Cape May

Once school started and the crowds died down we picked a day with nice weather to make a trip to Cape May.  I loved the way this planter looked in the sunlight with just the shades and textures of green and white.  I could see a couple of pumpkins being popped in there for the fall.

The obligatory picture of the lighthouse against that beautiful sapphire blue September sky.

We stopped in the West End Garage and strolled through the antique stalls.  This mannequin was in the front window.  The skirt was made of book pages and paper butterflies.

We went for lunch at the Cold Bar on the Lobster Dock.  From where we were sitting outside I could see into the building through this window and noticed that they had a little collection of the solar dancers under a skylight.  The people sitting under the window had no idea why I was pointing my camera their way.  I had to be quick about it.

The seagull on the other hand was waiting for one or both of us to be distracted enough to steal some french fries but he gave up when he heard his friends calling - there must have been a better meal at another table.

We stopped in the store with all the garden flags and windsocks and picked up a couple of things there.

Then we went over to the Swede Shop and and I fell in love with these felt owls and splurged on a set of them for the fall.

I found a few new Christmas ornaments to add to my collection too.

There were help wanted signs in most of the store fronts and this store was understaffed also.   We're hoping to get back to Cape May during the Lighthouse Challenge weekend coming up mid-October.  The store manager told me that they had more new ornaments coming in soon and she even took my contact info so she could let me know what they have.  Hopefully we'll have good weather that weekend and the challenge will go off as planned, otherwise we'll have to pick another time to do some shopping.

Wild and Wet September

Our growing season is winding down.  Things are looking a little ratty in the back and I've already started pulling out some.  We have a second crop of green beans that were planted mid-August with GS1.  And the dahlias in their cages are putting on a pretty good show.

You can see that the leaves are already accumulating.  Those cleome plants were quite straggly and I saved almost a whole Cool Whip tub full of seed to sow next month.  What I didn't realize about these plants is that they have little thorns on the stalks and they can be a little painful to pull out without gloves.  

Our moonflower vine finally decided to bloom earlier this month.  It is true to its name in that it blooms at dusk and the blossoms shrivel up during the day.  

Taken from the house with the outside light on.

With the start of September what was left of Hurricane Ida targeted our area.  This is all the gravel that was washed down the hill during the deluge.  We had close to 9" of rain in a very short amount of time which caused flash floods and major river flooding.  Thankfully we didn't lose power and were able to keep two pumps running in our basement.  Our drains around the house couldn't keep up with the water coming down the hill.  There are three steps on the right side of this picture below and they became a waterfall.  Water came through the stone wall and even took part of it down next to our garage.  

This picture below is showing the pond that was collecting outside the dining room doors.  It came very close to coming over the pad.  There is a drain there, but the water came so hard and fast it couldn't keep up at times.  We both would have been outside sweeping this away with brooms but there was a lot of lightning.  We've done that in the past before we improved the drainage system, but even the improvements that were made couldn't help with this storm.

We took a ride the next morning.  For those that don't know our area, there is a brook across the street from us (downhill) that feeds into the North Branch of the Raritan River.  You could see that the water had come up and flooded the road in several areas on our street not only by the water/dirt marks on the foliage, but by the cars that had been abandoned that apparently were caught in the flash flooding.  The picture below shows the bridge about a half mile down the road from.  The road on the other side of the bridge was completely under and just past those trees there was a car that was submerged to the point of having only the top hood being visible and another one a little further that wasn't as covered probably on a higher portion of the road.  

That road, the continuation of Station Road goes into the little hamlet of North Branch which has a history of flooding and this time it was no different.  The tractor trailer you see in the picture is sideways in front of the bridge that goes over the North Branch River.  This picture was taken by someone who lives on that street who had water up into the first floor of their home.  In the days after these pictures were taken, when the water receded the homeowners and business owners had the grim task of removing all that was damaged by the flooding.   There were so many water rescues in our area that night and there was loss of life.  There were heartbreaking stories of people watching others being swept away in the deluge and of others that were missing.

The town that HWNSNBP and I grew up in is about 10 miles from where we live now and is bordered by two rivers the Raritan (which is fed by the North Branch) and the Millstone River.  I can remember several times that the town was flooded when we were living there.   We were no longer there when the last hurricane that came through, which I believe was Floyd in September of 1999, and there was a lot of damage to homes in low-lying areas.  A lot of the homeowners at the time lost their homes to condemnation.   Some people relocated but there are a lot that didn't and unfortunately this time the water was even more unforgiving.  There were several gas explosions in the town causing fires in buildings that couldn't be reached by emergency personnel.  Driving through the town last week it was heartbreaking to see the piles of belongings that had not yet been picked up.  People are still cleaning up.  My heart breaks for those that lost so much.

