A Stop Along the Peconic River

The sweet water of the Peconic River eventually flows through Riverhead then in two more miles it empties into the Great Peconic Bay, a salt water estuary.   It is at the mouth of the Peconic River where the North and South Forks begin.   After visiting the East End Art Council's Riverhead gallery, we stopped at river's edge to photograph glistening, ice covered bushes, brambles, trees and phragmites.  Even a low sky masking much of the sunlight couldn't hide the beauty of the scene before us... a wealth of grays with a touch of gold.

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Look At The Sky

When I submit photos to Sky Watch Friday I usually opt for colorful, peaceful shots of sunrises over the Peconic Bay or sunsets above the Long Island Sound, but last Sunday afternoon our eyes were drawn upward by a rising column of smoke.  As we watched the smoke suddenly became black.  It was time to investigate.  We were on the west side of the Mattituck Inlet and knew that if the fire was on the other side it would take a long time to get there.  We ended up at the Old Mill Inn where a turntable bridge used to cross the inlet.  Directly in front of us on the east side one hundred yards away was the fire in plain view, the building no more than fifteen feet from water's edge.  The building was the Kaminski's storage barn where they stored supplies associated with their fish and lobstering business, 20 pound propane tanks among other things.  A very few tanks blew.  It could have been much worse had a full 3,000 gallon diesel fuel storage tank three feet from the building not been able to take the heat.  The Mattituck and Cutchogue Fire Departments responded very quickly and were able to save a house and several fishing vessels nearby.  I shot what I could and ended up with several interesting photos.  The sky reminded me of the Jimi Hendrix lyrics:

Look at the sky turn a hell fire red, lord

Somebody's house is burning

 down, down, down, down

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On A Colder Note

Sunday morning we rose early to leave our Christmas family in Bayside and head out to the North Fork.  The weather folks warned us of a winter snow bearing up on us, as it was approaching from the south, and we thought it better to outrun the storm rather than get mired in it.  There was almost no traffic on the roads due to the day, the hour and the warnings so the drive was very pleasant as we recalled the events and conversations of the day before, but it was dark and eerie.  As we arrived a very fine snow began, then became suddenly thicker and the winds picked up and up gusting at 50 mph. sometimes higher.  There didn't seem to be much risk of physical danger as long as one used his brains and stayed off the treacherous roads.


So we got in the jeep to see what we could see.  Not much as it turned out.  With such low visibility I doubted that any photos I took would be usable and the chance that a fast moving highway department snowplow could open up our vehicle like a can of sardines sent us back to the nest.


The snow ceased Monday morning around 11 am after accumulating to nearly a foot overall.  It left many deep drifts closing roads.  High tide stacked up by wind flooded many low land areas.  But now we could see for some distance though the wind was still high and so decided to go out again.  Our travels took us from the Peconic Bay in Cutchogue, to the Bay in New Suffolk, on to the Long Island Sound at the Mattituck Inlet and across farmland to the Village of Southold where we stopped at Founder's Tavern for soup and burgers next to a warming fire before heading home.  These are some of the scenes we photographed. 

Click on photos to enlarge.

Peconic Bay at New Suffolk

Mattituck Airport

Green Bouy at the Mattituck Inlet

Wind Over Farmland and a Copse of Trees

Soil Eroded by Wind Mixed With Snow

on Potato Harvesting Trucks

Wind on Low Road

Drifts After the Winds Calmed

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"The Heavens are Telling... "

  The approaching dawn once again found me, coffee in hand down by the bay standing in the lightest of air with a hint of salt in it.  As sunrise drew near, clouds like the curtains of heaven slowly changed from crimson to the soft golds and blue of early morning.  The music of Haydn's "Creation" playing in my mind described so beautifully the sky that was opening before me...

"The heavens are telling the glory of God,

The wonders of his work displays the firmament"


Based on Psalms 19.1

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Sunrise, Sunset

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Taken on different days these shots of sunrises are from the East Creek and the sandy edge of the Peconic Bay.  Both sunsets are looking WNW over the Long Island Sound from the end of Depot Lane.

(click on photos to enlarge)

                                                                                   

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Omen

Sunday Sunrise Over the Peconic Bay

We got up around 5am Sunday morning, had coffee and a doughnut, Amy worked at a book design on her laptop at the dining room table while I lazed in my chair catching up on email, facebook and such.  When I looked up sometime later there was pink light coming through a window by the fireplace.  I hopped up to look out and realized that a very special dawn was afoot.  I dressed as quickly as possible grabbed the camera and drove the one mile south to the bay way too fast, these things don't wait until you're ready.  It was very cold.  I shot multiple bracketed exposures until my fingers couldn't take it any more, around fifteen minutes.  By then the best of it was gone.  I went back to the jeep and folded up the tripod, knowing I must have gotten one or two good shots (I'd taken 80 or so!)  As I climbed in I noticed a fellow sitting in his pick-up truck nearby.  He gave me a "thumbs up" as he pointed toward the bay sky.  I waved back, happy.  Click on photos to enlarge.

 

On this shot just right of center one can see a high sand dune on the Southampton shore across the bay that we used to climb for the great view.  It's now off limits as too much playful traffic had become destructive.

 

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The Effect of Cold on Salt Water

Crystalline salt water in it's myriad forms never ceases to amaze me with it's beauty and can put on pause my dreams of summer.






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Solitude on the Sound

Solitude on the Sound


Cry of Distant Gulls




The Calm on Peconic Bay




Fall Comes to the Apple Orchard



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