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Wet Sand, Wet Boots, Birds

May 6, 2019 •

Wet sand, wet boots, happy me. Who would have guessed that there are so many walk­ing trails here on Cape Cod. Or so much birdlife!

Despite the raini­est April ever recorded in Mass­a­chu­setts, I’m out on Cape Cod’s walk­ing trails every day. It’s beau­ti­ful here, even when it rains. The sum­mer peo­ple haven’t arrived yet, so the trails are vir­tu­ally empty. I may pass a dog walker or two, but oth­er­wise the bird life pre­dom­i­nates.

It’s mat­ing sea­son so the birds are com­pet­ing for atten­tion with vibrant col­ors, pas­sion­ate cho­ruses and chore­o­graphed mat­ing dances. If I stop and wait qui­etly, there are mar­vels to see and hear.

Flirt­ing car­di­nals, eye-catch­ing Bal­ti­more ori­oles, danc­ing dow­itch­ers, ele­gant swans, mal­lards, osprey, robins and blue­birds, great blue and white herons, tufted tit­mice, finches, spar­rows, chick­adees, red-winged black­birds — the list goes on and on, if only I had the skill to name all the birds I see or hear.

Thanks to years of hik­ing in the Pacific North­west, I’m well equipped to enjoy nature’s courtship rit­u­als and musi­cals, despite inclement con­di­tions on these coastal trails. I put on a Gore­Tex jacket, don a rain hat and off I go. For pro­longed down­pours I just add rain pants, some semi-water­proof hik­ing boots and a pair of warm wool socks.

Rain mists my glasses, speck­les my out­er­wear and the birds wel­come me back. The sand crunches under my boots. It’s a daily bless­ing to be here.

About This Blog

Reflec­tions on life, travel, books, and yoga. Think­ing out loud about the pur­suit of mind­ful­ness and well-being.

Learn­ing how to recover from the loss of a beloved spouse, and then to find a trans­for­ma­tive path for­ward.

About Me

Semi-retired marketing exec, transitioning from a career in high tech. Now "managed" by two Tonkinese cats. Missing travel and friends on the West Coast. Avid reader and foodie. Staying active with long walks, biking, kayaking and yoga.

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