This morning dawned cool and wet.
Thunderstorms yesterday afternoon settled into showers overnight, pushed out to sea by the cold front sweeping towards us.
What a welcome change from the heavy hot air of the past few days!
A beautiful morning to walk down to the creek, I ventured out with clippers in one hand, camera in the other, to see what could be seen.
Low grey skies promised more rain at any moment, and droplets of water clung to every leaf and stem along the way.
Good weather for mosses and ferns, and people who need a break from summer’s heat!
I was surprised to find the tide so low this morning.
The area around the dock was muddy, with shallow pools filled with little fish.
The bottom of the creek was clearly visible for a long ways in every direction, showing the roots of plants growing from the mud flats.
At one time, years ago, this creek was navigable.
Boats could access the dock . But silt continues to fill the creek.
The tide must be high to float a boat anywhere near the dock these days.
I was struck by the still silence this morning.
No eagles called out from the sky. Aside from dragonflies, no wings filled the air.
It felt as though the whole world were holding its breath waiting for something.
A moment of peace, while walking to the end of the dock; looking back at the shoreline, unfamiliar now in its exposed low-tide aspect.
A novelty.
Perhaps not to be seen again anytime soon,either.
I studied the muddy bottom to see what might be learned about this bit of shoreline.
Aside from a broken turtle shell, and the madly flopping fish, no living thing showed itself.
Not a crab or frog, snake or bird to be seen, anywhere, for as far as I could see in any direction.
And so I began the long climb home, away from the empty creek.
The garden awaited, still soggy but in need of a “walk about.”
And that is another story.
Photos by Woodland Gnome 2014
Forest Garden 
Love your shots, it’s like I am walking with you. I hate to see the broken turtle shell! I know he had to have died.
I had the same feeling about the turtle, and wondered what happened to him so long ago. The shell has been there for many year…. So glad you enjoyed the walk, Michael 😉 WG
The stillness sounds kind of eery…it’s well past full moon, so the tide can’t be attributed to that, do you think? Your Caladium is downright gorgeous!
It was very eery, Eliza. I’ve never been down there on such a low tide, but that doesn’t mean it hasn’t been that low from time to time. I am more concerned with the lack of birds, in a spot where they are normally abundant. We are enjoying the Caladiums so much this year 😉 Glad you like them. WG
I hope when you next check the place out, the birds will be back to their usual song. I don’t want to even IMAGINE a ‘silent spring!”
Your photo of the caladium reminds me to tell you how well mine are doing in your hypertufa pot. Also, a friend handed me three bulbs earlier this summer to plant and now I have glorious caladium growing. I am so excited about this new (to me) plant. Can’t wait to explore other types!!
What fun, Barbara! I would love to see photos of the plants your friend gave you. So happy to know your hypertufa planting is doing well, too, and that you are enjoying them all. They are so easy to grow, and so beautiful. I made an arrangement yesterday with a Glad stem and 2 Caladium leaves. Have you tried cutting them for arrangements yet? They last a very long time that way. Did you get lots of rain this week? Be well, WG
I imagine they would look fabulous in an arrangement, now that I think of it. Yes, so easy and so beautiful. I really am THRILLED over them. I’ll see if I can figure out how to email you a picture of the variety growing in my shade garden right now. None are in containers except the one from you. You’ve written a post on these, right? I’ll look for it. I’m sure there’ll be all the info I need in there!! No, not that much rain up here, btw. But a nice cool day today.
https://forestgardenblog.wordpress.com/2014/06/10/crazy-for-caladiums/
https://forestgardenblog.wordpress.com/2014/04/11/our-caladium-bulbs-are-here/
I’ll look forward to the email, Barbara. You can dig your bulbs this fall (early Oct.) and re-pot them if you want to hold them over for next year. The ones I keep inside send up leaves during the winter. If you have a medium sunny spot inside, they should give you quite a nice display. They rest from time to time, and then throw out new leaves again. Sometimes the winter leaves are gargantuan! So glad you’re enjoying them. Isn’t the cool day a nice breather?
Best wishes,
E