Quiet Night

We live in an old fishing/farming village on the very edge of  southern New Jersey.
We are surrounded by bays, lagoons, salt marshes and creeks all flowing into the mighty Atlantic Ocean.

The soil  is world famous for growing tomatoes. New Jersey is known for its vegetables and flowers and earned the nickname of The Garden State.

There is a rhythm to life by the seaside.
Each season has it's own rhythm, its own habits and traditions that vary little from generation to generation.

In winter the boats are taken out of the water for the most part as the bay sometimes freezes up .   Nights are spent at home where it is warm rather than outdoors as they are in summer.

This week the family made a trip into the city to pick up a special hat that had been ordered for one of the grandfathers at Saks 5th Avenue  and went to look around in  FAO Schwarz  toy store.
It could have been shipped but it is a good excuse to make the trip into the city and look in the stores.

The girls spent time  dancing around on the giant piano, which they love to do.
If you saw the movie Big, then you saw that piano in the store with Tom Hanks playing Heart and Soul and Chopsticks on it.
That movie was in 1988, a long time ago now.      It is a favorite movie of mine.
I did not go as I think I still am not ready to be jostled in crowds and in December New York City is filled with people shopping.  There are quieter times to go.

Tonight the neighborhood is quiet, but then it usually is out here.   Dark and quiet. 
The only sounds that break the night come from the pine barrens. There are animal sounds like the  foxes that screech  in the woods.  There is the sound of the pines and cedars  that stretch for miles around the bay as the wind off the water blows through them. You can hear them rustling and creaking.
But on the coldest winter nights the fox, rabbits and deer are curled up asleep in their snugly dens.  Even the old barn owl is sleeping in his hollow tree tonight. No 'who, who, who' can be heard.
He is an old hand with winters around here and does not migrate south.
His den, in a hollow tree high up off the ground, is warm and cozy.

Lights are on inside the few houses around me and  outside colorful lights break through the dark in honor of the Christmas holiday.
Most of the families older parents live in Florida now. Sad  for the grandchildren and I think the trend of families moving far from one another is not a good one at all.  I see the sadness in the young couples eyes as they talk about missing their family more around holidays.

A boy is setting off little firecrackers in his backyard which he does for each and every occasion he can think of! Bang, crackle, bang!   It goes on for almost half an hour breaking the silence of the cold winter's night.
 Our homes here are not close to one another but separated by little 'woods' of trees on either side of most houses. It does little to dampen the sound for firecrackers.

 The skies are clear and full of stars and the air, which had been warm all week, is icy cold once again.
 The bay is choppy  thanks to a 20 knot wind. Its surface is glittery with star shine  on the choppy waves that head to shore.
Wherever you are I hope you have a lovely evening.