All Gone -- Even the Car

The weather has been beautiful up until the last few days when a pesky low pressure area developed off shore and really whipped up the surf. However, it was beautiful when the kids were here and this was looking at the waves breaking -- very peaceful.

These next two were of Zann and Amelia and I really liked the natural light. It was early in the morning with a tired mommy and bright eyed daughter!

I do miss the munchkin running around but get to see her frequently in video chats on Gmail. We actually saw a real change in her by weekend -- she now knows the word "no" and shakes her head. There were many other words forming and the kids said that she babbled on the way home!

Now that I am by myself without even the kitties to keep me company, I am back to doing some sewing. I wanted some brightly colored quilts for the many beds here so decided to make a few more of these hexagon quilts. So off we go!

I also ordered hurricane shutters for all our windows so this should keep away any major storms for a few years!! They will be on before the start of the heavy hurricane season.

Amelia 1 Ann 1

Amelia finds George wherever she can. He finally found a place high and behind a chair that she could not reach. She is gentle but a klutz!

Amelia met her match with her paternal grandmother, Ann!! Ann took no nonsense from her only grandchild and protests met with deaf ears when it involved cleaning up and eating! One of Amelia's favorite foods is avocado!

Still on the search for birds down here, I took a picture of this one. It may be one of the common mockingbirds but it looked different across the way! The next day a grey fox ran through the yard!! Luckily I had lots of witnesses but no camera (of course). It was a very handsome animal and larger than our common northern red foxes. It looked like a very small coyote but was definitely a grey fox! Cool....

I did finally get a barn swallow sitting down! It was way off in the distance though and there were two of them perched on the line.

Grandpa and Amelia have been having a grand old time and I think she has found he is okay (except when she discovers that her parents have left for a walk without her -- not so good then!!)

Amelia and her dad at play on the beach. It has been absolutely gorgeous blue skies and water temp at 73 degrees!!

Now that is a happy grandpa with a pretty little girl!

Then the rain came but at least it was in the evening. Looked like a snowstorm it was so heavy. I think we got over an inch in probably 15 minutes!

Now this is an angelic girl!

Pooped after a hard day at the beach!

George Has Met His Match!!

Well, things have been lively around here with a very active 14 month old trying to make friends with the four cats who aren't all that anxious to be friends!! Two are living under beds full time and even George is searching out places to hide!

This is my youngest daughter Zann, her husband Justin and my granddaughter Amelia who is fourteen months old and loves to explore!!

Today is supposed to be the worst weather day but we got down to the beach as Amelia loves the sand and water. Here she is walking up from the water with her dad!

This shovel is almost as big as she is but she has a smaller pail and smaller shovells as well.

Her she is with her dad again whom she quite obviously adores!!

This was proof positive that she does eat! She is quite independent and only eats when and what she wants. The rest goes onto the floor which is covered in plastic for now! She definitely has a mind of her own, much like her mom!! She just loves her books though and her very favorite expression is "uh oh"!

Just a Brief Word!

George continues to hamper any attempts to get my lion pattern drafted but my dear husband is here now so George is switching his attention to his favorite person!

My back continues to be an issue so I have spent most days just sitting on the porch watching the ocean and reading -- not a hard thing to do at all! The back is slowly but surely getting better so I only look 85 instead of 95 when walking now! Warren has been a big help and is cleaning before my younger daughter, her husband and my beautiful granddaughter arrive on Sunday! He just got back from mowing the lawn which sorely needed it!

The water is warm enough for swimming now so hopefully I will be good enough next week to walk over to the beach and enjoy a dip!

Me, Four Kitties and Four Litter Boxes

The first project that has to be done is getting the pattern drafted for my next project -- the lions. To that end, I have had nothing but help from my local lion colored feline - George. If I can get 10 minutes of work done before he climbs up to help, I am lucky! I no sooner put him down, then he jumps up again. I put my foot down when he started chewing on the tracing paper however.

George doesn't take no for an answer and finds the exact middle of the drawing to plop.

Now the kitties have inadvertently been responsible for my inability to even move around this trip. My first full day here bending over to scoop the litter and oops, sharp pains in my back and now I walk bent over like a 90 year old lady. I can sit and sleep, just can't get up easily nor can I walk standing up straight. This has curbed my usual activity quite a bit. This is not helped by the fact that I am here by myself for a couple of weeks and responsible for four litter boxes belonging to four cats! Good thing I have wheely chairs so I can do the litter sitting down.

With some luck, I will get the drafting done on the picture and can move on to the many other projects that I have brought down to do! I just hope I am mostly cured by the time my granddaughter arrives in about ten days. I'll scare her with my current posture!

It is beautiful here though with wonderful breezes all the time. The water is warming up as well and recovering sitting on the porch reading good novels* isn't too bad a way to recuperate.

*The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire, both by Stieg Larsson

Return to Thong-less Kure Beach*

Nothing beats a leisurely stroll down the beach a low tide! I had to see if any of my birds were there on the "secret" beach as well. For the most part, I think they are off somewhere setting up their nests and bringing up their new fledglings. I did spot tree swallows this morning but they never stay still enough to get their pictures taken! This is the walk to my "secret" beach.

The weather is warm and humid (unseasonably warm but not as hot as it is in Boston evidently!). There is a wonderful breeze which almost makes you want to put on a sweater! The water seems to be about 75 degrees as well but that was only the Beth toe test -- there were people swimming though. This is literally the most crowded I have seen it down here. Even though the weather is similar to September, there was no one here in September -- must get tired of the beach by then!

I drove for 13 1/2 hours yesterday and had purchased two audio books to keep me company. They were absolutely awful books but kept me focused enough that the drive didn't seem bad at all. The kitties of course were very well behaved.

This is a laughing gull in his finest plummage looking for a lady I assume! They look so different in the spring than in winter!

I am assuming that this is a willet from behavior on the beach although I haven't looked him up! He just looks a bit brighter than he did in the winter (more contrast between his chest and back).

I just love these rock formations dripping with seaweed that are on the secret beach.

I saw these ladies (Jean and Eileen) doing what I thought might be scientific experiments as I walked down the beach. On my way back, I stopped to inquire and to my surprise they were trying painting using salt water soaked paper and tempera paints. Another lady had stopped by and she was encouraged to join. I could have joined as well but I thought documenting their efforts was a better idea! I did suggest they try sand as a resist which is the paper on top! We all agreed that acrylics might work better! What fun!!!

*In this week's paper, it was reported that Kure Beach has forbidden thongs on the beach much to the amusement of many and picked up by CNN. I had to leave my many thongs behind...