying its morsel. (Please see this picture at full-size, it's best viewed large!)

Today's Insets
Along with the crow image, I'm including a few more:
• a portrait of the crow that shows its treat (a slice of ham? Pastrami?)
• a shining abstract of charred driftwood
• the a driftwood still life that includes the charred driftwood
• beautiful lines showing rippling stream water
• a collage of images to show the pretty millipede I saw on the beach

Thank You For Your Visit, Comments & Stars!
What fun to read what you have to say about my latest presentation! It's so enjoyable to learn a tidbit that relates to you or if you have a favorite image. Likewise, I really love to hop around the world through the lenses of your cameras to see what you're sharing today, and to let you know what I think too! :) Hope you had a wonderful weekend and crossing your fingers that this coming week is great too!

Explored on 11/21/21; highest placement #4.