November 10, 2012

Temperature: 60 F. Cloud Cover: Sunny. Wind Velocity: Calm/Light. Wind Direction: S.

Number of people: 4. Number of dogs: 1. Walking or running: 5. Beach Walk Saturday, November 10th, 2012I walked down with LucieAnne and around to where we keep our dinghy, the Second Sea Sprite, tied to a myrtle tree. By then it was probably after one. It was sunny. A wind was coming from the south at five or ten miles an hour. I rowed our boat down Lower Fourmile Creek and North on the New River past the big old tree trunk (perhaps six or even eight feet in diameter) that has been a landmark on the eastern shore since we started living at the Lonely Plover. I pulled in across from a sandy spot on the west shore which I assumed was created by an old overtopping of the dunes. I thought it would be easier to land the dinghy there when I ferried everyone across.I called the house to let Blaine know I was in position as the vegetation has gotten so tall, I was uncertain if they could see me. After a couple of calls, each of which was diverted to her message box, I started walking back to the house, but I quickly encountered the three of them, Tony, Laurel, and Blaine coming down the BLM path towards the old tree.Tony took the oars and ferried Laurel across and left her standing on the West bank; then Tony took Blaine over and then he and I crossed. I don’t recall with whom Lucie went, probably with me. But when Tony and I crossed, I had to get out a couple of times as my weight grounded our little craft. The second time my somewhat incapable right leg didn’t get over the stern properly and I fell over backward into the water. Fortunately, I had placed both my phone and the camera in a plastic bag in my back pack. I will endeavor to always do that in the future. We crossed the dunes. I was barefoot, as is my want, while Tony was wearing tall rubber boots, later to be filled with water. The waves were not large even though they had been visible from the house in the morning. I was surprised to find nearly foot deep tracks in the sand, apparently made by an SUV. The space between them and their depth was too great to have been made by an ATV. It was the first time I had seen such tracks on the beach. We assumed they had been made by some government agency. We walked south, so this would be on what I think is mile 93. The sand was about a hundred yards wide and very clean. The only objects on the beach down near the surf were occasional jellies, clear and without color. There were gulls flying south over the surf and, for the first time I can recall, a big black crow was on the sand.We walked past the BLM kiosk with me taking pictures when Blaine suggested it was time to turn back. I was ready as I was wet and a bit cold from my dunking.Along the way Tony talked about the perch fishing which could be done from the beach and found a dead perch about a foot long on the sand. It had a tail exhibiting some pink. He told us about little crabs without claws that live under the sand and are good as bait for the perch. We told him how, years ago, I had met Farmer Gibbs on the beach while he was fishing for perch. He also picked up a shell and identified it as a razor clam and told us how to prepare them for eating. It was long and rectangular, brown and white in color. Eventually, we reached the point where our footprints crossed the dunes, and we turned east and found our skiff. Tony rowed both girls across at one time. Lucie swam across behind them. She is a tough little girl! Then Tony came back for me and I took the oars, suspecting he might be tired from pulling against both the wind and the current from the south.I found I could not make progress heading north toward the mouth of Lower Fourmile Creek and made the decision to beach us on the east bank. We hauled the boat up and walked back to the Plover with me carrying the oars. But before we reached the shore, Tony got out as we had run aground, and he also fell down and got pretty soaked while trying to haul us up. The water was less than a foot deep. All in all, it was a bit of an adventure for a couple of old men. The girls were lucky to make their crossing without taking on water from the rear as the stern, where both of them were sitting, only had about an inch of freeboard.I showed Tony where we stash the oars in the Kitchen Garden and urged him to use the dinghy anytime he wanted to.

Big black crow or raven on the sand.

Total dead birds: 1. Perch (identified by Tony, owner of the Crab Shack and fishing columnist in the Bandon Western World).

That dead perch was the first I can recall naturally occurring. (Had seen some years ago next to a fisherman.) there were some jellies down on the wet sand, clear and without color.

Jellies

Took a picture of the dead perch.