I took advantage of today's low tide to stalk up on the meat of the surf clam. The -1.7 low tide was at 7:10AM and the temperature was 14*F when I left the house at 6:05AM. The temperature discouraged me, but I had to go.

When I arrived at Bay View, five other clammers had hit the beach ahead of me. The wind was blowing between 5 and 10mph, but it felt stronger than that. I walked a short distance and poked around looking for the delectable treats. I walked some more, and I ended up at my usual spot. The sun rise was beautiful as I worked the beach. The wind seemed to die off after I worked up a little heat. It most likely was just my perception because I started to feel colder and colder as I poked and dug.

After a while, I called it quits as did the other hearty soles that had come to see the sun and gather a few clams. I unloaded my catch, stripped off my waders, and retreated to my truck's cab. As I proceeded to drive home, I got the idea of a nice hot cup of coffee. I made my way to Dunkins.

When I arrived, the drive thru line was long. Others had the same idea as I. I finally reached the kiosk to order my hot cup of coffee. "Hello, would you like a free cup of iced coffee?" I was asked. I laughed and responded "Not today". "But, today is the only day!" the voice responded. "I don't think so!"

I ordered and made my way to the window laughing the entire time about the question I was asked. I was still freezing! When I approached the window, the girl smiled and stated "two-sixty-eight please." I couldn't help it and asked "Did you sell many free coffees today?" But she looked at me in a quandary. "Two-sixty-eight please." It was then that I realized she couldn't understand what I was saying because of her limited command of the English language. I smiled back and pondered if the "Buristas" at Starbucks would of understood my question.

Would you like a free iced coffee?

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