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







Tuesday, June 21, 2011

The First Days of Summer



that beautiful season...
Summer....

Filled was the air
 with a dreamy and magical light;
and the landscape
Lay as if new created
in all the freshness
of childhood.

~Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

The endlessly long summer evenings always seem magical to me....


Here on the very edge of our continent, sunset comes late, the blue gloaming, the nautical twilght, lasts for hours...and the sun returns almost before you've had a chance to to tuck in under a summer quilt for a brief restless sleep.



So exciting: summer is here! 


I came home from my beach walk tonight at 9.30....


It was still light out....



[In December, this twilight time will arrive at  3.30PM.]


Now, in June, the sky begins to brighten by 4.30 AM on this longest day.



No wonder that since ancient times, the summer solstice, the longest day, has been noted,


and treasured...



revered for each magic hour....

love

       lizzy

gone to the beach....



Sunday, June 19, 2011

Hurry! It's Summer!



Hi!

This weekend I've been busy finishing my (lol) spring cleaning! Only two more days til summer, gotta get this done---or else!

Or else what, you ask?


Or else I won't be able to relax and sit on the beach sewing quilts and hearts. I'll have the heebee-jeebies knowing the house is untended and imperfect.

dream pillow/ relaxtion pillow, in my etsy shop today!
don't you love the "seagulls" antique lace?
What have I accomplished?

*I scrubbed the guest bathroom with Clorox, Tilex and a tiny hard brush. By hand! I washed the ceiling---and the glass showers doors and chrome are  all polished and shiny. The grout is VERY white. I did my bathroom too, though not as intensely.

esty shop: tiny dream pillow sachets
*I washed the screens and the window surrounds and the interior windows. (I wash the outside ocean-facing windows every week, year round....)
*I scrubbed the entry foyer and the stairs; I "waxed" the stair treads with Floor Rejuvenate! Smells so nice, so-----polish-y!

French ticking and lovely wishes for summer [esty]
*I bleached and polished the kitchen cabinets. I washed all the walls around the light switches and knobs where they get grubby......

*I put away the flannel sheets and cashmere sweaters, got out the shorts and tank tops.

meditation pillow white linen and antique lace [etsy]
*I almost finished painting the living room, but ---remember the hand in the car door incident last week?---I had to postpone that a bit. Too painful....


*I found new white slipcovers! And reupholstered one of the sofas. When my hand is okay and I put the new covers on, I'll tell you all about that.


***Still did not plant my deck flower tubs though. That's for Monday...and then: finito!
Do you spring clean? Bet you get it done looong before June!



love

      lizzy


.......gone to the beach



Friday, June 17, 2011

Something for the Weekend....

Poetry on a wine label:

tranquil
cool
rippled sand
driftwood
peaceful
relaxed
ebb
flow
chill

the beach house






Hi! I am hoping these clouds blow out to sea and we have a lovely early summer weekend!


Planning ahead: maybe chicken salad made with diced chicken, toasted pecans, celery, and mango chunks, with a light creamy poppy seed vinaigrette. Yum! Add a baguette and some farmers market artisanal cheeses,


...light a candle....


and open a bottle of crisp white wine.
Watch the full moon rise over the June-dark ocean.


I tried this wine last week. "The Beach House"---how perfect!


And I am going to stock up: Crisp and brilliant, unusually lovely for a "summer at the beach" target-market wine.



 It is a sauvignon blanc-semillon 2010 blend by Douglas Green of South Africa.
The label blurb says: "lemongrass and gooseberries in a glass"....hmmm.
 Oh and A+ for a beautiful bottle, tall slim palest green glass with a great label....


Notice how the label designer incorporated the texture of wind-blown sand....


just so pretty, a pleasure to buy, to look at, to sip....



 Under the starfish it reads:
tranquil
cool
rippled sand
driftwood
peaceful
relaxed
ebb
flow
chill

the beach house



Sounds like a plan! have a wonderful weekend!



enjoy!

love

             lizzy




 gone to the beach...