Signs of the Times

Dog Days

Swing Life Away

Empty

New Marsh

Waiting

Family

Moon Rocks

Waves

High Tide

Swing Life Away

Free

Summer

Out in the Dunes

Mid Tide

Clam Trees

Positioned

Take Flight

Soft Serve

Pitch

The Past

My Cake

Afloat

Moment of Zen

The Past

Among the Gods

Summer

Passing By

Relics

Calm

Leader

Knob

Isolation

Positioned

Kimberly Ann

Mine

Signs of the Times

Dog Days

Swing Life Away

EmptyIt’s the end of August. The air is heavy with moisture. Strong winds blow from the Southwest pushing misty fog in and out. No one is out wandering the streets. Cape Cod feels as isolated as a cool January day. The only sign of life is the boats moored up in Stage Harbor, waiting to be used by their owners who stayed home and on the other side of the bridge.

New MarshAs the environment changes around us, areas are seeing the expansion of the salt marshes while the forests that meet the sea are becoming engulfed in saltwater. The marsh moves further into the land as it shrinks near the ocean.

WaitingA day boat waits for the storm to blow over. When it does, they will voyage out to George’s Bank and drag for Scallops.

FamilyMy young niece seeks refuge in her father’s legs and produces a wild smile.

Moon Rocks

WavesAs weather pushes through Cape Cod, interesting cloud patterns form. The clouds appear to look like the underside of a crashing set of waves.

High TideA full moon tide fills the marshes. The air is warm and dry. Behind me is a clear blue sky. The warm waters of Cape Cod Bay help a small storm form.

Swing Life Away

FreeI've kind of embraced that it's ok to not be ok. I've come to terms with who I am and the dramatic ups and downs I have. But this week, I felt joyless. For no reason. I left work this afternoon to one of those iconic Cape Cod summer days. Low humidity, low eighties, and the bluest skies you will ever see. I decided to take 6A home and enjoy the weather. Maybe there would be some interesting things to take a photo of here and there along the way. I popped on some music and made my way down the road getting lost in my thoughts. I ended up at the Canal and decided to go through Falmouth home. A song came on that brought me back someplace. I have been getting into Frank Turner lately and one of his songs rose from the speakers into my aging ears. The sun beat down through the windshield. I could smell the salt air and the coconut oil from suntan lotion. I rolled the windows down and opened the sunroof. The volume went to eleven. I dropped a gear and fell back into my seat. Both hands on the wheel. The world opened up as the street signs flew by. Into one curve, out of it, switch down, brake, switch up. For the next 30 minutes, I felt like I was 19 again. Fearless. No cares in the world. I was in my comfort zone. The car became my security blanket. It holds all my insecurities inside. I am protected from the outside world as the environment streams past in a blur. 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, brake, 2nd, gas pedal. Reach the red line, shift, the next apex approaches. No shoes on. Feeling every pebble in the road. It was freedom. My melancholy filled the car just as it did when I was younger. For a brief moment, I was someone I haven't been in many many years. I am glad that person is in the past and I am who I am today. Forever growing. I don't think a song and its lyrics ever triggered me so much and brought me back to a place I once was.

SummerA cloud forms over the bay. It floats like cotton candy being whisked to sweetness.

Out in the DunesThe skeletons of pitch pines sit firmly in the dunes.

Mid Tide

Clam TreesThere is old folklore about the trees that line the channel into Rock Harbor. Clamming was so good around the trunks of the planted trees, the locals believed the trees produced clams and dropped them into the water.

Positioned

Take FlightStrong winds push north northeast. Clouds tear by as boats waddle on their moorings.

Soft Serve

Pitch

The Past

My Cake

Afloat

Moment of Zen

The PastMorris Island has been opened up to the open Atlantic. The cliffs by the weather station are seeing a significant amount of erosion even in the smallest of winds. Hopefully, the barrier beach will start to shift south again to protect this fragile area.

Among the Gods

SummerFamilies relax in the tidal pools at Bass Hole

Passing ByI was on the beach when I saw this man sitting on the bench. The clouds over the sound were starting to build into small showers as they pushed west. I take a lot of images. This one stands out to me right now. I am that man on the bench sitting quietly, watching the kids and families swim in calm warm waters. The clouds are the emotions running through my body. A storm passes, to show a small area of gray before the next storm moves in. Since March, I haven't been myself. I know a lot of people feel the same. I feel like people who are empaths are trying hard to cope, and it's really difficult. One storm moves past, a small moment of calm, and the next storm moves in, while the world continues to spin and continue on around us. It's not the pandemic. It's not the protests. It's how we have treated one another over the past few months. I feel like there has been a lot of ugliness and posturing for the politicization of our opinions and thoughts. No one is listening to one another. We are dividing. It hurts. We should be able to manage relationships. July has entered. Another storm has passed. I hope the next calm lasts longer. My soul hurts.