I wiped away the weeds & foam. / I fetched my sea-born treasures home... Ralph Waldo Emerson







Monday, February 23, 2015

A Winter Beach Walk



Hi guys! We had a brief thaw yesterday afternoon. The temperature rose above ''Arctic'' , the sun was shining and I headed out to the beach.







The entry is still flooded and frozen, necessitating a somewhat scary wade through the icy salt water floods. I carried my trusty cast-off ski pole to steady my steps. High wellies were needed and were almost not high enough.


Snowy dunes gave way to windswept packed and frozen sand. There's some ice along the tide lines, it won't thaw til we have much warmer days.



It takes a diehard beachcomber to find treasures there.

granite ''toad'' pebble / green bottle shards/ sand mold/
red glass? bike or car reflector



clam shell/ turban shell/ china knob shard with blue stripe/
white pebble/ two sand dollars


On the other hand, there is no competition from other searchers!



A Manhattan friend sent me these photos of NY harbor from Battery Park. I had asked to see the frozen Hudson.



Not as dramatic as the news people make it sound! But we can see the ice rimming the shore on the Jersey side.



Later as the ''temperatures plummeted" as the weather guys like to say, Mo and I explored our neighborhood. Mo finds the huge drifts interesting.


He wears Mushers Wax to protect his little feet.



Here is Stripey, one of the neighborhood feral cats. He was sunning in a warm nook on a neighbor's porch. Those of you making the Flags quilt may find this of interest: the neighbor has a collection of wonderful flags he displays. Stripey is stretched out under Don't Tread On Me! aka Snakey, fom our quilt project.
(This man has a gorgeous Christmas quilt/ flag that he has just left rolled up and wet and snowy on his deck! It's killing me, all those handpieced LeMoyne stars.)


Stripey's winter coat is very peachy, I never realised. On top he is so grey and black.



Another day Mo and I said Hello to a young guy who, despite the less than 20* temps, was dressed in his hoodie and was sunning himself on his deck! I waved and yelled, "You're so brave!" He laughed and turned his face back up to the winter sun. He looked happy.


When we walk I pick up twigs that have fallen due to the ice and wind. Indoors I set them in tiny beachcombed medicines bottles and they bloom! These are forsythia, rescued from a snow drift.





And a sweet potato vine I am babying through the winter. Maybe.



Old Man Winter is having the last laugh though. Unusual sunset just now, with cold weather clouds.


Zero tonight, windchill unknown.

So---how are you all coping? Tea and knitting? Online retail therapy? A good book?

love

lizzy

gone to the beach























6 comments:

  1. Wonderful photos, again. Always love to see them. Stay warm.

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  2. Love your little beach finds and as a wonderful memento of winter. What are you protecting little Mo's feet from? I've never seen the paste before.

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  3. Hi, the break in the weather must have been fun. I talked to some family in MD on Sunday, they were absolutely giddy having temps in the 40's!

    The photos of NY harbor are stunning. Frame worthy even.

    Love that you made it out to beachcomb and what fun treasures. I do need to know though, in the pic with the shells, what is in the center with the black stripe around it?

    AND speaking of stripes, Stripey is looking very well fed and cared for. Yes, very peachy winter coat.

    Our neighbors just did their front yard and put in a Forsythia! Made me think of you when I saw it. I've never seen them out here before so I was very excited. We had a hedge of them in our yard when I was a kid.

    Boy, that snow drift really dwarfed Mo didn't it? I imagine there were all sorts of aromas floating around in there.

    Great post, thanks for sharing. Sorry to go on, and on!

    Kel

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  4. Hi Kel. Forty degrees!? We d break out our flip flops.

    I hope the forsythia by you blooms, it may need a cold spell tho.

    The white ball has a dark cobalt blue band. It seems to be a china knob, part of it anyway, or maybe some sort of stopper. A good find even if not a marble or carpet ball.

    You d think the smells would be frozen but no. Mo sniffs and sniffs.

    I thought NYC harbor view of NJ would make a cool painting. Stylized, so you don t know it s Jersey City,lol. Cool reflections.

    It is 5* now, as I type this. Frostbite weather!

    love


    lizzy

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  5. Oooooo, I love all your treasures! We are chilly here but no snow. Been watching my shows, getting errands run and just vegging. Feels good. Have a great week! Kit

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  6. Nice to have a thaw so you could get out! I'm sure you were going stir-crazy. Today here it's 45 and VERY sunny with almost no wind, it feels very warm compared to recent very cold weather. I was running errands in my shirtsleeves (coat in the car)!

    I've been trying to figure out what you beachcombed. The glass and pebble are easy, and I'm assuming the fish is a sand mold? But what is the other thing? You're braver than I am to wade through that icy slushy water! Brrr! The protective wax for Mo's paws is a good idea, I didn't know they made such a thing!

    Hope you don't get too much more cold weather!

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