Roses and Rocks

I love late May and the beginning of June because that's when the Rosa rugosa, or beach roses, start blooming by the oceanside!

Rosa rugosa blooms in sandy dunes by the oceanside.

I got a whiff of the lovely fragrance of these flowers when I had an evening walk at my favorite local beach this past week. A few of both the pink and white roses were blooming, and I never tire of photographing them.

It's a good thing I went when I did, because in typical New England fashion, this week it's freezing cold again and rainy. (But we really need the rain!) The sun has been so warm that people sunbathe and go in the water, even when the temperatures are still chilly.

I like this time of year because the water is very clean and inviting...but only the brave souls go in!

Somebody made some dome-shaped castles in the sand:

Waves crash onto the sand in the early evening light:

At the west end of the beach there is a rose-lined path up to a rocky point of land. Makes for great scenery:

Roses line the path up to the rocky outcropping

Fishermen and kids who dare to play in the water near the rocks like to come to this end of the beach.

It's mesmerizing to watch the water slosh around the rocks out here:

Reflections on the smooth sand, so soft your feet sink in.

It's amazing how deserted the beach is even on the nicest evenings. I wonder where everybody is? Perhaps they only like coming on weekends.

I had to stop again on the path back to the parking lot to take some parting shots of my pink- and white-petaled friends.

My favorite view of Alewife Cove is the same landscape this rose witnesses every day of its life:

I'm not a fisherwoman, but I've learned that alewife is a species of herring.
Perhaps in a couple of weeks there will be many more roses in bloom. I'll let you know!

To learn more about coastal parks and beaches in southeastern Connecticut, find my 150-page full-color PDF eGuide at BeachBathAndTrash.com!

Happy beach season!

~ Cheryl