Beauties and the Beast

Gifts from the sea. Some a bit surprising at times, some breath taking and some are curiosities. This past week I received a gift from another source but ultimately it was also from the sea. My Aunt Anne searched her attic space for a jar she knew lay hidden...full of seaglass from many years ago. Possibly gathered with her mother, my grandmother and my first seaglass mentor!

Some of the most beautiful pieces I have ever seen were contained in a huge jar she presented to me, knowing my addiction to collecting seaglass was a family trait, a tradition and I would cherish the contents. 

But this treasure chest of beauties didn't mean my seaglass walks could take a breather....quite the opposite. It fueled me!

And quite the curiosity I did find!

A rusty appendage attached to its very worn and stained wood spine.

I question, where could this be from, what did it support and am I holding a little piece of history?

Is it a beast or is it a beauty?

Prehistoric, fossil like and with such a personality, I had to bring it home. Maybe it will go back to the sea, maybe it will become another garden ornament, but for now it is telling me a story.

Some of the "beauties" from the sea are nearby. The lavender piece a gift from my daughter and the aqua green are yet another story. So thick & old and luminous, where are they from? Nuggets of this size and color are certainly not from recent times!

Beauties meet the Beast. But what is the saying? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

They are both beautiful in my mind and especially together. All are gifts from the sea!

A Seaglass Surprise in Battery Park

Yesterday, we took a little jaunt down to NYC to see the Ellis Island Museum. An absolutely gorgeous day! After stepping off the subway we enter Battery Park at the tip of Manhattan and there is my word....Seaglass! Yes, spelled without the space between Sea & Glass (although with a capitalized G). A carousel to be completed in Spring 2012 – I will be there.

 Following is my photo essay of our visit. It was a day filled with images that are provocative, graphic and most of all American. 

The Ferry.

Freedom Tower.

Miss Liberty from front, side and back...in all her majesty.

Trunks...with all a family owned or could carry.

The Great Hall, where every immigrant had hope to enter our country.

Images of rooms, graffiti, electric panel of the past and faces....always the faces.

Peering out and looking into your eyes almost as if you were there... children separated from their parents, parents separated from their children or their own parents.

Reflections, my own boots standing on the same tiles where so many passed and the ghost like visitors exploring the same.

And then the long awaited and sought after future in America. Jobs? Unions? Immigration laws?

Remains. 

Ellis Island opened in 1892 and was operational until 1954. It closed, but left behind the inner workings....the tools, the beds, the sinks and the furniture. The signature of humanity as well.

The Museum at Ellis Island opened in 1990 after a 150 Million Dollar renovation. So much history to be seen and thankfully preserved. A view from one window shows the Freedom Tower and the New York Harbor...another the water tower that supplied those passing through yesterday and today.

And leaving towards our New York City destination and then home.

Sunday from Shore to Lake

Today I started off on the blustery sea shore and ended at the old family place on the lake. Seemed liked two different days!

Crashing waves, seaglass covered by the night's stormy sands and still finding the remains of Irene wrapped here around a piling. It seemed almost as windy as the hurricane!

So off we went. NEW Fairfield. A little cottage that has been in the family since the 1940's. Mostly unchanged except for absolute necessary improvements! No drinking water, no shower but wonderful views of the lake from the dock and boathouse top.

A pristine, unadorned location. We are lucky to still own a piece of this lake.

Inside, the old croquet mallets, the wall of fame - the original owners, my great uncle and great aunt along with other Hayes family photos and memorabilia. A turtle shell, an old fan, trinkets, feathers, paintbrushes and of course playing cards.

My mother and her siblings (she is the far right beauty with the big white bow). An art project of past...saved with a found feather. We pretty much have a rule - no TV, no internet etc. Just crafts, reading and lots of cooking in the outdoor fire pit.

Sweetcake Mountain hiking trail meanders up a wooded path behind our place. 

And when we reach the top we see our lake. Candlewood is a large man made lake, a valley flooded back in the 40's (I will make sure of the exact time). Islands seen here were tops of hills. Cemetary Island across from our dock was an actual cemetary! The others seen here we call Sand Island and House Island...and beyond are Candlewood Shores.

The woods are so different than my home by the shore. Bird houses, leaves underfoot and the quiet!!!

The cottage is always a work in progress...but not too much! Old paint colors remind us of the past.

A marker by our door that we have never figured out but to us, it is truly the trail end anyways, end of day and time to relax.

A view from the screened porch. Welcome to the Lake. Well said.