The great American poet Carl Sandberg wrote: "The fog comes on little cat feet."

He evidently had not observed a bank of gray pea soup rushing up Narragansett Bay lest he'd suggest that "fog comes galloping up on the hooves of steeds" - as it did this morning when, in an instant, a clear view of Greenwich Cove and Goddard Park was obliterated by a thick low cloud rushing in from the south.

The benefit of this sea change was that one's eyes regained their focus on the little things around the misty cove: how the surface tension of the water is left unbroken by the floating leaves, the sea grass still offering a safe harbor for small fish and crabs, and two shellfishermen engaged in a spirited discussion as they haul a dock up to the head of the cove for the winter.

Fog can be a challenge for mariners, but it offers a delightful experience for the shorebound observer.