Two years ago I joined a group of more than middle aged men who walk Greenwich Point every morning. Saturdays and Sundays I tend to sleep in and take my walk later when there are more people about and events are taking place.
Both times of day have their advantages. The early morning is brisk this time of year when the low water temperature cools down the breeze. The light is often spectacular and sometimes the fog is thick. The people you run into tend to be regulars. The roads are empty except for the occasional cyclist and a few town vehicles. It used to be that in the early morning you would see wildlife, deer, raccoons, bunnies, rats even wild turkeys and at least one coyote, but since super storm Sandy, the wildlife seems to have disappeared. The woods took a battering and you wonder how the trees will survive the salt left behind when the record flood tides receded.
Later the air warms up and you can usually shed a layer while walking. You also see more people perambulating the Point and never know whom you will run into along the paths. On a beautiful morning like last Saturday there was a festive air as walkers, cyclers, runners and strollers around Greenwich Cove were treated to a rowing regatta. Many like me had earplugs on as we favored music or talk radio over the sounds of seabirds, wind and water.
The week before it was breezier and many multi-generational groups were out flying kites as part of the Arts Council’s “Let’s Fly a Kite” event. On Sunday the Queen Anne house known as Innis Arden Cottage was open for an open house. The cottage was spared major storm damage but Old Greenwich Yacht Club was not so lucky. Its front door is boarded over and I understand the flood damage to the interior is pretty severe. The worst damage was to the first concession stand and nearby stonewalls which were pounded by the storm surge, toppled and gutted. Not to worry. These buildings are scheduled to be demolished any way as part of a park improvement project so maybe Mother Nature was just getting a jump on the project.
These are the stuff of my musings as I meander around the Point on a spring morning.
