Throwback Thursday - Family at the Beach

I was selecting a photo for Throwback Thursday for my Facebook page and decided to use this one of my family at the beach when my mom was about 1-1/2 years old.  My grandmother is to the right, and my great-grandmother behind my mom.  I wish I knew who the other couple and their daughter is.  The woman (behind my grandmother and wearing the hat), looks enough like my grandmother that I think she might be a cousin, but I can't place any of her cousins that had a daughter a couple of years older than my mom.

I'm really blessed to have received all the family photos from the 1800s and on, and I love having them all along with several photo albums.  Back in the 1980s my grandmother made me sit down with her and go over all the photo albums so she could identify any of the people I didn't know.  I love that she did that, and I was able to add a lot of notes to all those photos.  Unfortunately, we didn't do that with all the loose photos which were in several boxes.

We're a family of only children, with my grandmother, my mom, me, and my daughter.  We've all had close mother-daughter relationships, like best friends.  So, that's how everything got passed down to me and I cherish all the photos and heirlooms.  My grandmother also gave me details on all the heirlooms - who they belonged to, when they were used, etc.

BUT, I'd still love to know about some of the people in these loose photos.  My mom's cousin, Jean, was a couple of years younger than my mom and they grew up right next door to each other in Richmond Hill, Queens, New York.  She lives in Tucson and several years ago I spent several hours with her and she was able to fill me in on many of the people, and she also told me wonderful stories about when she and her sister and my mom were growing up.  Lots of things I never knew (my mom died when she was just 45 and I was 22, so we never really talked about all those "old days").

So, since I was using this photo for TBT, I decided to talk about it a bit here.  The photo was taken at either Coney Island or Far Rockaway beach - popular places with my family back in late 1800s to early 1900s.

Joanne

A Little Beach Relaxation

Well, for me relaxation at the beach isn't swimming... it's walking along with my camera, taking pictures of the sea and the seabirds.  I'm not a great photographer (and a better camera is on my Christmas wish list), but I love talking to the laughing gulls and having them pose for me,

sitting on the sand and watching the brown pelicans fly above the water, dive for their dinner, and then body surf on the waves. 

People look at me with strange looks on their faces (I guess since I have a habit of talking to the gulls), but for me, it's relaxation at its best.

I have a few big deadlines coming up so this little overnight trip to the sea was all about relaxing and letting creative ideas flow.  Fortunately I have a great husband who understands me and doesn't mind my solo adventures :)

I'm working on a book (non-fiction) with a friend which is currently coming in at around 284 pages.  I'm doing the layout, formatting, copy editing and proof reading.  I've hired my daughter (who does this type of work) to help out since I've set a deadline for the first of September, giving the printer plenty of time to have things finished in time for October sales.  It's going to be a busy several weeks!!

I've also been working on several new cross stitch designs and sent two of them over to my friend Linda this evening - she'll be doing the model stitching on these two as I work on a few more. 

I'll be updating my Of Generations Past blog in a day or so with more information on the new designs.  Be sure to check in there!

Joanne 

Welcome August

"Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me...

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand and silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ... "

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
From 'The Secret of the Sea'

When I think of August I always connect it with the sea. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I love the ocean. I grew up on Long Island. A short drive north and you were at Long Island Sound... a short drive south and you were at the Atlantic Ocean. As a child we'd join a group from our church for picnics at Jones Beach one night a week. We often had cousins visit from upstate, and a beach day was always included. As a preteen we often spent long weekends camping at a park by the Sound. A short walk from the campsite through the piney area and you were at the beach.

School was still in session in June so I never even considered it summer until the end of that month. July had the 4th of July family barbeque and a few weeks of traveling around the country. August is when we were back home. It was a whole month to just enjoy the summer, the beach, and my birthday (which unfortunately always brought back-to-school clothes, reminding me of what was ahead two days after Labor Day!).



This morning I turned the page on the wall calendar, and then changed the desktop background on my computer to show an ocean scene with a gull in flight. I pulled out Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" to read once again, as well as May Sarton's "The House by the Sea" ... perfect books for August reading.

I'm reminded of something I wrote to friends several years ago on this very subject. It's not about August, but is my own little tribute to the sea ~

I love water! I love looking at it, wiggling my toes in it, chasing waves along the ocean, or driving on winding roads, following the path of a river. I love the salty smell of the sea air, the feel of the sand as it slips between your toes, and the smoothness of the shells washed in with the tide. I've often thought it was because I grew up on Long Island, New York, where many roads lead to water. We had summer evening picnics at Jones Beach; would drive to the docks where fishing boats returned with their catch of the day; took long Sunday drives to the lighthouse at Montauk Point; and we even drove along the coastal roads in driver's education in high school.

