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Apr 9, 2025
Media: oil on birch panel, shellac undercoat, unframed
Size: 6x6 in
We were on a treasure hunt. The weekend before, someone told us about this hidden trove of daffodils on a peninsula that was about to close for the plover season. There is a narrow window, they said, between when the daffodils bloom and the locale is closed to the public. And so we set off on a sunny, windy day, to explore the Elizabeth A Morton Wildlife Refuge. There were few others around, so we took our picnic lunches and hiked to the end of a two-mile sandy peninsula. The site is amazing. Osprey and bald eagles wheeled overhead. The sea rushed in wind-pushed waves toward the sandy shore. There were freshwater and brackish ponds in sight, and we had it all to ourselves. On our walk back, we pushed into the interior of a wooded copse, looking for the site of a former homestead. And then we were in the middle of the daffodils. They spread up and out, under the trees still bare of their leaves. They danced in the wind, and stood in frilly wonder for us to take in and enjoy. We stepped carefully, and enjoyed it with child-like wonder. And then, full from our picnic and the beauty of the place, we hiked back down the beach and through the woods to our car. Pure joy. We were on a treasure hunt. The weekend before, someone told us about this hidden trove of daffodils on a peninsula that was about to close for the plover season. There is a narrow window, they said, between when the daffodils bloom and the locale is closed to the public. And so we set off on a sunny, windy day, to explore the Elizabeth A Morton Wildlife Refuge. There were few others around, so we took our picnic lunches and hiked to the end of a two-mile sandy peninsula. The site is amazing. Osprey and bald eagles wheeled overhead. The sea rushed in wind-pushed waves toward the sandy shore. There were freshwater and brackish ponds in sight, and we had it all to ourselves. On our walk back, we pushed into the interior of a wooded copse, looking for the site of a former homestead. And then we were in the middle of the daffodils. They spread up and out, under the trees still bare of their leaves. They danced in the wind, and stood in frilly wonder for us to take in and enjoy. We stepped carefully, and enjoyed it with child-like wonder. And then, full from our picnic and the beauty of the place, we hiked back down the beach and through the woods to our car. Pure joy. |
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