Out and About March ~ Houses Peeping.and The Beach

I woke up March 1 to No Trucks on the beach! Was it a union holiday or are they abiding by the rule that all trucks stop on March 1st due to the returning endangered birds? I'd love to think they have quit for the year and I can again safely walk out there.  The flocks of sanderlings are already here, on the way to the Arctic tundra nesting grounds. They are oblivious to humans, they live to scurry, to eat.

The Oystercatcheres return in exactly ten days, March 17, followed by the plovers by April 1. The terns and skimmers come much later, and despite their endangered status the terns not really welcomed as they are vicious little birds. [Skimmers are gentle but enormous and somewhat scary if they fly close.]

Not captured on camera, but there were ocean ducks and  and a few large heads that were possibly seals [or debris of some sort?].

More sandpipers.

Found washers this week.

A little plastic vet nurse and puppy to live with the troll lighthouse keeper, in my wooden Nauset Light. [they look so forlorn on the winter beach, and so cold; I have to bring them home.]

No coins. Gull eye and bill shaped driftwood, a pretty scalloped pearl button, above the pebble.

One errand day last week I was with a friend who obligingly double parked while I took photos of new or reconstructed houses in the area. Hurricane Sandy was six and a half years ago, yet many homes are still being restored or demolished and the land reused for new and bigger homes.

We've been watching this house for years, as it was completely devastated during the storm, then it was slowly raised, a concrete block foundation built. Later the lower level was finished and windows and a porch appeared this winter. It's on a busy corner but it now is quite lovely.

Ghostly figure at the front door, how odd.

Watching this house get raised was nerve wracking. It's an amazing feat of engineering that is being done everywhere now. But oops do happen. HERE   and HERE

What if if your already storm destroyed home's pathetic shell got, well, dropped. Boom.

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Then there are new houses being built in the village to the east. The smaller houses on this bayfront street were torn down after the storm. Both homes are built on two lots, yet have no yard, no garden, no pool! I am guessing they're in the two to three million price range, with waterviews on four sides.

This is my favorite. I love this house. [It's not finished....]

Look at the little staircase up to the roof deck! How cute is that. Imagine a bright summer morning, going up there with your coffee, the bay in front of you, the ocean just behind?

These homes, across the lane,  are finished and occupied. Not fabulous from the street but the bayfacing facades , not visible here, are lovely. One house I didn't get a picture of is enormous, taking up perhaps four lots. It is big and square with glass walls and oddly unbeachy pink granite bricks and looks like a boutique department store or a museum.

Today is cold, but bright. The dreaded Daylight Savings thing, fall forward? arrives Sunday. Another  bureaucratic abomination. Like someone's wall.

I'll leave you with a link to read. I loved this story, picturing the dad  drawing a picture every single day for his little girl.  I hope his heart doesn't break some preteen morning when his love, expressed on a brown lunch bag, is no longer wanted. Enjoy.   here

love

 lizzy 

gone to the beach....

PS The trucks are back today, Wednesday, frantically plowing in large numbers.

Looking for Spring ~ March Has Arrived with Its Doldrum Days

Good morning! It's as grey and dull a day as you could imagine here at the beach. March is a big blah, neither winter nor spring. Sure, we woke up to snow, but just a dusting on the grass, much to Mo's urinary delight. My friend L and I have been doing some recreational shopping to brighten these midwinter days. My goal is to find a few accent items in sunny yellow to go with my soon to be sewed yellow pillow covers. I'd love to find a yellow striped jug or bowl, like this but yellow?

...maybe a few yellow carpet balls? Yellow must be my least favorite color [after forest green] because I have nothing yellow here to use. I do love daffodils, forsythia and dandelions, yellow tulips too---but as for a yellow and white quilt or pot or table runner/cloth, that's a fail.

Pier One looked interesting online, but was dull and tired in real life. Instead of spring colors they have a lot of grey, white and black? Black gingham, black bunnies. [yawn]

Very modern, simplistic bunnies.

Even bejeweled Bunny was a bit subdued.

These coffee tables were interesting, with their inserted sea glass. and lovely natural wood. Far too modern for my house though, I'm hoping for a farmhouse find someday.

I bought wax melts for my Mason jar thing. They smell like deodorant so far, huh.
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Yesterday we hit Home Goods. Nothing yellow but bursting with traditional spring and coastal summer items, plus a few  some fun finds.

This was my on-sale treasure.

Should I paint this distressed chalk white or leave as is? It is another thread spool holder, my spools are multiplying like bunnies.

L had gone to get the car and as she parked I was like, "Oh look! You have to see this, it was on sale! Look at the cool china ABCs! So cool! Don't you LOVE it!" Jumping like a fangirl. And another woman walking by came over to look too, she loved it, she wanted it!  Prob I could have resold it for a profit, lol. Love the old china labels, not wild about the very modern steel screws though I suppose they'll be rusty by the end of summer anyway.

Flowers at the grocery and TJs. Eye-popping brightness. Sajou flowers.

Confetti roses.

TJs candle of the season is Lemon Cooky, nice and warm sugary but fresh lemony too. 4.oo.

Back in the kitchen I made bread this week. I used the no-knead dutch oven recipe again but I wanted seeded bread.

I love seeded or whole grain breads!

This came out so perfect [though a bit misshapen], just as I imagined.

I used TJs "Everything but The Bagel topping plus a bit of coarse raw sea salt, fennel seeds, caraway seeds, flax seeds ,pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds.

I drew on my previous breadmaking experience to get a chewy not crispy crust. I  brushed the top of the loaf with olive oil before adding the seed topping. The dutch oven is preheated at 450*: I then added a fat 1/8 C of water before I plopped  in my dough and covered it really fast, trapping the resulting steam. The steam softens the crust. Then when I did the last 10 uncovered minutes I added a bit more water, a sprinkle around the edges. And I was careful not to overcook the loaf. Slices perfectly, chewy dense texture.

My only drawback is the seeds make a terrible mess . Seeds everywhere, especially the flax seeds. I think I will make it without the topping next time, just put seeds in the dough?

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In between working on quilts I have started a bit of spring cleaning. Oh my windows need a big wash but it's too cold. The wind forces sand right thru the wooden window frames; I find little sifted piles where there's air leaks. Instead I emptied and washed the fridge, ugh. And today's chore was to empty the utensil drawer in the kitchen, sort the useless junk [old corks? three rusty can-openers, saved for the Apocalypse?] and to wash all the divider thingies. They're all air drying now.

Mo has been a very sweet boy, except he has moved on from kitchen bin rooting to attacking the laundry basket. Every time I look, all the clothes are strewn everywhere, clean or dirty, he is not a connoisseur. On one windy day---I think Monday? , hiding from the noise, first he built a nest on my bed....

then in his bed, under the computer desk. I think the hard drive is warm:

...then he got spooked and rowdy and built a fort on 'his'' sofa. He was very proud of his cushion pile/ mess.

Two  found washers this week. No coins. Paperwhites finishing week five.

Have a good weekend!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...