With Permission
Looking for a beacon? Look closely.
For more than 20 years Surfer Joe, as he is known in Short Beach, can be found every morning on the sea off Johnson’s Beach paddling face down on his surfboard. No matter the season — spring, summer, fall and winter — he is out there. The weekend Blizzard Nemo arrived was no exception.
Here is Surfer Joe (pictured above) on Saturday morning as Nemo hit the Connecticut coastline. After he emerged from sea, he said, “The water was the calmest thing out there.”
Why does he do it?
“It gives perspective, it’s peaceful and it’s personal. It gives you a greater sense of the pulse of nature,” he said as he paddled back to the shoreline on the morning of the blizzard’s descent.
By day Joe Piscitelli is a top Shoreline realtor who works out of Coldwell Banker’s Milford office. But before his day begins he is out on the sea. He is hard to miss in his black wet suit as he floats atop his surfboard.
He also takes the time to daily feed numerous seagulls, ducks and assortments of small birds, all awaiting his arrival at places along the beach the wild bird life call home.
Depending upon the weather, he will be out on the sea for an hour or less. When it is cold is may be thirty minutes. His daily route is typically the same. He paddles to a nearby island to take in the wild life. “It gives perspective to the day ahead,” he said.
Neighbors set their clocks by his arrival. Said one, “Neither rain, nor hail, nor snow stops our neighbor surfer from his appointed rounds.”
Piscitelli was out on the Sound this morning, as the sun rose at 6:46 a.m. He was getting ready for his day.
Branford’s Daily Life Resumes
So was the rest of Branford.
Schools were scheduled to open for Thursday and Friday. Next week the kids get another two days off, the result of a long President’s Day weekend, one put in place long before the arrival of the blizzard. On Thursday School Superintendent Hamlet Hernandez announced that Tuesday would be a full school day.
Virtually all roads have now been cleared but high mounds of snow remain at intersections. Some snow was moved a nearby lot, courtesy of a merchant. Some went to sections along the Pretzel, near the Amtrak bridge.
First Selectman Unk DaRos said his top priority this morning is making sure snow banks are cleared at intersections along specific sections of Main St., near the Ivy St. intersection. Valentine’s Day Thursday and President’s Day Weekend are big shopping days for merchants and residents.
Mary Johnson Photo
Town Hall was open for business. So was the Trinity Episcopal Church on the Green. (pictured) Click here for earlier photo coverage.
Both the fire and police departments reported no major events over night. Postal workers reported better mail delivery today.
As for curbside garbage collection, well, because of President’s Day, that won’t take place until Tuesday.
###
