2016 Washes In

Fire Island Beach, January 1, 2016

Looking West, and then looking East.

Here's to washing away the last of 2015. 

May 2016 bring you only waves of good things.

~ via iPhone

Quote of the Day: Inhale/Exhale

Cape Cod, October 2013

 Right now, the tide was far out, leaving a wide beach of pale-yellow sand. Black rocks were scattered here and there, like sleeping seals, and white gulls hopped about the shallow pools in search of food. The wind swept through the abandoned lighthouse like ghosts playing among old bones, and she took a deep breath, right into the bottom of her lungs. As she exhaled she felt the tension slip away and her shoulders drop. The vision of endless sea and sky lifted the heaviness that weighed upon her chest, and she felt a wonderful sense of relief. She walked over the sand, not caring that her expensive boots were getting wet, and marched on towards the ocean. As she neared the water the roar of the sea grew louder. It was a pleasant sound, nothing like the roar of traffic and she inhaled the salty air hungrily. The wind whipped her hair and the damp curled it so that the ... tendrils bounced down her back and across her face. Without a moment's regret, she pulled her iPhone out of her jeans pocket and threw it as far out to sea as she could. It landed with a plop and disappeared.

~ Santa Montefiore's Secrets of the Lighthouse, p. 46

Happy Place: Where to hang my hat

Obviously I've been a bit behind on posting lately ...

It's been a bit hard to balance* everything, and I'm falling short of the mark.

Luckily, my darling dear friend Christine called late in the week with a spur of the moment remedy to keep up both from being so crabby. (Be free Mr. Crab - go back to the water!)

An overnight trip out to the North Fork of Long Island ... the very first day at the Orient Beach State Park was opened for the season. Aside from a Girls Scout jamboree and the gulls, we pretty much had the rocky, shell-y, Sandy-shorn and shaped beach to ourselves.

Thanks Christine. I needed to hang my hat up for a while and have a change of scenery and sensations.

*It's hard to take a self portrait while balancing on someone's former porch beam, hold a bag, hold your hat, hold your sweater closed, and take a photo in the wind.

Dreaming Out Loud - By the Seashore

Photo found via here

I'm drawn to the sea.

Maybe it's because I'm an Aquarius.
Maybe it's because I spent summers on the Cape.
Maybe it's because I love all shades of blue.
Maybe because my ancestors are from an island.
Maybe because I work on one now.
Maybe because I grew up in the "beside the long tidal river" in a town called the "land of swiftly moving waters."
I'm not quite "shore."

If I can't get to the ocean, a river is fine. If I can't get to a river, a brook will do. If I'm stuck in a cubicle, I stare up at photos of the ocean. My meditation ritual is envisioning my favorite beach as the tide goes out on a sunny early fall day as the sun sets. I also have other mental meditation rituals involving water.

I don't know what it is, exactly, but for me - there's something about the combination of sky and surf that is a balm to my soul.

I love the push/pull of the tides; the waves that offer and retract new discoveries with each wash up on shore. I love the breezes and the gales; each satisfies a different need for me. I love the differing colors of the sea, from its browns, greens, to its azures and blues. I just ... love it. I need it.

Despite the inherent risks of living so close to nature, lessons learned with the tidal surges, hurricane havoc, tourist torrents, and ever present errosion issues, I dream of having a little place by the sea.

Maybe a little classic cottage that has weathered the weather on the Bay, with a private dock, decking for cozy Adirondack chairs for reading away the afternoon, or a cozy conversation with friends. Something like this, though I would have to paint the fanciful trim another color, say a deep green, to reflect how it was all through summer visiting the Cape as a teen and/or to be like Anne's Green Gables.

Mayo Beach, Wellfleet, MA

Or maybe a classic shingle- clad cottage with backyard access to the beach?

Lower Cape, MA

 A place close to the beach where you could run down the stairs, past the "parking,"

walk the sands for hours, or sit and watch the tides go out over the flats for miles,

 Or park a chair and watch the skies put on a display.

