Low tide in October

The first cold morning of the season pulled the water far back, further than I have seen it since spring. The sandbar to the north stayed dry for almost two hours, and the gulls had the whole thing to themselves until I arrived.

Low tides like this are the best time to look for the heavier pieces. They settle in the troughs between the ridges of sand, half buried, and only show a dark edge. Today there were two: a section of root, twisted into a loose knot, and a long flat board with old nail holes still lined up along one side.

I left the board. It was too long to carry and it looked like it still had somewhere to go. The root came home in the backpack and is drying on the porch now. It will take a month before it is light enough to work.

By ten the water was turning, and the sandbar went under in what felt like minutes. It always surprises me how fast that happens.