Gone To The Beach

Tuesday, April 5, 2016

Spring? and the Surfing Beach

Hi everyone! Spring? pooh! Mo and I have been as housebound as if we'd had a week long blizzard. NO snow but high wind days interspersed with heavy rain have kept us mostly home and in the sewing room.
But I promised you guys a beach walk! So here we go, bundle up. Wind chill is 27*.

See that wind speed? Sand blowing 50 MPH is not fun. And remember these readings are taken inland, not here at the beach. We're having gale winds here, typically spring.

Today dawned with bright sunshine and only 25 MPH winds, so despite the near freezing temps, on my way home from errands in town I decided to stop off and check out the local surf beach
Here we are.

Finally! The boardwalk over the dunes has now been replaced. It washed away in fall of 2012, during H Sandy. The dunes here are quite steep and high and sometimes were too big a trek for me to come here for my walks, when I have to slog up the sandy faces.
.

I don't think my photos can truly express the wild and deserted beauty of this beach. The dunes are high, the view amazing. Not a soul around for miles. Immaculate, pristine white sand.
[click any photo for full screen images/ slideshow]

No surfers, it was during school hours, and the winds were blowing in an unfortunate shore break, too.

I could just wander off in blissful enjoyment, home to my beach far in the distance. But no, I left my Jeep here in the lot.

It's a narrower steeper beach than my beach. Good for walking in wind or rain as the waterline is much closer and there aren't acres of open sand to navigate, blowing in your face, in your mouth and ears, up your nose,lol.

A helicopter flew over as I walked. I bet his view is even more spectacular.

No treasures, this is a very barren wave swept beach.

But I've found a few fun things on my own beach recently:

A very tiny lead soldier/ Napoleanonic horseman/ cavalry. Maybe 1.25 inches high.

And an "Easter egg" pebble, so pretty!

On my way home I noticed the local ice cream stand is open. It's been here since 1951! One spring day when it's warmer, I 'll get a friend to drop me off here, then I 'll walk home along the beach from the surf beach to my own beach--enjoying one of their famous root beer/ ice cream floats. I can't wait! (The surf beach is just a block behind the ice cream stand.)

When I got home I immediately took Mo out for an extra long walk. We really enjoyed it. [post on our spring discoveries, soon.] Those endorphins and negative ions really brighten a person [and a doggy]'s moods. I do love a cold crisp bright blue day. Do you?

love,

lizzy

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

Mo had a visit from the groomer! He got a baseball bandana. Go, Yankees![?]

Friday, April 1, 2016

Quilty 365 March

Hello! It's April, the days are flying by, aren't they?!

Time for Quilty 365, Audrey's quiltalong, also known here as the Dotty quilt or Circles. There is a link up On Quilty Folk blog,HERE.

I began my Circles in November. The Dot for March 31 will be number 147, or 148, if we count today's as yet unchosen dot.

Not much new for me to say about my Dots. Still using the text backgrounds, still using whatever is on my table for the Dots. Audrey is already talking about how to set her Dots! She has lots of fun ideas--though the idea of dividing the 365 dots into multiple quilts, to me, sort of defeats the diary/ journal context of the project. But of course to each her own! I know I am going to put my Dots in simple lines, a setting of 19 dots x 20. [or 20 x 20]. My only wondering is how I will merge Novembers as the year comes around to the project's end.

I have been keeping an eye out for backing fabrics, especially on sale or good buys. No fabric shops around here, my shopping is 90% online with the occasional crazy trip to Joann's for thread or supplies. My friend Mel is great at helping me find cool things. Here are some well-priced script/ text fabrics we found on Fabric.com. HERE

graphic, modern, 108"

good price, beachy, w/ text, good colors

I LOVE this one! $$$$

and this, in the soft quilty pink. $$$$

Whatever shall I choose!?
What about this one? I love the pencils....

***

In other projects, Westering Women block 3 came out on Wednesday. I was eagerly awaiting the next installment and I love the leaf block HERE--but it looks difficult? Any suggestions? Hand piece it? Applique it? Ideas are welcomed please .

We'll have a beach walk or two, very soon, I promise! For my un-quilty friends and everyone else too, of course. The spring winds are so strong, the sand is blowing too hard for me to take pictures, the sand can ruin even an iPhone lens.

Have a wonderful April!