I know loving water isn't unusual, and many people spend their summers by the sea. But the water I love the most is the rough ocean after a storm ~ and especially in winter ~ when there are few people on the beach and you can enjoy the peacefulness and the solitary moments ~ listening to the crashing surf, the cry of the sea gulls as they glide past you looking for food, the whistling of the wind intermingling with the crescendo of the waves as they roll into shore, walking barefoot in the cold sand and occasionally wetting my feet in the waves... and experiencing the power of God's beautiful gift of the sea...


Joanne

A Week of Stitching and Cats

This was a very busy week stitching and I worked on a few different pieces. I've just loved stitching a few designs these last several months from Plum Pudding's Bits of Blue. With summer here I was in the mood for some blue and yellow, and I love the way this sampler turned out on the yellow hand-dyed linen. I used Presidential Blue by GAST for the floss.

This morning I pulled some of my blue and yellow fabrics from the shelves to see what works best. I've been making pillows for other people, and decided I wanted one for myself. I'm leaning towards the homespun fabrics in the blue and yellow, and when finished, the pillow will sit on the hearth for the rest of the summer.

The other evening I was going through a box of cross stitch items and came across last year's chart of November from Prairie Schooler. I had only stitched the first three lines when it was put away for the Christmas holidays. I'm so glad I found it because I've been thinking of autumn recently, and this is a fun project to work on. I love working with different overdye threads to give the leaves a bit of a different look, and will do the same as I work on the house.

I loved working from one of the Blackbird Designs books, so I've found myself collecting them. I've used several of the designs as gifts, and have had fun making a few changes here and there to fit the occasion or the recipient. It's hard to say which book is my favorite :)

Since my subject line mentioned cats, here are a few pictures of our family. We've found them in some cute poses recently, and thankfully the camera was nearby. Enjoy!

I left my chair for just a few minutes after having a snack, and when I came back Missy had hopped up on the table, licked a few crumbs, and fallen asleep on the plate.

We always say that Miss Kitty has a "hat face". Here she is wearing one of the American Girl straw hats. It looks good, don't you think?? :) (And yes, she's a very patient cat.)

Finally, here's Dinsdale, our little boy cat. He loves to jump up on the hope chest in the office and watch out the window when any large trucks go by. My husband came home with a new sprinkler this morning that "walks" around the yard, and it's a John Deere tractor. We put it on the floor in the sun room so Dinsey could explore, and he just loved it.

Exploring, playing, and chasing Miss Kitty around the room (their favorite game and they take turns) tires him out, so here he is, snuggled in for a nice afternoon nap.

A Few Finished Gifts to Tucson

I've been busy stitching the last two weeks to finish up two pieces for gifts. Our daughter and I went to Tucson for a few days to visit friends and I brought the gifts with me.











This one was for my long-time friend, Karen, as part of her birthday gift. It's from a Plum Pudding Needlework design.







This pillow was a gift for Karen's new granddaughter. I shared a picture of it a few months ago as a work in progress, and here it is completed. I didn't like any of the traditional baby designs, so used "For My Daughter" by Blackbird and made a few changes.








Here are a few pictures of the garden and sculptures in Tubac, one of our favorite spots south of Tucson. It's full of wonderful artisan shops and even though it's the desert, you'll find beautiful flowers.





This is a pretty area to sit and enjoy the desert view after some shopping.











I love these moving sculptures that move in the desert breeze. They're lined up along the patio at Shelby's Bistro, a favorite place to eat.










This flower was almost the size of a dinner plate. I wish there were some way I could have shown you just how large it was. It was truly beautiful.












I just love some of the sculptures, too. This one in a pretty patio next to Shelby's Bistro is a little girl reading, and a huge pile of books. It reminded me of our daughter when she was a little girl!







This shop is Tortuga Books, an all-time favorite. It's a great place to browse and cool off a bit after shopping in the hot desert sun. Now they have a coffee bar inside, too, which makes it even more pleasant. There are some tables and chairs outside for sitting if you prefer to enjoy the breeze, and there's a giant rabbit who's quite interested in that planter.











Here's a close-up of that giant bunny :)

Days at the Beach

I was lucky to have two days to spend at the beach, just a little over 2 hours from home. I didn't do any swimming, but spent my time walking along the beaches, visiting favorite shops, and sitting on the balcony of my hotel room looking out at the pool and the sea, and watching the gulls.

