Out and About: Desolate Beach and Easter Shopping

 

Hi everyone! Here at the beach the big snow is mostly melted and my friend and I went out for a day of spring shopping. 

First stop, Old Navy---nope. Really disappointing quality, though my friend found cute little girls' clothes.

The ''big thing" for women  was ankle length gauzy sundresses, very floaty and fun [if shoddy] If we have a triple digit summer, a floaty dress might be a good idea? But I passed bec, one-Gauze washes horribly; 2- I'd end up wearing my old LL Bean shorts anyway. [clothes are ON screenshots] Love the bag, not in stock .

Off to Home Goods for Easter basket fillings for little friends.  And online it looked like the summer coastal vibe had arrived---but no.

Like Old Navy, messy and junky prevailed.

So much disposable decor and possibly cute/ fun. But too jam packed to really see.

Big bucks Le Creuset pots in palest pink. $275 and more. I love pink but maybe not filled w goulash or bolognese? $$$

They did have  ''garden decor'' if you prefer fake silk flowers in your garden. If you wanted  blue faux-delft' planters for spring bulbs, or maybe summer geraniums? on your deck, now's the time.

As often happens when I'm back home looking at the pics, I do see a few I really love. Picture upper  right, middle row, filled with tiny daffodils an pale blue grape hyacinths. Yes! Also top right, and lower left.

Fun Bunny-Cabbageware, if you're a collector.

Some amusing ideas --me being snobbily skeptical---like why? "I have my own junk?" Bundles of apparently real old books. Hmmm...

And premade rock cairns!

Hilarious. These are often frowned upon in nature settings like beaches or hiking areas. The real life ones, I mean. Castigated as "nature graffiti''---often kicked over or removed. I bet these fake ones are held together w a steel rod or strong epoxy. That would hurt your toes. I forgot to look at the price.

All that said, I rather enjoy the rock stacks and sometimes pile up my collection of potato sized rocks just for fun. (their usual function is to  weigh down fabric or drawings on my deck table.)  On the other hand my beach doesn't have fist sized rocks, so no one ruins the pristine sand with cairns.

I brought a few things home, of course.

You'd think they'd have a choclate bunny or two but no.  I got the cute tin bunny and a tin Egg instaed.

Brightly wrapped German choc eggs inside.

Modelling clay bec I need it and it was there, saves a trip to Michael's. And the treat of meringues for Easter dinner. A new bowl for my oatmeal or soup? So many of my bowls ended up being Mo's and were now discarded.

I can't say, Oh great trip, but always fun. Not crowded, plenty of cashiers, friendly and polite. always a huge plus in NY area, so rare.

....................

Another rare beautiful day. I hiked partway out the the beach looking for the oystercatchers. I didn't see any, maybe a pair in flight though. The local birding FB group is reporting sightings, so I'll keep looking. pic is another year, in case you don't know what oystercatchers are

Look at this beautiful blue sky! And no wind.

The winter storms have changed the upper dunes entirely. The wild roses are mostly gone; the Covid era/ still going strong/ memory shells installation is gone along with a huge amount of sand. At least two feet of sand depth has blown or washed  Keep in mind this dune is probably a half mile from the water's edge and 15 feet high.

The swale behind the seawall is gone, storm waves have washed it unrecognizably bare and flat. 

If you look at the seawall on the right, you can see lines of different paint colors now exposed. The wall has not been turquoise  in at least twenty years. Then it was light cream, now the ugly putty tan.

A tangle of bayberry, washed up. Will it take root?

Another walk, fence peeping. Imagine this will be a bustling beach park in a few months. Nte the extra sand barriers, plywood? attached to the storm fencing. Not sure flying plywood is an improvement on billows of 80 mph sand. Hard on one's car either way.

I plan to explore more, was as always wary of the big trucks, who drive wildly over the sand. Yes there have been fatalities! But nothing changes.

.....

Up date, the amaryllis has not bloomed, but the buds look white. The white one was a spring planter on sale last year from Blooming Bulbs, see last year below. Sadly Big Red has shown no interest in setting a  new flower stalk.

Have a good week. Doll quilt inspiration is from IG, i believe Maggie Bonanomi. Isn't it wonderfully grungy. The solid reminds me of blog friend Julierose's coffee dyed muslin! Color me waiting for warm deck days to do that again.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

Mid-March Miscellany

 

Special note: I was deeply touched and comforted by so many sweet comments about Baby Mo. I never realized he was such a beloved feature of my blog. Thank you all so very much for your condolences. Today I have dense fog, cannot even see the dunes--and high wind warnings. You'd think the wind would blow the fog away but so far no. 

Very chilly and wintry, but by way of keeping busy, spring cleaning has commenced in a lackluster sort of way.

March 17! The Oystercatchers should arrive.

I've been watching for them despite the fog. I assume they do not get lost.

*******************************

One of the amaryllis has two plump stalks with buds. I think it is Big Red. I rush to look each morning for a hint of color. The other three or four just leaves.  I'll nurse them along for a few years to coax them to rebloom.

I have been walking most days, trying to avoid [a hopeless endeavor] routes that Mo and I took daily for twelve years. Found another clump of snowdrops and maybe?? some daffodil sprouts.

This weekend I made a Minnie Mouse inspired doll outfit for my little friend who is going to Disney World for spring break.

I can't show it to her, as I luckily found out last night that the trip is a surprise. Oh I'd have spoiled everything. I don't know how her mom hides the planning and packing for a long trip, but she does.

Still have not chosen a new quilt project, though fiddling aimlessly with Boardwalk strips still. This is the inspiration pic, to remind you.

A boardwalk, if not The Boardwalk:

I'm also trying to catch up with my nature journaling.

My little July to December book was so neglected. Saved and sketched fall and winter leaves. 

A blobby-, shapeless  shell!

Layering images so does NOT work for me, what a mess. The pages need more thoughtful planning. Or ''skip, don't overfill'' the weeks/years?

I enjoy leaves, but--yawn?

Two issues for me with nature art journals are: if one doesn't draw and paint almost daily, all skills are lost. And my vision is so wonky---crooked flowers!, and my hands shake. See the correction?

So poor skills are setting me up for bad results. and Two: the barrenness of nature diversity here on my little sandbar island. I had hoped for some spring hikes to mainland nature areas for inspration and specimens but with ticks so prevalent, I get wary. Can't even pick up a bird feather or eggshell because of bird flu, huge warnings almost daily are posted

To jump start my interest and skills, I got this little workbook as a belated Christmas gift to myself. So sweet.

The book's outline drawings are so simple but so good.

 

I'll see how I do! 

Have a great week.

love

lizzy 

gone to the beach...

or not [love fog, hate getting lost in it though, especially with post blizzard beach instability and remaining snow drifts. I'll put a beautiful other year pic instead. ]  2017

PS I  hope readers who commented about Mo will continue to comment now and then. I do take joy in connecting to friends here. All are welcome withe the usual kind, respectful, positive caveats, of course.