Finally temps rise above the 20s and I feel like getting up early to go to Kingston Point. It is 6:45am and still dark. Sunrise this morning is at 7:18am so I am hopeful of having the beach to ourselves. Last night it was VERY rainy and foggy. I could not see the Wurts Street bridge lights. Was it because of the fog? Or has the nightly turning on of colored lights ended. Won’t know until tomorrow, I guess/
The moon was still up in the northwestern sky. I see it to my left as I go on the Strand towards the beach. It was full moon a few days ago so the moon is still plump. A waning gibbous moon. Lovely.
Of course we will not see the sunrise as it has shifted so far to the Southeast, 121 degrees, to be exact.
I want to get a look at the Hudson River beach “deliveries”. It is going towards low tide and there should be plenty of driftwood to collect. Driftwood is excellent for woodstoves. It lands on a beach along the Hudson River banks and the sun dries it…often to the point of turning it into heavy wood for burning. Also, when we are lucky, we find wood that the beavers have lost due to the rising and falling tides. Those seem to be the best wood to harvest. They are thick and burn wonderfully. A very cozy fire is provided by beaver slips!
The seagulls also enjoy the low tide and harvest little shells along the waterline. Sometimes they get into big arguments over chunks that one of them has been able to pluck from the water. They are the only birds we see now by the river. The herons and crows have left for the winter. At least I have not seen either one for a while.
Then we park at the Rotary entrance and walk to the footpath. The cardinals and wrens around the entrance greet us.
I am looking forward to a week of sunrise visits until the frigid temps make it too unpleasant again. We are getting more rain this evening, I think. But Thursday promises to be quite pleasant.
Typical winter morning on the Hudson River
Image
Reply
the Rondout Rower 