SI 2021 | Thinking Through My Lens

Somehow over the years, in the process of everyday life and raising two children, we have accumulated mountains of cassette tapes, CDs, VHS tapes, DVDs–not to mention the vinyl records that were in residence before we got married. (No 8-tracks here!)

Collections of Disney movies from the 80s intermingle with ska tunes and Hammertime. Buffy the Vampire Slayer DVDs stand shoulder to shoulder with every Jimmy Buffet song ever recorded. Singing out from the corners are jazz standards, big band classics, Johnny Cash, everything Irish (think Flogging Molly and the Pogues), Blink 182, Blondie, and Pat Benatar (just to name a few) and a wide assortment of Christmas music from every era and in every style.

Geoff has been in the process of trying to corral these collectables that seem to be multiplying under the beds and in the dark corners of the closet. It might be fun to watch and listen to these time capsules, but the problem is, the devices that play these gems seem to wear out and fail long before they do.

So, what should we do with outdated technology? Maybe we should open a little free Blockbuster library on our street corner. Establish an ebay store and sell them to discerning collectors–making a fortune in the process. (Ha!) Hold a garage sale in hopes that someone near us is pining for the opportunity to own priceless bits of nostalgia (for the low price of 25 cents each or the whole lot for $10). Or just dump the whole mountain in the trash (that will never happen as long as my husband is in the picture).

I’m taking suggestions.

There were a lot of them. Gathered in a group, moving with purpose. Where did they come from and where are they going?

Seagulls are usual. They congregate, squawking and arguing over who gets the bag of cheetos stolen from the blanket. Shorebirds with their long thin beaks poke the wet sand in search of snacks. Whimbrels and godwits are shy, scattering as I creep near. I’m always on the lookout for egrets, tall and elegant with bright yellow feet. Sometimes they feed in pairs or triads, but mostly seem to lead a solitary life.

When the little girl approached the group, I expected them to take flight. Rise into the sky in unison. But they didn’t. As I got closer, I saw they were traveling together, one after the other like school kids heading from the classroom to somewhere. They were unperturbed when I came close with my camera from behind. And not concerned when I ran ahead and took my photos from the front of the line, in fact, the lead duck nearly walked right into me!

I’m still wondering about that sord of mallards (if they had taken flight they would have been called a flock). In all my walks on the beach over the years, this is my first sighting of mallards on a pilgrimage. Where did they come from? Where were they going?