Results tagged "Peconic Bay"

When I was 16, I owned a silver 1980 Renault Alliance which I purchased from a family friend for $500. For the first 5 months, I drove the car—innocently named “Joe”, without a hitch. Five months later… suddenly, as if the $500 had paid off, the car slowly stopped doing certain things… The radio wouldn’t work if the windshield wipers were on. The tires continually went flat… due to “slow leaks”… The windows would get stuck when rolled down too far… Stopping was sometimes not possible without draining the battery, especially when the headlights were on, and the transmission had decided that reversing was not an option. Moving forward was so much more “glass is half full” anyway.

Joe.

I can remember getting stuck in numerous parallel parking situations that required creative thinking… Half way out of the driver’s side door, holding onto the roof and steering wheel simultaneously, hopping back and forth while relying on any possible incline in the road’s surface to inch me into the space accurately. Then there were the good times that I would make my friends dive into the moving vehicle for fear that stopping would result in the need for jumper cables… they even threw in their 24 packs of…soda — making for funtime explosions later in the adventure. Steep hills were nearly impossible, even with flooring the accelerator… And I can’t even tell you how many Hail Mary’s I rapidly recited–in English and Spanish, when faced with possible break down moments… Dios de Salve Maria….

I thought about Joe a lot this week.

I thought about Joe while my son and I wandered the beach at the end of our street. A few weeks ago, the beach was a thin nothing of a rocky coast of the Peconic Bay — riddled with debris and all but swept out by numerous storms, and pretty much ignored by our County. But just as if we won the lottery –  the Dredgers arrived. Using giant tubes to suck from the depths of the Bay all of the sand that had swept out — the beach is being rebuilt — big, fresh, soft sand…

And while we watched them put our beach back together, I thought about Joe — and in wild varying degrees of loss and rebirth.. About all of the people that got to take a ride before the transmission finally gave up completely–after numerous trips to a French mechanic, only to sit abandoned in the driveway, the path to certain scrap…. Our dishwasher that just broke down for the 3rd time in five years.. The friends that I lost touch with… the friends that have passed on themselves… The babysitter and assistant that I allowed my son to adore, and who just quit her post via text message. We combed for sea shells while the sea gulls feasted on freebies from the Bay’s underbelly… The smell somewhat unattractive, but humorous as it chased away girls walking dogs the size of hamsters.

And before I go and get all bohemian about reincarnation and the Astrology book that the babysitter just happened to borrow before her abrupt resignation… The beach has shed a bit of enlightenment on things… as time passes, and as I remember that when Joe the 1980 Renault Alliance had dwindled for months…A neighbor appeared with a battery — dropped it into the engine and then reversed out of the driveway… driving Joe away. Almost as if nothing had ever been wrong to begin with.

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This is a follow up to a post made almost exactly one year ago… NOTHING HAS CHANGED.

We live very close to the Peconic Bay and there are ponds near our property that feed off of this Bay. In the ponds we are neighbors to lovely swan families that we follow and watch with love and fear combined… they tend to have anger-management issues. Also along these ponds runs a public road which people treat almost as a park–bike riders, fishing families, walkers… birders all enjoy the road as it winds away from Shinnecock Hills and into the Bay. It is quite lovely which is why it makes me so angry to state the obvious.. PLEASE DO NOT FEED THE SWANS.

Almost every fair weathered morning for the past few years a car (black station wagon Volvo) has pulled up along side of the pond behind our house. The woman driving the vehicle honks her horn upon arrival. When she does this, swans kick their webbed feet into high gear and float to her as fast as possible. With this, she throws her leg over the divider, walks to the edge of the water and DUMPS A BUCKET OF CORN. 

I have fought myself on this situation for a very long time. The corn is not only bad for the Swans, but it has caused a major upset in the natural Audubon order of things… The Swans have become die-hard territorial about her feedings and have actually KILLED OTHER SWANS (4 to be exact) in an effort to remain somewhat DOMESTICATED. I know I said anger-management issues, but this is actually quite a normal reaction for any kind of animal being treated like a pet. 

Now – this is my problem. I can either throw all “respect your elders” caution to the wind and go “speak” to this woman… Or I can continue to spy from the other side of the pond saying DON’T FEED THE SWANS under my breathe while my blood boils.. Or – I can leave a note on her car while she continues on her walk to probably feed other wild creatures… OR I can grab a can of spray paint and … A year has passed and I still can’t deal… Please please please -  DO NOT FEED THE SWANS. 

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