Water Meets Land

Rockland, Maine: Nearly a mile in length, Rockland's breakwater is a feat of 19th century engineering. It's 700,000 tons of granite protect the harbor. The sound of waves breaking against its stones and burbling back out is rhythmic and soothing, a variation of the sound of surf crashing onto Maine's natural rocky shore. As the pandemic has raged during 2020, recordings like this one have reminded me of the larger forces at work in the world around me: the constancy of the ocean and the resilience of stone. August 2020

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Isla Villa Franco do Campo, Azores: on the south end of the islet is a small cleft in the volcanic rock which surf rolls into and burbles out of while red crabs scurry up and down the rock. July 2019

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Nassau Island, Bahamas: Surf & Cleft in Rock, Love Beach. March 2016

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Mount Desert Island, Maine: Acadia National Park, Hadlock Brook, RunningWater. May 2016

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Sandy Hook, NJ: Sandy Hook Beach Park Rolling Surf, Conversations, Passing Prop Planes. July 2016

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Long Beach Island, NJ: A sprinkler in a duet with the surf: Man vs Nature, or something like that. July 2016

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Seoraksan: Not far from the entrance to Seoraksan National Park is Sinheungsa, a Buddhist temple. Just down the slope from the temple is a small but lively stream coursing over a rocky bed. It gurgles and bubbles beneath the ravens cawing in the trees above. November 2016

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Lanesville, MA: As I was sitting on the Lanesville Cove breakwater recording the surf crash into and gurgle out of its stones, the wind was causing an annoying rumble on the recordings. Looking for some way to use the wind, I clipped a pair of JrF contact mics to a guy wire running from an electric pole to the breakwater. August 2017.

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It's been a long summer of family activities. My wife and I have been the de facto center of family activity for various reasons. While on a family trip to Gloucester, MA, I managed to get away from the hubbub with a short walk alone down to the Lanesville Breakwater. The sound of surf is always relaxing, and the addition of the gurgle of the water exiting the breakwater and the various echoes between its stones only enhanced the surf's mesmerizing effect on me. (This is one of the recordings noted above.) August 2017.

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Akumal, Mexico: The Riviera Maya sits on a shelf of limestone. This geological composition is why the area's cenotes form. Along the beach where my wife and I stayed recently there was a small point comprising a spit of limestone slowly being worn down by the surf. The waves would roll in and then gurgle out of the porous rock formation. I love sounds of moving water like this. March 2018.

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Auburn, Maine: This past summer Ji, my folks and I rented a camp on Taylor Pond from my third grade teacher. This recording is from two contact mics clamped to the camp's dock. July 2018.

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Each summer Ji and I spend a week or so in Maine over her birthday, which coincides with the July 4th holiday. This past summer we rented a camp from my third grade teacher. A couple days after the 4th someone launched a private fireworks display across the pond from us. It's amazing how much sound travels across the still water--not just the fireworks, but even the chatter of people watching or just out enjoying the night on their docks. July 2018.

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Tel Aviv, Israel: We spent the last day of our trip to Israel relaxing on the beach. A couple between us and the water was playing Maktot, the ball rhythmically tocking back and forth between their paddles. September 2018.

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I like the sound of an ocean rolling into a rocky coastline. It reminds me of the Atlantic rolling into the granite of Maine's coast in these sounds--reminds me of home. Of course, the barrier reef off Grand Cayman breaking the momentum of the surf before it runs against the island's limestone shore means this meeting of water and rock sounds entirely different. March 2019

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Auburn, ME: This is the sound of spring for me: the Androscoggin River, swollen by spring melt, rushing over its Great Falls. One could hear this, like a low rumbling freight train, from my parents house not quite a mile uphill. April 2019

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Below Jambette Point, St Lucia: Charlie in his boat following Ji and I as we snorkel. March 2020