In keeping with some sense of Earthly ebb-and-flow, Dream Catchers are generally built on the latest high water mark. Each successive tide high tide means a new project. The Winter Catcher lasted nearly three months -- and grew eight inches in height thanks to shifting sand -- before a Valentine's Day nor'easter wiped it out.

In generally horrific cold and wet and windy conditions, a new catcher, the one pictured here, rose to take its place. It's now closer to the dune than the waterline; a lot of high tides in this process.

* * *

The Prime Instigator says it's not exactly a secret, but most of them do indeed get built in odd hours and bad conditions. He says he'll chat with anyone who comes up and asks, and he says he has had one brush with fame.

It was a stinging, rainy day. Just up a hundred yards of sand sat a TV news truck pointed straight at the water, and some storm-geared reporter doing a stand-up in the surf.

Once the shoot was finished, they might be driving by, they might be wondering why a solitary figure was hunched over and attentively working in the sand in such a storm.

Preparations began on potential snappy soundbites.

***

Sunny morning, about a week earlier. Fellow walks up on the beach, peers down over the artist's shoulder.

"You got something buried under there?"

"Oh, no, it's just silly hippie art."

"I've seen 'em around," he says. "Nice."

"Thanks. It's a Dream Catcher."

There's a pregnant pause while the man contemplates the name.

"Something you can do if you can't do sand castles."

Few days later, it's three young people resplendent in grunge chic. Walking a couple dogs.

"Awesome. It's so Earth."

"Make a wish. See what happens. Works even better if you add a feather when you do."

Not exactly three coins in a fountain, but a start.

***

The storm-chasing TV folks are piling back into the news truck, stand-ups shot and ready for cutting. Time to head back to the station.

The artist is prepared to speak in witty eight-second bursts, 22-words or less. Might be able to spread the word on protecting dunes and endangered coastlines. Don't pave, dream.

Up the beach, doors slam to a close.

Right down the beach, a great little bit of B roll for the weather segment -- how can you go wrong with Native American environmental art, feathers snapping in the breeze?

Better yet, it's a weather shot that could turn into a full weekend feature. All it takes is some innate curiosity. What would make someone come out in such miserable weather and build such a thing?

Take it as an illustration of local TV news today.

The newsies went the other way.

Musta been some crazy pagan.

***

G.L. Marshall considered Mindy Lintz, WAVY's weekend anchor, to be the best media talent in Tidewater and was sorry to see her leave. Mr. Marshall's girlfriend, however, was glad to have him stop talking about some eyebrow-plucked newsbabe.