The landscape surrounding the little bridge down the street has changed.  They've had heavy equipment in near there trying to clean out the debris that was washed downstream and got hung up on the bridge.  And the mosquitos are just thriving in all the still wet areas making it very uncomfortable working outside in the yard.  But we are thankful that we were able to be safe without any losses.  As is normally the case after such an event, we are reevaluating how to be better prepared in the future - especially since we are no longer spring chickens.  

Strange Bedfellows

I saw this bumble bee recently fast asleep in a dahlia bloom.  He was very content and not bothering anyone.

This yellow jacket on the other hand, found it's way into our bedroom and under our covers and it wasn't very content as I found out when it stung me.  I didn't know what exactly what was going on when I first felt the pain on my leg but as it got worse I realized that something was biting me and threw off the covers.  HWNSNBP had been asleep for some time as he goes to bed long before I do and when I turned on the light he asked groggily what I was doing.  When I explained that I had been bit by something he told me to just get back in bed.  I briefly saw the culprit on our navy sheet but when I went to grab a tissue it disappeared.   But I could hear the angry buzzing somewhere near.  My leg was throbbing by this time and I will admit there were tears.  I told him that I was not getting back in that bed and we both went downstairs to sleep on the couch and love seat which I'm glad we chose to do as I found another dead one on the floor in the other bedroom the next day.   When we woke up the next morning he went upstairs and as I thought might be the case, the yellow jacket had been attracted to the light and was on the window where HWNSNBP was able to get it.  Of course we're wondering where it (they) came from.  He had come across a nest in an outlet on the front porch which is below our bedroom a couple of days prior and had sprayed it to get rid of the buzzers.  Did they come up through the wall or someplace else?  Hopefully we've seen the last of them but I am still getting into bed with trepidation.  I thought spiders were all I had to worry about.

Squareathon Week 3

 

The last 7 days of Squareathon.

Day 15 - plum/inky/garden

Day 16 - coral/coastal/stars

Day 17 - black/lacy/semi circles

Day 18 - jewel tones/art deco/fruit

Day 19 - navy/striped/cat

Day 20 - turquoise/whimsical/city

Day 21 - butter yellow/geometric/bouquet

two ways

It's the same as the one above, I just added green to it.

I have three empty pages left in my little book.  What shall I fill them with?

The Fisherman (Long) - Happy Anniversary

Fishing on the dock while oftentimes peaceful oftentimes is an adventure too.  On the days that the elements are cooperating, it is very relaxing and mind-clearing to cast out onto the water and watch the bobber peacefully bob in the water waiting for that fish to hit the bait and pull it under.  The water will undulate with a gentle wind showing variations in color and texture that are mesmerizing.  The concentration needed to catch a fish is not stressful concentration at all when you let yourself concentrate on the elements around you.  So when the dock is somewhat empty of other distractions it is very enjoyable.

It can be entertaining in other ways too.  Like when you hear a loud splash and discover that the novice crabber downaways has attached a whole chicken as bait to their crab trap.  Or when the boats coming in get a little too close and the guy with the cigar fishing not too far away starts a verbal battle with the boaters.  Who's going to meet who in the parking lot?  One can only shake their head and keep their mouth shut so as not to get involved.  

We have a yearly fishing contest going - HWNWSNBP and I.  When we're fishing together on the dock we keep track of the number of fish we each catch (keepers and nonkeepers) and at the end of the fishing season the one with the most fish caught is declared the winner.  The prize consists of bragging rights only.  

In our first 3 or 4 fishing excursions this summer we were skunked - no fish were caught.  And then as the season progressed, and the fish were growing bigger and hungrier we started catching them.  HWNSNBP is usually the one who decides if the fish is a keeper or not.  Those of the smaller size are the ones that I will cook up for him after they're cleaned.  The larger ones he prepares for freezing so that a friend of ours can later smoke them for the holidays.  

When there are people on the dock, even with our backs to them there are always questions.  Caught anything?  What kind of fish is that?  What do you do with them?  Are they good eating?  What kind of bait are you using?   HWNSNBP usually positions himself at the bait station with the bucket at this feet so he is more likely to get these questions.   Many times the conversations will blossom and he will tell them about our little contest.  Sometimes the visitor will relate one or two of their own fishing stories.  It's these non-threatening casual conversations that add to the enjoyment of being out there.

A couple of weekends ago we were having a good catch, both of us.  We had people in the gazebo behind us cheering us on as we pulled in our catches.  There was a woman with her older daughter not far from us who were also fishing.  While we use spering as our bait and bobbers on our lines, a lot of the other fishermen on the dock will use a different type of rig meant to fish the bottom for different fish.  On that particular evening, when we were hauling them in, I could hear the excited agitation from the woman and her daughter each time we pulled out a fish.  They were using the bottom rigs.  The mother came over to me and asked what kind of bait we were using and I told her it was spering and offered some to her which she gratefully accepted we were getting ready to leave soon.

