A Moving Meditation
Cape Cod is known for its beaches, throngs of summer visitors, and the activities that accompany seaside living, but it is also home to many kettle ponds, which offer a more tranquil setting. Formed from glaciers breaking apart and so named due to a rounded shape that appears like a kettle, these waterways are home to a diverse array of wildlife, while remaining peaceful and even a bit hidden.
Big enough for a canoeist to feel solitude and serenity, small enough to not appear on large-scale maps, Centerville’s Long Pond (one of seven on the Cape that share this name), consists of fifty-one acres of crystal clear waters, fresh air, and the fish, turtles, waterfowl, ospreys, and otters that call this special place home. In A Moving Meditation, Stephen G. Waller offers an intimate look at the pond’s intriguing natural and human history; its abundant animal life, across the seasons; and the encroaching effects of climate change.
‘This vivid account of the beautiful nature, sceneries, and pockets of joy that can be found on Cape Cod is a reminder of what keeps people on Cape Cod year round.’—Cape Cod Times
‘Follow the natural year around with Waller and learn the science and phenology of one particular kettle pond on Cape Cod. You will also learn the pleasures of a quiet respectful life of observation and care, and the meditative joy of floating in a canoe in a place you love.’—David Gessner, author of Leave It As It Is: A Journey Through Theodore Roosevelt’s American Wilderness
STEPHEN G. WALLER, a retired ophthalmologist and Air Force officer, is now a medical school professor and freelance writer based in Centerville, Massachusetts.
Preface
1. Geology: Created in a Single Moment
2. Aquifer: Water Level Theater
3. Herring Run: Highway for an Epic Migration
4. Counting Herring: Come and Go
5. Springtime: Awakening and Blooming
6. Vegetation: Climax, Invasive, and Endangered
7. Water Quality: A Legacy of Casual Behavior
8. Ice: Through Thick and Thin
9. Fair Winds and Following Seas: Moving Meditation
10. Paddling: The Value of Pure Quiet
11. Canada Geese: Honking and Pooping
12. Bird Life: Endless Activity
13. Otters and Muskrats: Erratic Fellows
14. Fish and Turtles: Year-Round Swimmers
15. Salt Water: Exotic Habitat
16. Trash and Externalities: The Long View
Notes
