Epilogue

I stopped both cars to yell turkey vulture! and point at a lone oak tree up a hill near where we were driving.

It was not a turkey vulture. It was a burl of wood on the oak tree. I also yelled out that I saw a king eider when in fact it was a buoy with king eider coloration.

I did, however, discover a bag of tiny snickers bars in the back of the car I was riding in with my teammates, and I cannot believe how good they were, and how much I enjoyed them. I also enjoyed being outside most of the day, and riding all over Cape Ann and Essex County, which is an exceedingly beautiful place, and seeing so much of the ocean, and seeing the day begin from pitch dark in a field listening for owls to pitch dark on Plum Island straining to see a harrier or snow owl in the last orange glow across the hard icy snow, in a howling frigid gale of a wind. I love epic adventures, especially when spiced up with a little adversity, and competition, and this was one. And I saw a lot of very cute little birds and I do love them. Nuthatches and chickadees and juncos and wrens and the like. They're my favorite.

I loved watching the light change all day. I loved all the subtle colors and textures and shapes of the winter shrubs and trees. And the shipyards and fishing piers. The bright blues and greens of the undersides of the boats up out of the water for the winter, and their names. And the trawlers coming in swarmed with gulls. I love the Atlantic. I love searching for things through a pair of binoculars. The beach in winter. Sitting in the backseat not having to drive, or navigate. Just getting to look out the window, scanning the sky and trees, and eating little delicious snickers bars, and closing my eyes to just feel and thoroughly enjoy the warmth of the sun on my face through the windows and the gentle sway of the car. It was almost a sensual experience. And I love hanging out with people who are very good at what they do and kind of serious about it and getting to be a part of it. And I loved that nasty cold wind and having to be serious about dressing warm enough and thinking it through enough to be able to tolerate being out in it for 12 hours. The self-sufficiency of that. I loved getting little messages from home here and there that all was well.

A day well spent.