Friday, August 08, 2008

A Morning Trip...

Above:  Coney Island at dawn.

I woke up early this morning.  I woke up before dawn and decided to go for a little trip.  This year I really haven't been out to Coney Island except for the Mermaid Parade.  I sort of don't count that though, as the experience during the Mermaid Parade is extremely different than when one goes without throngs of people in crazy outfits.  It can be quiet and peaceful.  It can be rejuvenating.

I normally don't care for seagulls.  I mean, I like them in an abstract way.  I like most birds.  But seagulls can be very aggressive and quite annoying in their scavenging.  On one outing to the beach as a child in Florida, I was bitten by a seagull and I think that has left a lasting impression.  However, this morning they were calm.  It was nice to walk along the water's edge, having the water come up around my ankles, and see the birds dancing around the beach.  

Sometimes when I go deeper into my thoughts, I just keep walking and thinking.  This was no different.  I walked from Brighton Beach all the way to the end of Coney Island.  From one end to the other.  I would have walked further along the beach were it not for the stone jetty and the fencing.  But still I walked on, exploring the neighborhood.  Eventually I stumbled upon Coney Island Creek.  I had never been there before.  For people who think that Coney Island is a dirty beach, they haven't seen this one!  It's covered in flotsam and jetsam.  It's covered in trash, washed ashore and left behind.  Part of me was absolutely disgusted and horrified at the sheer amount of trash on the beach.   The other part was fascinated by this area that seemed to collect tidal deposits.  It was the same kind of spark I get when passing a landfill or abandoned building.

Above:  Coney Island Creek Park is covered in litter!

All in all, it was a good morning trip.  I combed the littered beach for treasures for a little while longer.  I also walked to the Home Depot and bought some polyurethane for my shelves.  I'm looking forward to when I can put them up so that I can free up some much needed space.  To see more pictures from the dirty beach CLICK HERE.

4 comments:

Jacki said...

Thanks for the walk on the beach so early in the morning. Great photos too.

Anonymous said...

you have such a remarkable eye,
being able to see such beauty in the mundane.
you are truly an angel upon this earth, andrew.
you have the most genuine of hearts.
I adore you and love you to bits.

Andrew Thornton said...

Hey Ruby Rose. I'm glad I could share it with you. I'm thinking about ways that I can get that beach cleaned up though. I don't think I could do it alone. Perhaps I could try to get all the surrounding residents to pitch in or to write to my local government about a clean-up effort.

Back in Florida, I used to participate and volunteer in highway clean-ups and waterway clean-ups. Getting people to turn out for them was like herding cats. It's hot, dirty, and unappreciated work that no one wants to do and even the most committed of volunteers suddenly finds prior obligations that must be attended to without delay.

Wish me luck!

Andrew Thornton said...

Awwww.... shucks! Heather Wynn, you're way too nice to me. You're going to make me blush scarlet!