Westbrook. And Twitter.

I think some people (maybe a lot of people?) have no idea that there's an actual town of Westbrook, it's not just a place name someone made up because the Tanger Outlets off the highway needed a mailing address. (I wrote that as Tangier Outlets the first time...subconscious desire to flee the country, anyone?)


Well the Outlets had no boots at all this day, but the beach was gorgeous, and so so cold. The kind of cold that makes everything shimmer and gleam. Everyone else was exhibiting the proper behavior at a New England beach in winter: sitting in their cars enjoying the view with the heater running. I went for a little walk.


I did not do this; someone else did this.


Someone else did this too.

Walking alone in the freezing wind, I started thinking about this view. It's very Connecticut, I thought, though it seemed impossible for any one coastal state to claim any one distinct curving shape made by beach meeting water. I tried to remember all the other shores I'd seen, to determine if they, too, had this particular gentle bend to them. But I couldn't. I did think, though, of all the other towns in this state where I could have taken almost this exact photo. When I think about whether to stay here or to leave - which I do often - this curve of sand and Sound dotted with pale houses is always in the column of "things I wouldn't realize, until too late, that I would miss."

And on a completely unrelated note, I'm now on Twitter. (Yeah, I know. Eventually I'll get around to motorcars, and television, and steam.) I'm @johnnamaurie if you'd like to follow me there.