Sands from Sandy

Once again, I am writing to journal a hurricane. Last year it was Irene, this time Sandy. Destruction and aftermath all rolled into one this time and done mostly for reason of passing photos to friends & family members that may want to see how our coastline was "Sandyfied". I don't relish the task and I know many people were more adversely affected. We were actually fortunate comparatively. 

So here goes....

This was Monday morning at Long Beach, Stratford. Tattered flag still flying proudly.

Stormy seawall but not too bad!

Just starting.....

Hangin' in there.....

We did go inside and safely slept. Upon waking we found our Lordship aftermath wasn't too bad.

Not quite the case other places.

Water levels on the next photos are easily recognized by the "scum line" on buildings etc. This one is in Milford where my daughter lives (or did until displaced). The water was dirty, possibly with sewage from the flooded sound, sometimes oil from oil burning heating units, backwash from streets. The next are from the Fairfield family cottages.

Remember the wall? It may have helped after all these years of being buried!

Outwardly, we look pretty good but go inside....

Surfcoot (for all that know her) had a good amount of water flowing through.

Old Squaw, the matriarch of our cottages fared quite well but the her undersides are drenched and insulation torn apart. Don't know if any structural damage occured. Hopefully will know soon!

Wild Dog (Duck?) was 2-3 feet under water. We were not able to get inside. Always my favorite cottage because of old memories. In fact I remember weathering a storm there when I was very young and watching my dad try to secure the screens, etc. 

Is this sand or snow? Looks like drifts after a blizzard. Our driveway may have a few years worth of sandbars covering it.

And then there was the Owl. Never thought the surge would go this high. Notice the "scum line" on the house. Our dear old concrete bench was found in the middle of Beach Road and someone dragged it over to the parking lot. Thank you to whomever helped save an icon of beach front living along here. Family, traditions, history. I didn't realize how sad I was until I sat down and tried to show my findings. The cottages – Old Squaw, Surf Coot, Wild Dog, Owl have been in the family since ? Please help me with a date my cousins. My youth, my children's youth and many, many family members will all agree our precious place is just that. Precious, not pretentious whatsoever.

I hope the sun will shine and make things right for those in much more need....again, we are lucky here. Mother Nature is quite a force to reckon with.

Some Like it Hot!

October 
has been a strange month. Hot, cold, hot again. If it weren't for that darn freeze a week or so ago the tomatoes and the basil may have produced a bit more. Ce la vie. What did survive was the peppers...and boy did they make me proud!

I planted "Ring of Fire" and "Habaneros". During the summer we tried using the long, cayenne like Ring of Fire and it sure did own up to its name. Phew! Haven't used the Habaneros yet but now I could probably make an atomic stomach bomb out of the crop seen here. Pulled the plants and gathered my harvest today.

They are beautiful in their own way. Everything from the garden is beautiful until you cook with it and don't feel so beautiful the next day. The chili made with our lovely heat seeking missiles and belly bombs will go into production tomorrow...

In the meantime, I enjoyed a hot and crackling firepit upon my arrival home from work a few nights ago. Now that "Ring of Fire" is so welcome & so very kind to the body and mind. A bit of crisp Autumn air and a beautiful evening with the moon rising....my kind of heat. I thank Pappa D for this wonderful surprise!

Some like it hot, hot, hot

......and this chili made with this year's peppers may have to be reserved for only the bravest of souls, used sparingly and with great care. Will let you know when it is ready to eat around the firepit if you dare.

A Farewell to Ferns

Looking back at my springtime photos I realize how nice my garden looked! Lush, full of foxgloves in bloom and everything just so darn healthy. Enter summer heat, summer drought, summer rain and FERNS and there it went. The impatiens were blighted, the one new plant I planted mysteriously died and the sneaky fiddleheads were growing undetected. I ended up with a cash crop of beautiful lacy ferns that I don't remember being so prolific...and they were well on their way to overthrow the entire garden. Death by strangulation?

Hostas, what hostas?

And so my quest began. Clump after clump, I dug the roots (and boy do they have roots!) and just threw them out towards the yard. Notice here there is no visible birdhouse....it's hiding at this point behind the spruce.

This is a close up of the network of fern frond roots....unmistakable and unending.

Five bags? No way, there were probably at least ten in the end. At least I gave Shop Rite some good, almost free advertising when I put them out for pick up!

Not knowing exactly what fern I was digging I tried to identify it. There is always a chance to learn so I googled and matched images. I believe my fern friend is the Northern Lady Fern. If anyone knows otherwise, please let me know!

In the meantime, a frost hit our area and it was actually a good thing. It allowed me to pull out the frost bitten annuals and see the spaces I was left with. Dividing and transplanting a few hostas, moving one plant and purchasing a couple more leaves me exhausted & almost finished for the season. Now notice the birdhouse has moved it's address to the right of the spruce! That was quite the feat... basically an old telephone pole sunk 18 inches was hugged and with knees bent, I hoisted away.

