from Griswold Point
There is another “point” north of the beach at Eastern Point, a little up the Thames River, called Griswold Point by the locals, even though I cannot seem to find that name on a map. The grand luxury Griswold Hotel was once located here (1906-1967); part of a golf course now occupies the space. There is a small nameless park area and a street between the golf course and the river. I didn’t know we were allowed to park on the street but Tim said we are so we decided to visit the spot on Monday.
It was interesting seeing these two lighthouses from a different point of perspective.
Tim drew my attention to the river where a couple of unfamiliar ducks were sitting on a rock. A wave from a ferry came along and washed them off the rock and we watched them swim away, their dignity intact.
Nearby we spotted some brants swimming…
And then, much to my delight, a little song sparrow decided to pose on the branch of a bush. He might be part of the flock that was living down by the beach because when I got to there later I found that their thicket had been removed and they were gone. 🙁
And then Tim spied a tall ship on the horizon. He guessed (correctly) it was the USCGC Eagle returning to port.
So we hopped back in the car and headed for Eastern Point to watch it come in. When we got there we could hear the sailors’ voices across the water even though they were so far away. The water was very calm.
While we waited for the tall ship to come closer we took a walk on the sand…
When we came back to the rocks and Tyler House we found a crow waiting, too.
(training cutter for future officers of the United States Coast Guard)
And this time coming home, some crocuses waiting for me in my garden. 💙
Barbara, what an awesome assembly of photos and atmospheres! I enjoyed them all, and particularly this time the still life – the sea weed and shells – and when the BIG SHIP came in, I felt a big movement inside, like I was THERE with you. It makes me happy that we both still have all these beautiful places to go to. And I remember that they are much better off now, these places, than before corona
Thank you, Leelah! I’m so happy you enjoyed the art I found on the sand. It’s kind of like sunrises and snowflakes, always similar but never the same. There is something stirring and majestic about a tall ship slowly appearing on the horizon. In 2000 we had a tall ship parade here with the ships coming in full sail – that was an amazing sight I will never forget, before I had a camera to capture it with!
What a beautiful day out to accompany you on! I adore lighthouses, the sight of the ship is spectacular, and those dear little ducks and the sparrow, and then the crocuses, round out the day to pure perfection. 🙂
So happy you could join me on this little outing, Joanne, it did seem like there was magic around every corner. 🙂 Seeing the wigeons was a special treat because I had never seen or heard of them before!
Lovely outing for you and break for me.
Thank you, Sarah. Thanks for letting me know. 🙂
I like all your photos, so refreshing. The one of the US Coast Guard Eagle is spectacular. You do have the best adventures.
Thank you, Ally. It was a treat to see the Eagle out on the water, arriving home, probably after six weeks of training for the cadets.
How I love crocuses! They’re the real harbingers of Spring. And that placid lake photo is stunning, as is the Coast Guard ship. Must’ve been interesting hearing the sailors as the ship came in. Lighthouses intrigue me. We don’t have any here, of course, because we’re basically land-locked; however, I’ve seen some in my travels and find them fascinating.
I love crocuses, too. 🙂 Actually, the placid water was in Long Island Sound which is usually choppy. It was so calm that day it seemed like a dream setting, a little surreal. I think we have 150 lighthouses here in New England. I can’t imagine living in a landlocked place, except for the few times I’ve stayed for weeks with my daughter in North Carolina when she had her babies.
A wonderful day …. and with two sets of attentive eyes, you captured treasures. Love the tall ship! …. and NO DOUBT in my mind that I would have missed this question. Which term associates with wigeons? a) hardware b) duck c) yarning technique d) kitchen gadget e) Tim Conway
🤣 Same here, I had never seen or even heard of a wigeon before this day! I submitted my pictures to the “What’s this Bird? – American Birding Association” Facebook group and was then enlightened. 🙃
Cheers for the desire of wanting to know.
