An October Beach Walk

 

Hello, hello! We haven't had a beach walk for quite awhile. But come with me, let's look at the wind tossed, drought burnt dunes and beach. 

It all started yesterday when my in-work Googly Jack's mouth and teeth blew away. I looked everywhere---on my deck and yard but no mouth. So today I went out to see if the little wool scrap blew afar, into the lane or the neighboring yards. 

It actually turned up, dropped in the sewing room// stuck to my foot?, but I loved the calm and sunshine and carried on. 

A bit of garden peeping! This house now has a delightful weathered rooster wind vane. It creaks and spins merrily in the breeze.

And this house on the corner has, as usual, the most profuse and beautiful dusty pink dried hydrangea heads. I never have the nerve to ask this person if I could have a few.

I peeked through the seawall, a rusty hole opens up to see nearby doings.

I carried on towards the beach entrance. Here we are, so windswept and changed after last week's nor'easter. That storm brought winds, luckily from the northeast, but little rain.

Summer is very over. The lifeguard stands toppled for winter storage.

The Covid shell display battered.

The dunes are dry and unkempt.

The roses have a tinge of leaf color but the few berries are dry as raisins. 

Only the staunch bayberry bushes are lush with tiny dark blue-grey berries.

I look at them and wonder why and how the colonists of early America had the notion that these berries would make beautifully pale green, fragrant, much needed candles. It baffles me.

With the dunes so dry, only two rains since June, I think, I wonder how the tiny creatures who inhabit the dunes survive. Perhaps the swales behind the roses, in the hollow still have water. I didn't climb down to look.

Lots of tiny footprints.

And a well trodden little pathway.

My beach is large and undamaged,

but to the far west the surfing beach is apparently all gone. The following pics were sent by a friend who walks daily early mornings. The cliffs are shocking, we cannot imagine how the beach will rebuild itself.

This is how it used to look, and may form again. [older pics by me.].

Have a good weekend, back Monday-ish w Halloween and quilts.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

This and That _ a Random Week in October

 

Hi everyone! It's a glorious Fall week here, sooo unexpected. But my mind is oddly blank: I cope so poorly with the little potholes of life now, I find. My phone broke, my lab app was offline [must get labs before IV tomorrow], the shower broke; my injured hand suddenly is very painful, like a sprained wrist, though the deep skin tears are healed. I hurt my ankle right by where the spider bite was. I put away some of my shorts, so sad. I had to take down, put away, some of my October/ Halloween quilts and vignette bits. It was busy and overwhelming, another thing making me sad. Another factor, the intense sun of October damages the quilts, I can't leave them out too long....

The skeptical words of a friend who asked, Why do you make quilts, why bother? That hurt.

And Mo's vet report was, um, tepid. His ears are better but incurable. End stage vestibular disease [chronic inner ear infection]. "We'll make him as comfortable as possible"--sounds very hospice, doesn't it.

I floundered around with projects: Made the Gingham Maple Leaf block, found among the Red Baskets a few months ago, into a tiny solo quilt.

Used a fun brown Harvest backing and did a swirly-twirly, falling leafy, freestyle machine quilting. And a pillowcase edge.

I think it makes a cute candle mat or bowl tuck and at least is somewhat saved from oblivion. I'd like to make a Maple Leaf quilt someday.

I'm almost done with TQC October mini. Just a bit of binding. It was also machine quilted, freestyle, by me. May add a picture later. It's cute.

Having fun with the Googly-eyed Cheri Payne Jackolanterns.

I had planned for the pupils, the smallest eye circle, to be just fused on [cheddar or black]. But when I washed WhatNots a small circle I overlooked in stitching fell right off. Good to know this fusible does wash away. But still. I decided, tentatively, that tiny black [and colored?] buttons would do instead.

I had a fun hour the other day sorting through my button jars for candidates. Found a good selection. White pearl tinies for teeth too. 

I also found such an odd assortment of older coins. Why were they there, are they from my beachcombing pocket? Were they in the jar, unsorted, that my mom found at the local thrift shop? I have no memory.

Susan B Anthony silver dollar 1979. Size of a quarter. Is it still worth a dollar? And a wheat sheaf penny, 1951 or 7 . 

A 70s dime, a modern penny; two Canadian pennies. Treasure! I was quite thrilled.

When I first moved here, an elderly neighbor taught me a lot about local beachcombing. She was so lucky, always finding gold rings or cash or bottles with messages. She saved the coins she found in Mason jars that she'd fill and bestow upon local children on their birthdays. I never had such luck, having only one half filled coin jar after so many many years. But the hunt is everything, still.

..........................................

Another day I sadly cut back my ruined garden. It was scraggly, ugly, and attracting the always scary October yellowjacket wasps. 

 I made a final bouquet.

My friend did the same before last week's nor'easter. Her dahlias are so beautiful.

Headed out now with Mo. Each day is a gift.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach..........................

WhatNots ~ A Summer Project Completed

 

Good evening, friends. WhatNots, the little folk art quilt is finished.

I want to say, This is what I made on my summer Vacation, hooray! Though my cousin years ago, snippily pointed out that I didn't work a 9-5 job, so no vacation was deserved. 

But WhatNots: I am thrilled. It's so rare I choose and start and finish a quilt in just a few months. My plan to make only/ mostly small quilts is working, it seems. I chose this Cheri Payne pattern in the early spring, making the garbled mess of the 1" squares center, but determined to forge on as it was my choice for hand sewing during summer afternoons with Mo. [if you're new here Baby Mo is my Pug and best friend.]

The tiny motifs are so appealing. There's about 30 of them, i had hoped to sew one-ish per day.

They went quick, and off to the quilter. Dear Lori C, my longarmer, rushed it thru. 

I had this beautiful cheddar batik from an online sale, just enough for the approx 24" quilt's backing.

It is just what I planned and expected, no dismals or letdowns. 

**************

Over the summer I did a lot of work on Noah's Ark too. The blocks are awaiting pressing since they had to be soaked and washed to at least soften the awful non-soluble  appliqué paper.

*******************************'

Today is grey and a bit of drizzle but otherwise Mo and I continue our afternoon sewing hour each day.

For October handwork, I returned to this project, Trick or Treat, another design by Cheri Payne.

I find her patterns hard to follow, but persevered.

Took me a couple afternoons to layout the funny jack o lantern faces.

I am using the quilt I found on Pinterest [?] by an unknown maker [sorry, if it is yours please let me know.] I love the bright googly eyes, how fun. 

                                                               

But what a wooly bits mess I made.

I just got a text that power was out. But mine was okay so far. Inexcusable, it is warmish, a bit of rain, a slight wind of 20 mph. This is so far No Hurricane, though online weather people with nothing to talk about keep comparing this nor'easter to H Sandy. [ not yet, fingers crossed]. I cooked  this morning, storm prep. Things that are edible cold: hard boiled eggs, meatloaf [half saved as meatballs in the freezer], butternut squash, again, some of it into  the freezer. Cornbread. Mashed potatoes. I will be eating this stuff for a week, lol. 

Did you know younger ''folks" Gen?---Y? Z? consider it in bad taste [dull, boring]  to take note of or mention the weather? I am GUILTY! The weather sets my schedule and state of mind.  I do know that when i lived in NYC/ Brooklyn, I paid minimum attention to weather, but here on the coastal wilds, it is a constant concern. We do things like buy Jeeps and Range Rovers that are drivable in floods, we ''stock up", we charge our phones, etc etc. Such is life, I guess.

Mo has been at the back door all day. He is baffled by the grey day. Tomorrow will be better, little man, I tell him. We need the rain.

Have a great week!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...