So it is farewell for now to the ferns. I am sure the remaining ones will slowly spread again if anyone needs a few! With respect for their gracefulness, I clipped a few and put them into an arrangement. They are always perfect for pressing or sunprinting as well....and possibly for eating the fiddleheads?

Til the spring. Happy gardening this fall to all my green thumbed family & friends!

Quiet on Candlewood

Before the leaves change there is always a warm September day when a trip to the lake for lunch is a given. Intentions to return to see the autumn colors are made, promised and hopefully going to actually happen! The "lake" is Candlewood Lake but in my family we reverse the name due to an old map that hangs in our little cottage.

I sort of like our way of saying it...maybe because it means we (or our ancestors) were there before it all changed. Speaking of change, not much has changed up at the lake for us! It remains a glorified camping site with running water pumped from the lake for essentials, no drinking water or shower or hot water. A clunker of a refrigerator and a microwave along with a firepit for cooking outdoors complete the modern amenities. 

So most of life at the lake is spent on or near the dock...

And the September day we visited was gorgeous. 

Reflective beauty in the still water, the calmness of the day and the warmth of the sun was like a day at the spa for me. This is what I need to rejuvenate.

If you have time to look at details and let them soak in, they become important and not taken for granted! A well tied knot, the clarity of water rushing over stones, light bouncing off bubbles, old wood grained surfaces....are all beautiful in their own way.

Even Willie seemed at peace with his fur covered in prickly pods.

 Hoping now to return to see fall color & walk up Sweetcake Mountain,
which lies behind our cottage.

A bit of history to end with....Candlewood was named for the tree of same name whose sapling branches were used as candles by early settlers. In the 1920's the lake was formed by man. CL&P created the first pumped storage hydroelectric facility in the entire U.S. and flooded the valley after buying the lands. Entire farms were flooded, roads and more. This is the view from atop Sweetcake Mountain! Next visit, the colors should be ablaze....can't wait!

End of Summer Bittersweet

Change of seasons is always bittersweet for me. I absolutely love the summer – my seaglass walks, seeing family at the beach, harvesting tomatoes and basil from the gardens and cooking on the grill almost every night. Autumn is sneaking in now though and I am bidding farewell to to the heat and closed windows. I am opening the house to cool nights, cutting back the spent flowers and looking forward to fall foliage...so why not put up a wreath to welcome the season!

Bittersweet is an invasive vine that curls around just about everything. It is flexible and easily wound into a circle. With a little help from my friend Willie, we made quite a mess!

For the time, I left the leaves on the vines but they will eventually dry and drop off. To add some interest I looked for anything in my yard that would look autumnal to add some character to the circle of green now and as it becomes barren.

 Dried coneflower seed heads, dried black-eyed susan seed heads, deep purple and soft green hydrangea blossoms were intertwined between the layered bittersweet vines. There is no need for anything else to hold this wreath together as those "killer curly" vines are just like twine.

The new wreath with one from a past year.

The elements are so gorgeous up close and personal!

The completed wreath. 

I will add to this when the bittersweet leaves drop off with more pods, seed heads and anything else that feels right. It is all about going with the flow, using found materials and enjoying the process!

Happy Almost Autumn to all!

Seaweed Sunday

A follow up to my beach week that is long overdue! My week staying at the family cottage resulted in more collecting...par for the course if you know me at all. Because there is virtually a complete absence of seaglass (not like when I was a child) I found myself drawn to something else.

At first, the driftwood I found in abundance pulled me towards the high tide line and above. But as the tide pulled out, I noticed a plethora of interesting seaweed! The bluestone walkway was HOT and I spread the fingers of my new found favorite weed out to dry. 

Serendipity, a great word! Just so happened that my brother had a book and he was "cleaning house" a bit...so I am now the lucky owner of a book that may keep this interest in seaweed alive. The interest mind you, not the actual seaweed! I believe I found the description of the seaweed that caught my attention in the first place. 

I was not able to identify all the seaweed I collected and some was quite difficult to dry...but bear with me here. It isn't as boring as it seems!

The pressed and dried seaweed was just like pressing flowers but with a head start on that hot bluestone, was taken out and shaken off. Lesson learned, wash all sand off before drying! Then the "what to do with all this stuff" question arose. Do I do what is expected or do I go out on a limb?

My favorite piece (top photo) above did not fit in the mattes and frames on hand. That will be saved of course but no expenses here please-use crafty leftovers to give this beach week project a home. Using the paper choices I had on hand...well, what color do you think I went with?

Ta da!

 An antique desk, a flower bouquet in a seaglass filled jar, a simple rock jar and some bling. This corner has many other pieces of artwork coming along in addition to the prints you see here. Stay tuned as to how the scene develops. For now, my seaweed adventure is done. I definitely plan on drying more and hoping to find even more exotic looking species along our Connecticut shoreline.