Fog

The past few days here we have had fog. Hot white stifling sopping wet, yes--- HOT fog.

 None of this romantic misty cool Grey Lady stuff here at the beach.

No moody, sinister Sherlock Holmes grey London fog.

Nope, HOT white steamy fog, like you stuck you face too close to a boiling pot of spaghetti water! Here's yet another fog bank rolling in at sunset....

                 

 No breeze either. If it wasn't so hot, it would look rather charming [below]? Like Scottish Highlands and heather, with the mist lying on the dune scrub....

These are photos of the barely visible surfing beach, about a mile to my west.  On a nice day it looks like this:

  

                   

  not this....

The flea market was foggy too! Sunday was uncomfortable, oppressive and on the mainland  the fog was a little higher in the sky along with a burning white hot sun. It was almost 90! Well, 87!
My day was more about what I didn't buy (more on that in a sec...) than what I did buy---just a few baubles.....

Maybe to use with my newsest fun projects, collage lockets, coming soon.
Some will have the miniscule bits of antique quilts, what a fun gift fir a quilting friend?

Or an eclectic mix of antique lace, tiniest buttons, and other treasures no bigger than a pin's head!

And perhaps a melange of my best seaglass, a miniature mosiac of found treasures...

The locket forms are wonderful, I think. From Fusion Beads. They are pewter, plated with either sterling silver, copper or antiqued brass. Now if I can only find my resin  mix! I hope my etsy customers enjoy them.
What I passed up because it was just too darn hot to buy and schlepp:
a wonderful knife box, with a heart cut out in its handle; c. 1950 souvenir, maple and very shellacked. I 'd sand it and put blue milk paint.
Canning jars, French, I think, the ones with the crowns.
More old bottles, buttons, a black spongeware bowl (yes, new and Italin but so cute for Fall with baby pumpkins.);
a neat used book about folkart Christmas ideas:"Ruby Begonia"?
...and the man with the red transferware was back with loads of goodies! Not just red and white either.

But there's always next week and I am pretty sure nothing got sold, because it was impossible to buy anything! What's with dealers too busy on their cell phones to wait on their customers!? They may as well stay home in bed!

sunset and fog, September

And next week I think I will too...( well, no.)?

love

               lizzy

gone to the beach....

Hello Autumn....

Autumn arrived yesterday with a lot of rain and fog...

It was pitch dark when I arrived home last night just after 7 PM....the days are dramatically shorter and on a stormy night the darkness comes so early---too early!

I always think I don't mind winter, I enjoy the bright cold days...but the short days and sudden nightfalls of autumn require a real adjustment in one's mindset, don't they?

Apropos of autumn and harvest time, my weekly farmers has been busy and fun, the growers stalwart in bringing their produce to us here at the beach.

H. Irene and other late summer storms and floods destroyed some field crops, especially upstate. No late corn, no more summer squash...and I 've read no pumpkins! Unless the greenmarket relaxes its rules and lets our guys sell pumpkins from Indiana and Ohio.

I'm not a big fan of gladiolas but they were the only flowers at the market this week.

When I was designing in NYC I had a friend who was a lace sales rep, he lived on a farm way out on the Island. And he'd bring us armloads of glads every summer! My city loft was all black and white and art deco and I love the glads at that time, the bigger and brighter the better, even if I did have to tote the 4' stalks home on the crowded subway. Now I choose the softest pinks and put them in a large ironstone pitcher, hoping for a more cottage-y look.

They're very pretty, aren't they? Like old fashioned little girl's party dresses....

And also from Long Island, really spectacular lettuce right now. Butter (or Boston) lettuce is so delicate, so fragile...amazing that it looks this perfect despite the heat and rain. Yummy with a sweet raspberry vinaigrette, early pears cut in slivers, walnuts, and crumbled goat cheese, a lovely late summer ( we stubbornly pretend! Sometimes til Christmas!) supper.

Then I fell in love with these teeny tiny heirloom eggplants!

Aren't they the cutest things, miniatures!

They were so sweet, the insides white and seedless....a few I sliced into disks and dusted with cornflour, sauteed in olive oil, an indulgent treat, first course...

The rest were diced with fresh tomatoes and tossed with farmers market fresh ravioli...

 I find I really enjoy the small adventure of choosing the unusual, the fresh, the perfect in-season items at the outdoor market each week, then bringing them home and making interesting, fresh, healthy (usually!) meals for my family. I know I am lucky that my family love vegetables! They happily gobble up each effort....which makes me feel like a good cook---my culinary aspirations are fortunately small.

And soon, I hope---applesauce!

Have a good weekend!

love

                 lizzy

             [ gone to the beach]

Fall Flea Market

The first fall flea markets
are beginning!

Last week's market was small and hurried due to intermittent rain showers, but fun and lots of good finds. I hope this means the dealers spent the summer hunting for new treasures to sell. The busiest flea market time here is during the fall, spring is wet and cold and in the summer everyone goes to the beach.

Fun finds. One man had two huge cartons of red and white transferware, all packed up for leaving.

A few bits and pieces still were out and I rummaged, found some goodies for autumn decorating and then for Christmas.

I didn't realize these creamers were identical til I got home. I am picturing them with big red amaryllis bulbs/ flowers for the holidays...

And I love the bowl despite its chips. It's an older piece [tho not very!], nice patina.

It will be great with berries, leaves, acorns for fall; a couple of my little calico birdies nestled inside,

...then with  pine cones and Christmas motto hearts---[Ho-ho-ho!---in December.

Neat Mason jars...with , yes, incorrect lids I added.

The Lightning brand jar is not one I've ever seen before.

 And while I could not really capture it in the photos, the Atlas Ball jar, right, has wonderful old, odd, wavy glass
.

Then a few old beachcombed or dug up bottles. The dealer was shoving the crate in his van while I chose, so I didn't get to ask where they came from.

I like to re-purpose these with decorative seashell stoppers and raffia bows, very fun beachy touch for shelves or vanity in your [imaginary?] beach cottage....

Most to sell on etsy but I love the turning-purple one, right, to add to my windowsill experiment group. It's a patent medicone bottle from New Jesrey.

And here are the tiniest ones, with miniature bouquets of flowers. My mother always filled her small antique ink wells with flowers and set them out all around the Cape Cod house. Fun to find in the guestroom or bathroom or kitchen windowsill. She loved making them...

The little brown bottle is from my own beach, one of my free finds. I washed it very well. Wonder what was in it, once upon a time...?

More flea marketing this coming weekend. I'm looking forward to it... Any fun markeyts for you guys? Tell me what you find, okay!?

love

           lizzy

gone to the beach....