Thursday, December 16, 2010

Lost In Woodmont




I wasn't exactly sure where I was. I knew I was several miles west of New Haven but anything more precise or specific was hazy at best. After following streets with straightforward names like Beach Rd and Ocean Boulevard, the path became more confusing with each road becoming more narrow and circular. Was I in Milford? West Haven? I didn't know.
I spend a good portion of my floating life worrying about getting lost in fog. All the electronic devices in the world can't prepare you for that moment when a buoy isn't where you thought it would be. It is a scary feeling.
Unless you are hiking in the wilderness, getting lost on land is child's play. You are not lost in the classic sense, you are just not where you thought you would be. A little bit of backtracking or asking for directions usually regains your bearings.
But on this November morning, I felt I had been blindfolded and spun around several times. At least three times I passed the same house with a tiki bar on the front porch. The one-way streets all seemed to circle back to where I presently was. I was lost in a maze and couldn't find my way out.
I later learned  I was in the Woodmont section of Milford. Originally a summer community, it is now a mixture of various sized homes and designs. A walkway with random park benches wraps the shoreline and provides access to several small beach areas squeezed between the rocky shoreline
The most unique feature of Woodmont however is the rock themselves: orange phyllite. They provide a sharp contrast to the expected granite along these shores.
According to the Geology Of Connecticut, the rock is "a slate or phyllite, highly fissile, sericitic, and usually dotted with minute garnets."

8 comments:

Jeannette StG said...

If yo get lost, you might as well enjoy the sites and take pics:)
Glad you finally got out of there! Can imagine that it's scary to be out at sea, not knowing where you are - for me that would be panic time!

Bill said...

My GPS is on whenever I go exploring. You might think that that takes all the fun out of it, but seeing a map as I drive has actually helped me discover things I never would have found on my own. Small parks, lakes, beaches, are sometimes just around the corner.

So, not only do I not get lost, but I find new stuff too.

Anonymous said...

Merry Christmas, Matthew, to you and your family.

Mari said...

being home and browsing through favorite books, thought I'd share this (for Bill, too)

"where are you going?throw away that map!why do you so desperately need to know where you are right now? [...] forget the signs, just ignore them. Why fight the labyrinth?Follow it, for once.Don't worry, let the streets decide your journey for you, rather than the other way round.Learn to wander, to dawdle. Lose your bearings, just drift.
Do what we call "acting Venetian".
[...]the first itinerary I suggest to you has a name.It's called: at random.Subtitle: aimlessly. [...]
Getting lost is the only place worth going to".

Best wishes for 2011!

Cindy said...

I love these shots. Looks like a great place to purposefully get lost in and spend some time reflecting. Happy New Year, Matthew

Lisa said...

Beautiful. Truly beautiful.

Stopping by to wish you Happy New Year.

Larry said...

I remember getting lost in the fog with my little 14 foot boat out on the sound.I was very nervous.Even though I used a compass,I still ended up several miles from where I wanted to be when I finally made it back to shore.-nice coastal photos and Happy New year!

Mark Kreider said...

Great posts as always... a very happy b-day to you my blogging, environmentally conscious, friend!