Spring is Springing, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It may be slow and barely perceptible but, the faint colors of leaves budding and grass greening make it clear that spring really is here.



The bench at the edge on the right above......



.....is a great spot to contemplate the universe..... or just sit a spell mindlessly if contemplation is too challenging......assuming you don't mind being so close to the edge.

Yep, spring is definitely springing.

Another Beach Walk, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

I took my lumberjack buddy for a beach walk. He had never been and was giddy with anticipation.



It was a beautiful spring day and the tide was out.



Being of small stature, he felt a bit vulnerable, especially since he was out of his natural wooded element....



...and there were dangerous creatures here that he had never seen before.



He figured out how to manage the incoming tide and waves by staying far from the water's edge.....and he could fight off the attacking gulls by waving his axe.......



... but he was completely stymied trying to cross the deep truck tracks when it was time to head home. I had to carry him in my pocket and he really doesn't like being picked up and carried by others - even me. Oh well, it was a beautiful day for a walk anyway.

Surprise Visitor, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's not everyday that Spiderman comes to my town........though unfortunately, he does seem to have gotten hung-up in tree branches.

A Beach Walk, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

The low tide cycles have been occurring mid-afternoon - perfect timing for a walk along the beach.



And the rain showers were passing well to the south over Cape Cod.



A panoramic view east and south.



I put this friendly sea creature on the rock to pose for the photo - it felt heavy, like the occupant was still home - I returned it to the water after the image - it wasn't able to keep up with my walking pace.

Big Tracks, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Though the Manomet  bluff and beaches suffered significant erosion effects this past winter, it is still a beautiful place for me to walk and wander.











Shadowman descends the stairs (130+ each way) to the sand.



Daily, trucks loaded with big rocks to rebuild the seawalls and other heavy equipment to lift the stones into place, leave their tracks in the sand.

It's nice to walk along the road, too, as spring unfolds, the days lengthen, and the air warms.

A Spectacular Sky, Bartlett Pond, White Horse Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

A beautiful sky with a double bonus reflected in the calm surface of Bartlett Pond.



The greenery hints at the spring growth.



And the magnolia bloom proves that winter is really over.

The Power of Winter Storms, Manomet Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

It's that time of year when heavy equipment can be found on the beach, repairing the intense destruction that winter storms brought to the bluff and stairways. This year the damage was more severe than many have ever experienced. It is certainly the worst I have seen. Not only did high surf, wind, and tides do damage to much of the beach and most stairways, the intense rainfalls contributed to slippage of the face of the bluff in many places, eroding property and the critical foliage that normally helps stabilize and anchor the surface.

Hope springs eternal and hundreds of thousands of dollars will be expended by individual owners over the coming months to try to repair what nature has wrought. Regardless the effort and expense, nature will likely prevail - the erosion process has been going on for millennia and man and bulldozers and rocks will not stop it.

The following images will give a sense of some of the damaged stairways and hillsides.



























Amazingly, this stairway and bluff section received almost no damage.

And this one has already been repaired.

A Walk on the Beach, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

Spring has arrived along the coast of Manomet!



It's a day of brilliant sunshine and light breezes........



Of blue skies and puffy white clouds......



A day when the gift of life can take my breath away with its awesome beauty.

A Great Egret, Manomet, Plymouth, Massachusetts, USA

This was our welcome home after returning from our trip to Ithaca, New York. I looked out the window and there was this beautiful Great Egret, standing back-lit in the morning sunshine. I don't recall ever seeing this species on our little neighborhood pond before. He was simply stunning, even when viewed through a double-pane glass window with a point-and-shoot zoom camera.

Sometimes, I can hardly stand how beautiful this planet can be.

A Willow Tree, Stewart Park, Ithaca, New York, USA

Late April. This is my final post from our recent visit to Ithaca. I enjoy this simple view of a willow tree on the edge of Cayuga Lake. It looks the same but different over the past four weeks. I wish I'd be here to see it in the summer.......



Mid-late April.



Mid April.



Early April.

Late March.