two beaches, two days

Yesterday I finally go to Chapoquoit Beach.

You have to check the tide schedule before leaving home as there is too little beach at high tide. And during the season, you should arrive by dawn to get a parking space.

But given that Labor Day has passed, and high tide isn't until 5:32, all is good.

I arrive around noon, and can quickly see the allure of this beautiful, open beach.

It's a gorgeous early-fall day that feels like summer. The only thing missing are the crowds.

My sister arrives a little later, and we take a 3-mile walk along the shore and over some rocks, to Black Beach — accessible only by foot or boat.

Then we relax and talk, as sisters do.

And today, while a little cloudier, is still beautiful. I drive the golf card to WIld Harbor's deserted parking lot.

No one is at the beach.

I am all alone.

Until my mom arrives an hour later, dressed for snow.

I bid a farewell to the beaches I love for another year —

Hoping that next time I visit, the COVID signs will all be gone, and the only traces remaining will be in our collective memories.