Pink Milkweed Buds

Baby Mergansers on the Rocks

American Bald Eagle

Unlike yesterday, today was a beach day or at least it shoulda been. Normally, I confine my perambulations to the stretch of sand between two points, Birch and Cedar. Today, we went point-to-point. First, we went to lunch at Jack’s Pub and Grub on the River. We split the Polish plate, the Dziadek (Grandfather) Special, which included a cabbage roll, pierogies and kielbasa, topped with sauerkraut, which was further topped with fried onions and bacon. It was not exactly light cuisine. The food reminded me of my grandfather’s Polish picnics that he would host and at which, I would devour the delicious Polish food. On our way back to the cabin, we stopped at the front Birch Point navigational light. It is there that we saw the milkweed. Notice that the leaves are almost, but not quite chewed away. Monarch caterpillars did this. They only eat milkweed. I bet that the caterpillar selves have left just enough photosynthesizing leaf to keep the plant alive to flower, so that the Monarch butterfly selves can then pollinate them. Such is the circle of life. On Birch Point we saw the mergansers. Mom and the babies were neatly ensconced upon a high enough rock to weather the waves. Finally, we did walk down the beach to Cedar Point, where the Bald Eagles roost. We bushwhacked far enough to flush the eagles from the beach, but never did find their nest. We have a Plan B for that though.