🙂
I like your shoreline stroll Barbara and seeing the two lighthouses. Very interesting how the one lighthouse is short and squat and out in the middle of the water and the other lighthouse is a more traditional-looking one and very tall. Your sparrow sure was accommodating to take photos – sorry to see his thicket was gone and so was he. I really liked seeing the boat and found it interesting the USCG members train on a tall ship/cutter like this one. I’d have come home with a ton of photos from the USCG Eagle as it was so picturesque out there.
It is interesting how different lighthouses can look from each other. I’m kind of sad about the sparrow thicket, too. 🙁 We noticed they added some new park benches nearby so it looks like they’re trying to make room for people to spread out more at the beach. Wondering what summer at the beach will be like this year. I hear they’re planning to open the concession stand. (It was closed last summer for the pandemic and there were limits on the number of people/cars allowed in the park.) The Eagle is pretty special, it’s the only active-duty sailing vessel in the military.
Yes it is – they are all unique. I enjoyed meeting that group of people who tour the country visiting lighthouses. The only beachfront park near me is about 25 miles away and a State park and opens on April 1st. Yours must open around that time too. I guess the park benches are too heavy to move? That would be smart given what is going on in Florida for Spring break. I like the Eagle – very unique looking and I’m glad you were there when it was so I got a chance to see it.
Our little city beach opens on Memorial Day weekend and closes on Labor Day weekend. That’s when you need to pay for a pass and also when the concession stand and restrooms are open. You can go there free of charge the rest of the year but there are no ammenities. The new park benches are located on the lawn area which was empty before, mostly visited by flocks of geese. But it looks like they want to develop and use the space for humans now. They’ve also upgraded the playground between the beach and the grassy area.
I see. That makes sense – the height of Summer vacation. I noticed the picnic tables were returned to the pavilion area today. That surprised me as we are surging with cases and deaths. We are 800% higher than the beginning of the month – mostly younger people as the older ones are fully vaccinated. They repainted them … the graffiti is sure to follow. They have several grills near the area, but removed the tables in early Fall. We had 72 degrees today, will be much colder tomorrow and our baseball home opener is on Thursday and we will have snow flurries – the wacky weather continues.
That’s very alarming, Linda. Our covid numbers are going up again, too, although not as dramatically. I saw some snow flakes at a baseball game in Detroit on the news. Once in a great while it snow here in April, too.
Wonderful day for photography, from sailboats to song sparrows!
We have to grab those days when we can. 🙂 (Today it’s way too windy for a walk on the beach…)
I love your post, Barbara! Awesome sightings AND captures!! You have everything I love here: birds, boats, lighthouses, water, and sand! 🥰 Oh, I have to include your crocus too, for 28 years my crocus were the first to pop up each Spring and I adored them. I’m always delighted now when I see someone else’s, including photos. Can’t wait to see them opened in your next post! 😊
Thank you, Donna! It was definitely a nautical day to remember and I had almost chosen another place for a walk that day. 😊 I’m trying to think how old my crocus might be. We moved in here 27 years ago and I probably planted them a few years after that. I hope I get some more pictures — last week I took a tumble and then got my second COVID shot so I’ve been lying low and licking my wounds… Feeling better today. 😊
Ouch on fall! Take it easy, girl, you had a double whammy in one week!! Glad you got your last shot, hope you’re making out fine with side effects. Hubby and I got ours, we got the Johnson ‘one & done’ last week. 🙂
Thank you for the well wishes, Donna! 🙂 Feeling better every day. Lucky you two getting the ‘one & done’ shot! You’re the first people I’ve heard of actually to receive it. Hope any side effects were mild…
They were mild, thankfully. We both had a slight headache the next morning and were tired a couple days. 🙂 Heck, we’re tired every day anyways! 😂
I had to laugh, we’re always tired, too. 🙂 The older we get the harder it is to tell what is causing what! I had a sore arm and a painful armpit for several days. Glad that’s over. Hope we don’t need booster shots in 6 months!