Smart people waited 'til the tide had gone WAY out then only ventured into the shallows (about up to their ankles). Really smart people went to the store! I clomped into the winter North Atlantic up to my waist and WAY before low tide. Of course I was covered with neoprene; waders, boots, gloves and even my old yellow sleeves from the old 3-mil surfing suit I used to wear in Rockport. It helped a little, but not nearly enough. The air temperature was 31, but the 30 mph winds out of the North West made it feel so so much colder. It just cut through everything.Waves were a foot high and choppy, and the water visibility was really murky - 2 feet at best. The only reason I was in so early was that I had an afternoon commitment (a sudden birthday party for Max to go to, and because Sophie had a play date already scheduled... I was Max’s ride).
In the first half hour (12-12:30) I found about a dozen by half-blindly striking out at pinky-white blob shapes on the bottom, snagging them with my barbeque tongs. Most shapes I grabbed were just empty shells. Others I couldn’t even get because my non-responsive hands, which froze instantly, had no feeling left in them. At 12:30, when my hands stopped working altogether I retreated to the beach. Plopping down my tools, I hastily peeled off my gloves off with my teeth and shoved my hands down into my waders and into my pants underneath. I waited for my hands to warm up and then put my gloves back on. I figured I take another stab at it now that the tide was out. It looked like people were finding them in the 1-inch to 2-inch depths, which would be much better for seeing though the murky water and dealing with the cold and waves. Within 20 minutes I had my limit of 5 quarts (between 4 and 5 dozen oysters).
I checked out with the warden, raced home and got max to the party (only a little late)
I didn’t bother to take my camera out today, but up top is the finished painting of Day 3 – earlier this year. (click it for a larger view)
2 comments:
You ever thought of going more commercial? You're every bit as talented as Mr. Shag, or another Rockport artist who moved to California that I can think of :-)
Seriously, why not?
Thanks Chase. I think about it all the time. The problem is I have a full-time job that pays the bills, so it's hard to keep the momentum when my timeframe to paint is between 10pm and 2am. This one took me 3 sessions to complete, so 12 hours. I'm going to TRY to keep it going and do some more. Maybe try to get in a show in the spring. I have 3 more in the works. One of The Motif... I guess it's about time, right?
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