Quicksand?!?

Hi! Phew, I made it home...a scary experience at the beach: quicksand!

Who knew? [more on that in a minute...]

We had a bit of a storm and some beach flooding yesterday, the sun came out and I rushed home to walk on the beach. The flooding meant I had to walk along the dune edge quite a ways west to find a shallow place to cross to the waterline---where I was just sure treasure lies, lol.

I found a place with shallow-looking water, mostly just wet sand. Took a careful step...and sank into the sand past my knees! Cameras went flying, hat too. And of course my second foot followed to try to save my balance but no...I plowed head first into the wet sand.

Here's my only audience!

Not a human soul for miles. Luckily I was able to extricate the second foot and then scrunch over to dry sand and get to safety. But it was frightening. I'd have been there for a long time before anyone missed me.

Amazingly my cameras survived. These photos are from my binoculars with the integrated digital camera. It was totally soaked and sand-encrusted but I think it survived, the shakiness of the pix is my hands shaking after I got home! I got this camera when they were very expensive. Now you can but them at CVS for $29.99. I think I am going to get a backup, love it for bird pix. 

And yes this did happen to me once before...I took one of my kids---age 3 or 4! stupid!--- on a snowy beach hike, and sank through the snow into quicksand. That was worse, because my boots stayed in the sand and I had to walk home in the snow and ice with one sock and a bare foot! My kid was fine, of course. (We found my hiking boots that next summer in the sand...).

No more storm hikes for me with out leaving a note. 

 love

     lizzy

              gone to the beach.......  

November

Hello! A strong north wind has blown in November....one of the very best times here at the beach.

The marshes are turning amber and the wild, scrubby edgings are showing red and brilliant gold.

The sunlight is rich and deep, like honey and the air smells so fresh...

The wind blew in many more big flocks of little birds, all frantically searching for food and water.

The songbirds don't like their picture taken!

Instead I ended up with "lovely" shots of the dunes where the finches and warblers spend their journey's rest.

 To us it may look like weeds but the birds see fruits and grains for high enrgy food...

                       

 And here and there a brave beach rose still blooms...smelling like June....

 Ebay has installed a counter...53 shopping days til Christmas. (sigh...)

love

       lizzy

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

Jack-o-Lanterns!

Note: my post for the Vintage Halloween Party at Anything Goes is the post before this one, if the link doesn't take you there....it's October 29 post. Enjoy!
I LOVE making my jack-o-lantern every year. It's just so fun, such a simple pleasure...

I'm no Martha Stewart though in the carving department. I can't seem to get the hang of whittling out a masterpiece! And I'm a bit of a traditionalist here too....see the classic face?

And my turquoise baby was HARD to carve, very thick rind....cute though?

The pumpkin-y fun begins with the trip to the pumpkin patch!

In this case a large garden center. In recent years I've gone alone, but my son decided he'd come with me this year. Boy, was I ever thrilled.

Aren't these pumpkins amazing?

Biggest whitest pumpkin [below] I have ever seen. I mean SNOWY white and bushel basket sized. Huge.

And of course I loved these grey blue fellows, they were yelling Take us home! in my imagination.... One even has pink freckles, adorable.

But no. We had other plans....

Used to be my kids would draw the pumpkin face with markers and then I 'd be the carver. This year the plan was to make a TIKI jack-o-lantern. So cool.

I drew a simplified face...

My son carved him. Awesome!

We used the new-to-me little battery tea lights that revolve with different colors. Also cool.

Had to buy some Baby Boos and Baby Jacks too....this pretty bowl can last til Thanksgiving I think. 

Did you carve a pumpkin this year? Did you take a picture? I hope you have fun and a lot of trick-or-treaters darken your door. Do you give out candy or healthy treats? Save me all the Reese's Cups!

love

              lizzy

gone to the beach....