terriloui

I tend to pause when I see trash and discarded objects out of place, especially when they interfere with a natural setting. And so it was that I spent a May morning rearranging 50 feet of shoreline on the Potomac River to get it just so.

My husband, Barry the boatbuilder was sailing at Leesylvania State Park and invited me to tag along. As he crewed in a Lightning regatta, I stayed ashore, rode my bike, cruised the fishing pier, and landed at the shore. I picked up the most of the true trash — shredded pieces of styrofoam, plastic water bottles, liquor bottles, bait buckets, tennis balls and plastic cigarette tips — and assembled them on a sun-bleached tree trunk moored in the sand. Then I set to work, with Andy Goldsworthy like attention, to make a little art with the abundant natural materials at hand.

With much to see on the littoral beach, I settled mostly on the black walnuts, with their beautiful, warm brown and tan coloring, worn ridges and varying sizes. I stooped, gathered acorns and snails shells, too, and arranged a satisfying wabi sabi assembly, orderly yet disorderly.

Before leaving, I stood in the shade of the tree line to watch and see if anyone else would notice the ephemeral collection. I took my leave and imagined how the incoming tide would soon be reordering it all, cleaning up after me.