PBW: Back to Caumsett

Cubby was ready to regale you all with his prolific prose this week, as he struck that classy pose. Had I not returned from Caumsett Park on Sunday, he may have had to cover for me. I've been there before for Photo Blog Wednesday, but it's huge, 1,750 acres. I could go many times at different times of the year, and never cover the same ground twice.

After a matinee of TMNT on Sunday, I was eager to stretch my legs, shed some Winter weight, and take in some sunshine. My plans were nearly derailed when I arrived home to find Ma and Pa Kent hard at work in the yard with a pile of branches. My mom said they didn't need help and she was really just keeping an eye on my dad to make sure he didn't rip up any of her flowers by mistake. I ran in, grabbed my camera, and was about to take off again when my dad asked, “Where are you going?” He wanted me to stop behind the local liquor store and grab some cardboard boxes. As the sun moved across the sky, I quickly agreed, and realized as I was loading my car that I couldn't go off gallivanting in clear conscience while they toiled in the yard.

When I got home, he said I could go, but I just grabbed some clippers and started turning the vines and branches into manageable segments, loading the boxes as I went. Within half an hour nine boxes were filled and our lawn was once again visible. More importantly, it was only 3:00 and still sunny. Winter wasn't that bad or that long, but it seemed like forever since I took a really long walk, and I spent an excellent two hours covering about six miles of terrain.





I'll have to check out that walled garden when things are actually growing.






Before heading into the woods, I checked out various structures like a Winter cottage and a brick mansion.









With most of the snow melted, the “No Sleigh Riding Permitted” sign seemed kind of funny. Shortly thereafter, the steep, steep slope proved irresistible, and I ran down it at my top speed, feeling like I was falling with every step before the ground leveled again and I could stop and look back up the hill. I continued on to the beach.



I think those were crickets, or maybe frogs. I never saw them, but they were deafening.



The waves are so peaceful. If I had gotten to the beach earlier or if the parking lot wasn't three miles away, I could have lingered and listened to that sound a while longer.







I wasn't tired when I saw the big tire, but then I opted to take a trail laden with hoof prints and bicycle tracks. The trail kept splitting, always offering 2-3 possible directions. I kept the water at my back and the sun to my right, and I knew I was heading South. The problem arose when the trail I'd been on for a while curved West, then back North toward the beach. I had to back track quite a bit, but soon found my way to a more pedestrian friendly trail.






I saw a lot of birds, but though I kept my distance many flew away just as I took their picture, except for this cooperative little fellow. Afterwards, I tried an idea inspired by something my friend TheGreek had done, and fastened the straps of my camera to the passenger side head rest in my car. Before pulling out on to the shoulderless road leading back to the mainland, I hit the record button and hoped for the best. It's not exactly what I was going for, but you do get a sense of what it's like to drive with me, assuming you always look up at the trees instead of straight ahead at the water and other interesting scenery. We'll call this one a learning experience, and enjoy the fortuitous guitar solo from Avenged Sevenfold's “Bat Country” that I found on the radio.