I don't need much. Just a little Cape, with room maybe for a piano, lots of room for bookshelves, a sunny little eat-in kitchen, with lots of light, a little back deck with room for a lounge chair, maybe a pergola for some wisteria or a combination of moonflowers and honeysuckle. The yard needn't be large, as I'd be there for the beach -- to walk at sunset (let's be serious, I'm not a sunrise person), or on nights of a full moon.  So I could meander, collect sea glass, sea shells, driftwood, take pictures, ponder, relax, and enjoy.

And good 'Net access.

If I could work from the beach, the deck, or my Adirondack chair -- that'd be perfect! A girl can dream, can't she?

Photos by me, from various recent Cape Cod Girls Trips (2010-2011)

National Poetry Month: Reading Itself Might Be a Ritual

Reading Itself Might Be a Ritual

Tall-backed chair by the fire
in the sun-room, plants lining the sunny side
two dogs asleep
warming feet,
tea to my right--
unless it is a very small glass
of deep red wine--
and bowl of
nuts or
crackers
or piece of dark chocolate
raisins and figs
apple slices,
not all and not too much.

Or the rocker in the living room
feet up on the stool covered with a
unicorn needlepointed by
my mother while my father
was in World War
Two--it still serves well these
many wars later--tea still
to my right--unless it is the wine--
with bowl of nuts,
or fruit, or crackers,
or that piece of dark chocolate,
unless I am lucky and have a
marzipan confection.

~ Alice Sather for Shelf Awareness newsletter

Photo of the Day: Door to a Magical Place

Taken on Cape Cod, October 2011
Parnassus Book Service

It is whispered amongst the lettered and learned set that the way to magic portals are never obvious. The paths are often winding and never found on purpose. Once discovered, the true entrances are often disguised. You must seek beyond the obvious, gaze beyond the wrapping, and glance "behind" to find your way. A close reexamining may show that a blocked path is not as it appears. Venture forth to find the endless beauties and treasures that can be found within.

Nettie's Dream House/Happy Place

Mayo Beach
Wellfleet, MA
October 16, 2010 around dusk

Here's the view from the chairs.

'Nough said.

Introducing G-Dawg!

As previously discussed in the FAQs, Auntie Nettie has a long standing policy of not posting pictures of herself, hubbie G-Dawg, or our off-spring on this blog. However, I decided to make an exception today.

Today, I'm proud to release a photo of the G-Dawg himself. Or actually, a partial picture of G-Dawg. He would like to remain anonymous, invisible you might say. I, on the other hand, would like to sing his praises! (Click on the links for more information about our wedding and offspring.)

G-Dawg may look like a stuffed shirt, but he's really ever so cuddly. He provides a warm and safe embrace, and a shoulder to lean on. He stays close by when we sleep, but doesn't get his feelings hurt when I push him away in the middle of the night when I need space. He's not a cover hog. When he gets "funky," he doesn't get a 'tude when I tell him he needs a wash. He's the perfect man for me. This is a picture of his better half.

Even though I consider my G-Dawg one-of-a-kind, I understand if you'd like a paragon like this of your very own. If so, you can go here and get one.

And now G-Dawg would like to resume being known as the Invisible Man in Auntie Nettie's Attic!*

*yes, Jane Eyre is my favorite book. How did you know?! He's nothing like Bertha. NOTHING!

Things that make me happy today

Literary hotties who may, or may not, be the influence for a family member's name.

Courtesy of this.

La Mer

Newport, R.I.

Near Castle Hill Lighthouse.

Saturday afternoon, March 21, 2009

aka a "happy place!"

Not bad for a little Nikon camera ... I forgot that it took video. Plus, I had no idea what I was shooting because of the sun flares, the wind and my hair in my face, and me trying not to slip on the rocks. It needs editing, but I'm not that advanced.