But, not being able to figure out how to bait her rig with the spering she soon came back holding a round bobber and asking for help to rework her line.  I watched her use her teeth to snap the hook and sinker off her line and took the bobber from her.  I was trying to help her but not having much success when I looked over to HWNSNBP signaling for his help.  He and I worked on getting the bobber on the line and he told her what else she would need - a hook and some split shot for weight.  Luckily she also had a pair of pliers with her so they could get the split shot set.  He walked back with her to her fishing location and showed her how to bait the hook with the spering.  And then she asked him to help her daughter set her rig up also which he did.  When he came back he muttered "see what you got me into" and I just smiled at him knowing it was a nice thing to do.

The next afternoon we went over to the dock a little earlier as he had something to do later that evening.  We fished for a while and caught a few and were just about ready to get going again when the woman from the previous day showed up with her daughter again.  As he looked over I could hear him say  "oh no" but then, to my surprise he shouted over to the woman "so, did you catch anything yesterday?".  She was so excited to tell him that she did and even called him over to show him a picture she had taken of a nice snapper she had caught.  I knew he was happy for her as he returned smiling to where I was still fishing.  We were just about to make our last casts for the day when the woman came back holding a bobber similar to the ones that we use and asked him to help her trade out her round bobber for it.  The two of them sat down on the bench behind us and worked together to get the new bobber in place.  She was most disappointed to hear that we were leaving so soon.  We explained that we had gotten there earlier and had to be somewhere. But she was so appreciative and thanked us over and over again.  

On our way to the car he again said "see what you got me into" but I knew that he was pleased with himself and the kindness that he shown both times.  And I was very proud of him for doing so.  So even if I didn't catch the most fish this year, I definitely know that I'm a winner with the catch I made 44 years ago.

Squareathon Weeks 1 and 2

I've been taking part in Melissa Doty's Instagram Squarethon this month which began on September 1st.  It's a 21 day challenge to use a square format and the optional prompts.  There are three prompts for each day and she has asked us to pick at least two to use each day.

I found a couple of 3 1/2 inch spiral bound mini scrapbooks in my stash.  They contain paper that is a little heavier than sketch paper yet not as absorbent as watercolor paper.  With a little effort I combined the pages from two of the books together into one so as to have enough pages for all 21 days with a few to spare for possible "do overs".  

I set up the first page as a contents page along with check boxes for completing the day and posting the completed work on Instagram.

Day 1 - warm colors/painterly/rainbow

Day 2 - mustard yellow/polka dot/bird

Day 3 - lilac/stormy/mountain

Day 4 - fave color/patterned/tea cup

Day 5 - monochromatic/elegant/word art

Day 6 - cobalt blue/leafy/moth

Day 7 - neutral colors/abstract/quilt

Day 8 - cerulean/architectural/moon

Day 9 - blush pink/tropical/vase

Day 10 - ruby red/loose/doodle

Day 11 - orange/rustic/houseplant

Day 12 - magenta/summery/portrait

Day 13 - olive green/vintage/feather

Day 14 - pale colors/modern/sky

Once again my art is all over the place with techniques and materials.  I have no set plan ahead of time and tend to grab what I have at hand.  Two of these pieces are created from paper.  The blush pink vase is full of collaged flowers and the orange and olive green feathers were cut from pieces of tea bag envelopes that I had saved that I came across while looking for something else.  I've used watercolor pencils, watercolor gouache, paint pens, and markers so far.  Like I said previously - no set plan.

One more week's worth will be coming up soon.  Then I have a week to decide if I'm going to participate in Inktober again this year or spend more time addressing some other craft projects that I've been meaning to get to.  We shall see.

September Anniversaries

Each September there are two anniversaries that are one year and one day apart and I usually do some variation of the same card.  This year was no exception.  I used the heart wreath stamp from The Greetery and added some die cut blossoms to it.  The Happy Anniversary is also a die cut.  I love the pretty postage stamp background with this.

Those wreaths are stamped in the same colors but notice how different they look with the change in the card base and die cuts.  Which is your favorite?

School's Starting

And someone is starting Kindergarten.  So we sent him something fun in the form of a gift card and a little cash for school supplies (like his dad's grandparents did when he was little).

And this little guy will be home from school for a week because they just found out that another child in his class has tested positive for Covid.  They, my daughter, son-in-law, and grandson were tested today and they were negative and we are just praying that they stay that way.  This puts a little monkey wrench into their lives as they were supposed to start school today.  Please say a prayer that they remain healthy.  He's too young for a vaccination yet, but his parents both had them.  

He is fascinated with cars and trucks and we found this car at a local flea market.  It lights up and the gears inside move with it, but unfortunately it also plays a musical song which he likes but his parents not so much.  So....... playtime with it is tricky.  He doesn't understand time limits and gets upset so they just might have to remove the batteries permanently.  He'll still see the gears.

Growing toddlers always need something so he got a little spending money too.  

I'm wishing all my family and friends in education a successful and safe school year.