Sometimes You Just Have to Laugh!

Or, do something that makes you laugh when you really need a good one. Sally is not my dog but she is part of the family now. What she chooses to wear is not my doing...although I admit she looks very preppy, cute, warm & snuggly.

I think she may have posed for this photo shoot too.

Can Summer Possibly Be Over?

I know that Labor means the End of Summer for most although we all also know that the Autumn Equinox on September 23rd is the official end and turning point into the new season. Labor Day Weekend followed the Irene Hurricane Weekend so walking the beaches was a MUST!

Early Saturday morning I awoke to see the sky turning pink...red sky in the morning, sailors take warning? I worried that the day would become dismal so I got out and down to the Seawall in time for a spectacular sunrise. A lone fisherman and virtually not another single soul. So peaceful...

The next walk we took was a very long one! 5.5 miles out and around Pleasure Beach. We tried our best to NOT look for seaglass on the way out knowing our destination and how far we wanted to travel. Pleasure Beach extends into Bridgeport Harbor and partially encircles it. This is a gem, a place that once was a thriving industrial seaport and this stretch above was once a destination spot for many!

The old McLeevy pier at Pleasure Beach looks directly across the harbor to an old Lighthouse! It is in center of this photo...a small black and mostly ignored icon of Bridgeport's past. I have loved this little unknown beacon for years. Not sure many people have noticed it or have any idea it exists! I will write about this again soon!!! With the nickname Bug Light, you can't NOT want to know more.

 The seaglass I found on my trip around Pleasure Beach and into Bridgeport Harbor was unique! There were very large pieces...and a few with identifying letters. As you can see, the "Cola" was an old Coca Cola bottle but the "DJC" Jersey City piece I will have to investigate. The hurricane may have brought up some bigger, older pieces from the harbor depths. What else lies beneath?

Even when I am working I have to acknowledge the End of Summer or the beginning of any other time of year. It is always hard to see it in print especially if I am the one to design the Point of Purchase displays.  I am hoping for a warm, sunny "Indian Summer" to phase us into the fall.

Labor Day Caprese Salad

Since my tomatoes have been ripening, I have made quite a few Caprese Salads...just as I said I would! Now, with tomatoes of various colors & fresh basil from my garden I want to show the world (or just a few followers) my beautiful and fulfilling harvest and what I have done with it!

See here, the Green Zebra Stripe tomato, the Early Girl Red and the Lemon Boy Yellow tomatoes! Getting ready to prepare a Caprese Salad...the mozzarella, the fresh basil and Trader Joe's Rainbow Peppercorns in Grinder, Himalayan PINK Sea Salt, TJ's California Olive Oil and Italian Red Wine Vinegar.

Slicing away at the tomatoes and mozzarella in preparation for layering.

Finding I did not have the typically used Balsamic Vinegar, I pulled out the other options I had on hand. Which to use? I never knew vinegars came in so many different "flavors" and have been experimenting!

So much fun using these home grown tomatoes! The Zebra Stripe Green tomato is just starting to ripen and thankfully, Miss Hurricane Irene did not upset any plants!

Layered tomatoes, basil and mozzarella, drizzled with Olive Oil (and we decided on the Pear Infused Vinegar) the salt & pepper coarsely ground atop...Voila! It was already gone, gobbled up by the family by the time I wrote this!

Mother Nasty Nature

Nobody wants to fool with Mother Nature. We have seen such disasters in the last few years world wide on her account. She gave us a small whipping here and unfortunately, there are some sad stories. Cottages out here in Lordship I believe, cannot be rebuilt if a storm takes them down. They own the structure, not the land....please tell me if I am wrong but I think this one is gone...

This is all that remains of a beautiful cottage. I walked by it on many a day. The hammock, the fun painted front door with a polka dot theme and inside, the true beach lover. That was very obvious and I want to say how sorry I am about their Mother Nature misfortune.

