Salty & Satisfying

Salty & Satisfying

- Daniel Harding Jr

The sun is just rising above the trees across the river. My bare feet feel each board on the dock, damp with dew, as I make my way up to the shower. It’s brighter when I emerge, and though it’s early, it’s already warm and sticky.

It’s 7:00 a.m. and I do what everyone in town does: Shuffle my feet and head toward Essex Coffee and Tea.

Joggers bounce along Main Street; there are no cars on the road yet. I pet a Golden Retriever and remember to say hello to his owner. Familiar faces in familiar places.

At this point I usually tear off to the office to dive into the emails stacked up like cordwood, but on this day I have a little time on my hands so I grab a seat outside with the old-timers.

I’m feeling especially nostalgic this morning, so I start to think about my sleepy homeport, on the banks of the Connecticut River.