"You don't reach Serendib by plotting a course for it. You have to set out in good faith for elsewhere and lose your bearings serendipitously." ~ John Barth
 

Morning Breaks Over R/V Endeavor

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Morning Breaks Over R/V EndeavorMorning breaks over the R/V Endeavor in its home port of Narragansett, Rhode Island as the vessel awaits the last research voyages of its long career and decommissioning.

Serendipity. It's a term that I like to embrace more often in the day and age we live in. It's the pleasant, fortuitous surprises that make life more pleasant. A strict definition includes an aptitude for making desirable discoveries by accident.

This is why I like the shoreline and the beach. I enjoy being the "cultured wharf rat" and the "educated beach bum". I enjoy the constant surprises of a ship emerging around the corner. A sailing vessel heeling down "just so" to show the lines. A shell washing up on the shore for a moment for us to see, and then it is gone again. That one sunrise under scudding clouds. The sunset refracting amazing colors in a boat's wake. Things that only appear that if you are there, they may not, but the chances are greater if you are.

For that singular moment in time, life is perfect. There are assertions that there is a pleasant social media "endorphin release" when one receives a "like". Such a release is actually increased in a real-life moment that you see now and will never be there again. Yet, we step out there to capture that moment.

Serendipity. It's something to seek. But you can only seek it if you are there, and one cannot plan it.

Anna C Departing

Anna C DepartingThe M/V Anna C departing the Port of Galilee for Block Island in the light of sunset. The moon is ascending in the east with the soft fire of the remaining sunlight.

Essex Seeking Duck

Essex Seeking DuckAt the foot of Main Street in Essex, Connecticut, there is a water access point where the ducks gather. Here we see a duck seeking something for a snack.

Many Beach Paths Lead To One Point

Many Beach Paths Lead To One PointMany Beach Paths Lead To One Point. Many pilgrims see the lines of the scallop shell as a reflection of the Camino de Santiago (the way of St. James), many paths leading to one point. Looking at this fresh washed up scallop shell in the sand, it becomes apparent why it might be thought of in this manner. The photo was taken at East Beach, Charlestown, Rhode Island.

Sabino Underway

Sabino UnderwayThe Steamboat Sabino of Mystic Seaport underway on the Mystic River, Mystic, Connecticut

In The Sun's Wake

In The Sun's WakeIncreasing a bit of pressure on the outboard's throttle, a boat smoothly comes up on a plane. The wake catches the many colors of the sunset on Point Judith Pond.

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