Gone To The Beach: 05.23.2014

Friday, May 23, 2014

Welcome Summer!

Hi! Happy Summer, everyone!
I know it is summer (despite being dressed in jeans and garden clogs and my rattiest cashmere turtleneck---planting dahlias...) because:
I hung my wooden flag out on my deck fence! It goes up every Memorial Day, in honor of those who have died fighting for our freedom, and tries hard to remain there til Christmas Eve. My dad made me this flag because the wind is too strong for a real fabric flag.

Green things have sprouted in the deck planters...

My little pot of pansies is so pretty! (Next spring I am putting pansies in all my pastel McCoy pots. Love this little guy.) Beach rocks set out to be weights to hold my sewing things.

And I know it's summer because I got stuck on the farthest beach drawbridge yesterday. It rarely opens and I am not too fond of sitting there high above the water, with the wind howling and my Jeep guzzling gas.
Some guy in a sport fishing boat sauntered through the opening while we sat. And sat, and sat.
I ordered new beach shorts from LL Bean. And the ugly locust tree outside my window here where I write finally has some sweet little lime green leaves. Grey skies behind, it's been raining for days. No Mr. Mockingbird, I am sad.

And it must be summer because there's golf stuff strewn everywhere....

And my phone gets photos of baby swans and geese sent from the golf course. So adorable.

the baby swans are crowded up behind their mama, on the right

The best part, besides the baby swans and goslings, is that today I redid my house in its summer blues. sigh of relief! I was very tired of the neutrals I loved last January.

A little touch of red! For red-white-and-blue...

Blue quilts here and on my bed....

All the living room quilts are ''rescue'' quilts from the flea market. I found them tattered and very soiled. In need of a good bath and some love.

I bought this blue polka dot star with the oh so good intentions of cleaning it and reselling it. But it's so wonderful, I love it. So far I am not able to part with it.

There's been quite a few blog posts lately, on the quilting blogs, about ''fussy cut''quilt blocks. Look at this, see how the maker cut the big polka dots and tiny pansy motifs to center in each diamond piece of the star. Even the backing, not shown, is a polka dot, baby sky blue with cream dots. It's a keeper, right?

I use only blue and/ or old white china in the summer:

This is one of my best collections! below These are 19th century ''carpet bowls'' or carpet balls. Mixed in with modern thrifted versions. The antique carpet balls are like giant clay or china marbles. I love their plaid and calico designs. [the flash makes the colors too garish, actually they are wonderfully aged and subtle. I'll try to take the photo with a different camera tomorrow]

This is a bonus shot for Mel who always wants to see real life and mess and clutter, lol! Note the case of bottled water! The slippers under the coffee table, the snuggle-y throw, the wilty but cherished bouquet from Mother's Day.
Do click to enlarge to look for dust bunnies, and sand dunes.

The large flag behid the swan was also made by my dad. It was attached to the side of my parents' grey shingled house on Cape Cod. My brother very kindly got it down and saved it for me. I treasure it.
The only grey at my house is the sky.......
.....................wishing you sunny skies!