What IS That Grotesqueness?

Traditionally, most of us associate awe and wonder with the beauty of the ocean, but yesterday’s walk on the beach  (where we’re vacationing with siblings and spouses at Ocean Isle, North Carolina) served up a new kind of mystery altogether when I kicked it out of the sandy path through the dunes on the way to water’s edge. 

This ugly thing:

Disgusting words come to mind, by way of description, all of them far from any idea of beauty. It measures about 4x5 inches in width and length, and is about one inch thick. To the touch, it feels like rigid plastic and is very light in weight, as if dried. 

None of us knew what it was, but all offered suggestions of course:

1) An internal organ of some kind

2) A small dolphin’s head. See the jawline?

3) An organ out of an animal

4) Dried skin of an animal

5) “Wooks wike wibber to me,” (in reference to an old family story)

6) Maybe something human.You can see the nerves. 

7) Shoe leather

 I invite any readers to venture guesses in the comment section, or even better, are there any biologists out there who might offer a definitive identification?

Meantime, that old family story: 

   When my older brother, Danny, was very young, he hated liver and onions for supper. To encourage him to taste it one night, my dad told him we were having something new called “gland.”  Danny apparently took one bite and said, “Tastes wike wibber to me.”  

~dkm 10/15/22

The Lure of a Path

What is there more enticing than a path? And few are as welcoming as the one my daughter-in-law Lisa has created through the woods behind their house in Vermont. It has the features you want in a fine path:

1) The invitation of a slightly challenging entrance with a sturdy banister to help you over the ancient stone wall into the woods beyond. Lisa crafted the banister by wedging a fallen branch between adjacent boulders and tree trunks, sure and steady: 

2) A clear route into the unknown:

3) A loyal dog to lead the way:

4) Or two dogs, even better:

5) A good place to drop your glasses for Lisa to find on the next day’s walk:

6)  A bench for a momentary rest…

7) A tree trunk doorway from one level to the next:

8) A rotting foot bridge over a shallow ravine:

9) A new sturdy footbridge across a deeper wider chasm:

10) Natural branch borders to mark the way:

11) Pavers in muddy places:

12) A log to step over here and there:

13) A scattering of lime green ferns to give  you pause…

 …until next visit…

~dkm 10/9/22

Little By Little...

I was lucky enough to be visiting my daughters in Vermont from early September to early October, just the right time to watch the leaf extravaganza. The changes seemed almost imperceptible from one day to the next, but these photos, taken approximately one week apart from the same spot on Hannah and Lisa's deck, show the progress. It happened slowly at first, gaining momentum near the end. Four photos worth 4000 words...still, they don't capture the wonder, the hugeness, the breathtaking splendor. I'll be sorry to "leave" tomorrow, unable to see the final burst of peak color.

Perhaps these pictures are a visual representation of Hannah's healing after her back injury---small daily improvements, with the ultimate success being yet to come. May it be so. 

~dkm 10-6-22

Evensong

I interrupt my plan of posting progressive photos of Vermont’s leaf change to share tonight’s sunset midway through the transformation…

~dkm 10/2/22