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