Winter Salt

In my absence from Florida the elements have been at work on the ocean at my doorstep. A departure in mid-November left behind the signs of autumn at play on sand, sky and water. There was a crispness about the scene that identified the season in ways akin to, but unlike the November foliage of New England—a note in the air that said, “This is autumn.” At the halfway mark of November’s passage, the seasonal earmarks were obvious to any walker on the beach.

All that has been replaced. More correctly, all that along Florida’s central east coast has been replaced, or redesigned. On December 1st I look eastward out my windows and see the start of winter. A walk on the beach displays a different palette defined by the change in weather patterns. There is a new and somber hue to the morning sky that announces something will now be different about the light under this blue dome. Tides have shifted, shaped the sand into an unfamiliar hardness. The movement of feet and legs across its impeccable surface sounds a note not felt two weeks ago. In the roll and foam of surf its constancy is unchanged, but these days it comes from a body of water darker in color, showing less range in its cycle of blues, greens and browns. Staring for a few minutes through binoculars, I see nothing in its vastness but cold dark blue. Walking on the beach, for a moment I wonder if a gull there in the wash of surf has cold feet.

A few people continue to walk in shorts, but long sleeves are needed to blunt the steady north wind. An early morning low under 40° discouraged all but one or two sunrise walkers, while most of us—some in jeans and a hoodie—wait until it gets a few notches higher later in the morning. Best part is, hot or cold, August or December, the myriad facets of this environment promise each day a new or different appreciation.

September Wind

Could just be me, or maybe I’m reading it wrong, but in the past several days the air feels a little different here along the coast in central Florida. Not a day passes, rain or shine that I don’t log some time walking on the beach. Unless there is a disruption in a rather undemanding schedule, that time comes early every morning. The rare occasion will see me walking in late afternoon, but my preference is to be out early in the day.

The wind has altered, and something tells me it isn’t an offshore wind or breeze related to storms far out in the Atlantic. Storm generated wind has a different feel and even a different scent from what has characterized my beach walks this past week or so. Is it perhaps the first shift of season in moving from summer into pre-autumn? That is exactly the feeling out on the beach this week.

For several days I’ve sensed a change, a feeling immediately noticeable upon stepping outside in the morning. Gone is the spike of heat so regular these last months. Gone, too is the hard glare of sun that makes cap and sunglasses a requirement. Naturally, mornings are always cooler, even during the hottest weeks of summer, but there is now a creeping awareness that before long my trunks and sleeveless T-shirt may be inadequate.

The feel of the sand beneath my feet was for three days this past week very unlike what I am used to, a softness or mushy surface that made hard work of walking. On each of those days, to spare myself the struggle, I left the beach near the halfway mark and walked on a narrow street just over the dunes. This change in the sand’s firmness is influenced by phenomenon I can’t describe, but common sense tells me it must be related to tidal patterns.

But, the off-beach walking brought a big surprise on one morning. Happily walking along I came face to face with a five foot snake in the road. A rat snake, and a very beautiful one. The snake was obviously recharging its energy through the warmth of the pavement. A nudge near the tail produced a slight head movement, but nothing else. It was still there on my return, and I watched a few minutes until it slithered off into the tall grass of an empty lot. Not a big fan of snakes without the glass barrier of zoos and television screens, I must say this rat snake was a handsome specimen. Usually quick to remember the camera in my pocket, this time I never thought of it. The photo here is a stock image of a rat snake very like the one I encountered.

The beach photos are north and south views of the stretch I walk each day.