(Originally posted in the Stratford Star newspaper on November 11, 2010, in “Walsh’s Wonderings”)
The water is surprisingly warm as it laps against a desolate shore stripped naked of the lifeguard chairs and beachgoers of July and August. Groups of seagulls have reclaimed the sands, their heads facing into the stiff November wind that colors the Sound with whitecaps. The sailboats of summer sit shrink-wrapped on the shore, replaced by kite-surfers entombed in wet suits, feasting on the autumn gusts that whip up waves rarely seen outside March.
All of us have different ways that we try to hold on to summer, but for me, there is something magical about Stratford beaches in the fall. There is a quiet that doesn’t really exist in any other part of town, an idyllic pocket free of the white noise of the Merritt or I-95. One can hear the sputtering of plane engines as they land at Sikorsky, the click of the skateboard wheels on the ramps in the parking lot, and the ping of a well-connected drive off the tee of Short Beach Golf Course.
Others cling to other remnants of summer, such as the bird watching resurgence among the grasslands of the Lordship area. In August, bird watchers hoping for a peek at a rare white-tailed kite at Point Stratford were treated to a sighting of a rare brown pelican at the same time. Foliage fans walk through the trails of Roosevelt Forest, the only town-owned forest in Connecticut, and take in the breathtaking palette of colors that hang from the trees and crunch underfoot.
August also provided further foundation for the cyclists and hikers of autumn. Continued progress on the ambitious plan for the Housatonic Valley Association’s Greenway along the Housatonic River has allowed those traveling by bike or by foot to enjoy the beauty of the river safe from traffic. Eventually expected to stretch from its headwaters in Massachusetts to its mouth in Stratford, a group called the East Coast Greenway wants the Sikorsky Bridge bike trail to become part of a link that will connect to a railroad line in Milford before it goes through Silver Sands State Park, up to New Haven, onto the Farmington Canal Heritage Trail, then through Simsbury, Hartford, East Hartford, Bolton, and Willimantic before continuing eastward to Providence and beyond. They hope to establish a bike trail extending 3,000 miles from Quebec to the tip of the Florida Keys, with two hundred miles of the East Coast Greenway to run through Connecticut.
Even with all these ways to enjoy a piece of summer long after the temperature drops, I’m still a sucker for the quiet of the beach when the weather turns. My beach blanket wrapped around me instead of under me, there’s no other place in Stratford that lends itself to such tranquility. Few of my neighbors take advantage of this getaway in their own backyard: an occasional family might brave the cold for a quick Christmas card picture, one or two intrepid dog owners sneak their dogs onto the beach in defiance of ridiculous off-season pet laws. For the most part, however, the beach is my own private patio overlooking Long Island Sound.
For the rest of the season, though, you’re all invited to join me. There’s room for everybody, but bring your own blanket.
