The beach suffered severe erosion since we were here September ‘08, and this year’s dominant flotsam and jetsam were great tangles of roots (from beach roses, bayberry, pine, sea grass) and sea weed. One of the first things I saw when I greeted the breach was a semi-circle of root tangle embedded in the sand at the high tide mark. It looked like the beginning of a huge nest. Viola! This year’s art installation idea was revealed.
It didn’t take long to find other root tangles to add to the semi-circle, and a full nest quickly formed.
As the week progressed, I watched the tide meet the nest and then recede, over and over again.
With the changing phase of the moon, the high tide decreased, leaving the Big Nest on drier sand.
Later in the week, David and I created a second nest coming out of the dune.
Our final morning (which also happened to be my birthday) I went down to the beach to watch the sunrise. It was a beautiful, still morning and for a while I was the only human within sight.
Then a person with a black lab appeared for a walk. The dog came right over to inspect the Big Nest (and of course leave his mark) and then jumped into the center of the circle. What a gift!