Although I had reserved a regular room with "no view", when I got to my hotel I found that they had upgraded my room (yay!), so I had a room on the second floor that overlooked the pool area and the beach. I had my breakfast out on the balcony early this morning, and loved the view and the light, cool breeze.

These pictures were taken from my room and balcony...



















This photo is looking at the hotel from the beach area. My room was one of the ones you can see to the left of the palm trees.



























This kite apparently escaped and was flying on its own amidst the palm trees in the courtyard. I took this photo as it floated past my hotel room window.











I'm not much of a "bird person" in general, but there's something about gulls and other sea birds that I love. I know many people just consider
them a nuisance, but I love watching their
graceful flights, and I've found that if I sit there
and talk to one (if its nearby), that they pay attention, tipping their little heads from one side to the other like they're trying to understand what I'm saying :) Consequently, I always have a lot of bird pictures when I make it down to the beach. This time I only had the chance to take pictures of gulls, but in the fall and winter I've loved watching and taking photos of all the birds that migrate to the area for the season... brown pelicans, white cranes, and numerous other birds (but unfortunately I don't know their names.

















I took a walk along the beach after breakfast today and found a pretty green piece of sea glass, which was washed perfectly smooth from the sea. I'm adding it to my collection of sea glass and shells. The Corpus Christi area has the old USS Lexington anchored by one end of the beach and it's set up as a museum. I took a few photos of the beach and the ship yesterday when there were actually some waves... I thought they were probably from Tropical Storm Edouard that was still out in the Gulf but heading towards the northern part of the Texas coast. I thought there might be even more waves this morning, but the storm hit land a couple of hundred miles north, and in my area the water was as calm as could be, with blue skies and just a light breeze.








Here's the "boardwalk" area that goes along the hotels and shops.













This is the USS Lexington.














And a few more beach photos. The one with the waves was taken yesterday, and the calm ones were taken today.





















After I checked out today I drove to a charming town about 20 minutes up the coast, called Rockport. While I was looking for their quilt shop, I spotted another building that was a stitchery shop with a "going out of business" sign, so naturally I had to stop :) I made just a few little purchases. I found the quilt shop about a block further up, and had fun looking in all their rooms. I made a few purchases there, too... four preprinted panels which I'll be making into lap quilts for the holidays, and two yards of pretty blue shades in nautical prints (tone on tone).


















After my shopping I was quite thirsty, so stopped here for an iced tea. Don't you just love the lighthouse design instead of the usual style of architecture?? I also love their outside patio with the view of the wildlife area of the bay. Naturally, I took a few more pictures of gulls. What a pleasant way to end my day before heading back home.
























That pink building in the background is the quilt shop :)

August Thoughts

I can't believe that August is here already. It seems like it was just spring, and here we are with one more month of "summer", and then my favorite season ~ autumn ~ will be here! August is a big birthday month on my calendar. My husband's birthday is Saturday, mine is the 14th, and then there are several friends and relatives throughout the month. I have all the birthday cards ready to go, but need to add personal notes to some of them. I'm going to go work on those notes, but for now I'll leave you with an August quote by Charles Dickens from The Pickwick Papers...


"There is no month in the whole year in which nature wears a more beautiful appearance than in the month of August. Spring has many beauties, and May is a fresh and blooming month, but the charms of this time of year are enhanced by their contrast with the winter season. August has no such advantage. It comes when we remember nothing but clear skies, green fields, and sweet-smelling flowers--when the recollection of snow, and ice, and bleak winds, has faded from our minds as completely as they have disappeared from the earth--and yet what a pleasant time it is! Orchards and cornfields ring with the hum of labour; trees bend beneath the thick clusters of rich fruit which bow their branches to the ground; and the corn, piled in graceful sheaves, or waving in every light breath that sweeps above it, as if it wooed the sickle, tinges the landscape with a golden hue."

Sunflower Fields

My husband was driving down to the Rio Grande Valley on business last week and noticed these beautiful sunflower fields. They were along both sides of the highway and he decided to stop and take a few pictures. I thought I'd share them with you.

Wildlife :)

I've been busy making lists of things to make for Christmas, looking through quilt books and magazines, writing long letters to friends, and doing a bit of organizing and decluttering. I really need to take some photos of projects to share here, but in the meantime, here are a few pictures of one of our squirrels sunning himself on the deck after a long drink of water (from the cats' water bowl). They're not the best photos since they were taken through the screen, but you get the idea :)





Relaxing after the long drink of water...















... walked a few steps more, and then had to rest again...











... a few steps to the other side of the hose, where he took another short rest before heading for the tree.