One door down, another casualty that defies reason. The front is ripped off but the wall hangings and more stay intact. It doesn't make sense! Not sure how this one will pan out but again, I wish them well.

I walked at 6:15 a.m. to check out the damage, again. Hearing trucks all day today leads me to believe they are working to get rid of all debris and make the cottages safe again.

This cottage sign exemplifies the love out here in Lordship!  We love our community, beach and year round residents alike and we "worship" the long sunny days of summer with bicycle riders, walkers, runners, dog walkers and many more. This little hurricane can't stop us one bit!

Irene is Gone.

Some aftermath shots as tides receded, and the sun tried to come out again.

We residents of Lordship were told that a "curfew" was in order and we MUST stay inside our homes until 5 p.m. Emergency crew did the best job ever trying to control us along with any true emergencies. I applaud them and admire them.

The water at the end of my street receded by 1 p.m. when the tides changed. Debris and still churning waves can be seen here.

Now that we were able to venture out farther, we came upon the Seawall, Marnick's and a swimmer? Some people just can't resist a good wave.

The road along the Seawall was completely destroyed! Unlike Gloria when the Seawall was demolished, this time, the water undermined the integrity of the road but the wall itself was only slightly damaged.

Surf was still up when we walked at 4 p.m.
Yes, we went out three times and probably walked about 6 miles total for the day. 

Water "boiling up" from an underground storm drain?

Water channels and new tide pools were carved out of the beach everywhere along the Seawall. Amazing that the wall held off the impact this time around!

Uprooted vegetation, colorful, poignant. 

The sand that was swept in will be appreciated by beach walkers.

The sand and dirt that washed out and the erosion that resulted from the storm inflicted may not be so good.

In the end, we are left with another "notch" in our belts. This past year and one quarter has seen a tornado, a few blizzards, a small earthquake, a 102 degree day, a hurricane and what have you in between that I either can't or don't want to recall!

During Irene

The storm has subsided...but we did go out again. At the height of the wind, tides and probably danger, we...as well as all of us curious and stupidly fearless Lordship residents gathered to see the storm.

 Storm central....11 a.m. and it is high tide. The storm is at its supposed peak. We walk to the end of our street.  It is a dead end that looks out over a row of mostly summer cottages. We have a tidal basin pond at the end of the street.....flooded with debris. Looks like a cottage may have gone down by the looks of the wood, steps and contents of a house. So sad.

You can see from the end of my road the devastation and the intensity of the surf that there must certainly be damage. The tidal pond is one with the Sound here.

Photo here and below courtesy of my friend Nina K. I think this one wins the BEST PHOTO of IRENE contest hands down. (Not that we have a contest but maybe we should?) This is Russian Beach and a pathway down to the beach. WOW.

Below is a great shot from Colleen, my daughter's friend. Another path to the beach from the "bluffs" along Russian Beach out here in Lordship.

I must say here that I am not completely crazy. I went home, it got a little scary. BUT, I do have a few friends that live closer to other vantage points and they, just as I did, got out to to take some awesome shots of the fury of this storm as you have seen! Did I say we were ALL fearless? It must be something in the drinking water out here. Sort of a long time running joke.

Irene is Here!

Of course I had to venture out...warnings of danger disregarded. Two hours before high tide and before the full force of the storm hit seemed safer than later, but I can't guarantee I won't try again. Trees are down, roads are beginning to flood and the waves are beautiful.

My "driver" Papa D, a.k.a. my husband took me on a short ride through Lordship. I got a little nervous a few times seeing limbs down, remembering last year's tornado!

The sand, whipped into quite a frenzy, stung my legs so the rest of the shots were taken from the safety of the car, or Jeep, thanks Claire! Here the sand is being pushed across the road between the cottages. 

The seawall was inaccessible, barricaded off by our local police. The Bluffs were windswept, a landscape of gray, white capped waves a-crashing in succession, and the wind a-howling!

Lordship has no fear. Of course we don't! So far.