The Last Day of Normal - Part 3
Jun 08, 2020
I continued east on March 9th, (that last normal day), as the afternoon sun arched and began its westward journey, finding myself at West Meadow Beach, at the mouth of Stony Brook Harbor. I noticed this longboarder, perhaps dreaming of riding the tide at Porpoise Channel as it swept out into the sound. For the second time this day, I found myself at a new location, discovering a world so close to home, yet which I had never before visited. West Meadow Beach is a Town of Brookhaven facility that offers some spectacular views of the Long Island Sound, and a unique mile-long paved walk, that previously housed almost 100 small cottages and bungalows with what, I would soon learn to be, was an unrivaled sunset view over the Sound.
In 2004, all but a handful of those structures were razed or removed, in order to create a nature preserve. This is one of those remaining structures, and you can tell from the late-afternoon sunlight hitting it, that this must have been a glorious retreat for the cottage owner, during its heyday. A little further up the mile-long path, at the very tip of the peninsula that is separated from the mainlain by the Wetlands Preserve, was one of my great finds of the day.
There, at a place known as Shipman’s Point, sits the 144-year old gingerbread house named The Gamecock Cottage. Dating back to 1876, its history includes a one-time boathouse, one-time honeymoon getaway, one-time rental unit. It is said to be the most photographed structures in the Three Villages, and I can understand why. Still, this was my first visit, and I was happy to capture it with the low sun bouncing off its facade.
Meanwhile, back on the beach, a couple stopped to admire the breathtaking skyworks finale on this last day of normal, as the sun dropped to the horizon once again. I couldn't help but notice that it was seeming to punctuate my day, setting just beyond the Stacks across the water, in Northport, where my day had begun. There they were again, and some might say they were intruding on an otherwise serene scene. I choose the view that they exclaim that this moment of beauty could occur nowhere other than this close to home.
As I retreated to load the car one last time, I turned to see that the day was ending just how it began, with the full moon now rising to the east. It feels as if the earth is spinning just a little differently since that day. But, it is my hope that we can continue to draw our cues from Mother Nature, and recognize that, through it all, the sun will continue rise.