Sea Dreamin'

The sea lives in every one of us ~ Wyland

Dear sisters,

Why do I feel as if its been forever since we’ve been to the beach together? That’s just not right! I AM the BEACH Farmgirl after all! Truth be told, we haven’t been able to access our Lil’ ole beach since sometime in January and before that it was too darned cold! To quote our daughter, ” the beach is for summer “. I get it. However, weather permitting ( and drivable roads) we traditionally kick off a new season at the beach by celebrating Easter with our dear friends and family on the shorelines. We made it! Our beach and cottage were featured in a local magazine last summer! I thought you’d like to see the rocky, windy road in to our remote, ‘off the grid beach’ community. This photo was taken in late May last year. The top photo is one from the shoot also. That was a first for us having to look all magazine-y. I’m used to being on ” this side ” of that world!

It was SO refreshing to get back to the beach, smell the salt air and hear the waves rolling in and out. We were all thirsty for our little slice of heaven. I promised I’d take you once we could get there! Today’s the day! Grab those flip-flops and your favorite hat! We’re going on a little Sea Dreamin’ cruise!

Do you have a place you ‘go back to’ every year? Whether it’s a cabin in the woods, a favorite camp ground or a vacation destination it’s hard not to compare the changes from one year to the next. It shapes our memories and gives us something to look forward to. My husband is well into his 5th decade of enjoying these sandy shores. I’m going on 27 years this summer and still, it feels brand new with each new season.

You’re getting a first glimpse of our beach in early spring mode!

The beach was all but deserted on Easter Sunday making it easy to walk and observe winters wrath on our fragile dunes and cottages.  Some years the tide takes significant amounts of sand back out to sea leaving the beach rocky in places, and creates tide pools around the big rocks perfect for the next generation of beach bums to get lost in water play and sea life discovery. Many a hermit crab and starfish have been rescued by little hands ( held hostage is more like it) and placed into buckets for closer observation only to be released back into the pool before the tide comes rushing in.

This year, the beach is flat, no rocks are exposed and many of the residents lost several feet of sand from the dunes that protect their homes. Given the risks of beach-front living and the winter we had things looked pretty good over all.

The wind and high storm tides tossed a lot of debris onto the beach and into the road that leads to our cottage.

  Can you tell it was a cloudy day out? It even rained at one point but that didn’t dampen our spirits. It was such a relief to FINALLY be there!

As the season unfolds, the junk left on our shores will find its way to a bonfire or dumpster, the buds on the trees, lilacs and hydrangea will burst open, residents will return, spring maintenance chores will ensue and friends and neighbors will pick up where they left off as if winter never even happened.

I hate to leave you chilled by the sea in the middle of a damp, New England April. Come into the cottage and warm up!

This is our tiny dining space. It seats four very cozily but we can cram a few more in if needed! We removed the icky vinyl flooring ( a 1970’s fix no doubt ) last year and painted the floors a rustic red. I liken it to the color of cooked lobster!

Have I ever shown you the valances I made from fabric I got at the two dollar store? We’ve had these up for over ten years and I still just love them! When you only visit a place for a few weeks a year, you don’t tire of the decor as quickly as you might in a year ’round home. I find theirs’ a comfort in returning and finding things just as we left them.

Rather than use a bulky curtain rod I picked up a Coghlan’s Grommet Kit and used grommets to hang my seafaring toppers on cup hooks screwed into the window frame.

From what we’ve learned about our cottage over the years it was probably built-in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. And like most cottages in our community it was outfitted with re-purposed pieces back when that was just what people did. One of my favorite pieces in our cottage kitchen is the Hoosier cabinet. I just have the base to it, but it’s perfect for storing pots and pans, and kitchen necessities and utensils. The enamelware surface is wonderful for prepping meals and not too fancy for filleting fish my handsome Yankee  catches and brings home to me!

It won’t be long until the rhododendrons are dripping in blooms and the first cuttings will adorn our cottage kitchen table.

I hope you enjoyed our little Sea Dreamin’ Cruise! Next time, we’ll do some old-fashioned ” porch sittin’, at the BEACH!

Until our next shoreline visit~ Sail into Spring! I think it’s FINALLY H.E.R.E.!

BEACH BLESSINGS and much love!

Deb # 1199