holiday – Page 4

Beach Combing on Black Friday

November 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment

I couldn’t help thinking about all the folks who got up in the predawn today to hit the malls and start their Christmas shopping. Black Friday has become quite the American tradition to kick off the holiday season….and not a good one.

It doesn’t seem like it’s time to hang the wreath and put candles in the window down here. We left St. Marys for a short motor over to Cumberland Island which has the National Seashore. To get to the ocean-side beach we walked through a forest of live oak, Spanish moss, and palmetto that could have been Middle Earth.

After getting out of the forest you walk a bit further on a boardwalk above the dunes to get to the ocean.

The forest transitions into beach along the way…

And then there are miles of silky pearl colored sand to walk along, and millions of shells rolling to and fro in the surf. I picked up a lot of shells. The whelks and clams are so different from what I see in New England! I even found a lovely angel wing….although only one. I’m imagining a Christmas wreath made from these shells, a wreath covered in Spanish moss and shells.

We had heard that Cumberland Island is known for fossilized shark teeth. They come out of the river when the channel for the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) is dredged. The dredged debris is dumped in large quantities in a certain area on the island. Bob was on a mission for a shark tooth! He even found a sieve to help him in his search.

He was hoping to find one a little bigger these!…although he could wear these as earrings. I keep wondering if he’ll pierce his ear/s now that he’s a full time sailor.

Another exciting sight on Cumberland Island are wild horses. We saw a mare and two foals along our walk. They are pretty used to people so they are easy to photograph. They don’t let you get close enough to touch though!

And as if a fantasy forest of live oak and palmettos, inhabited by wild horses, and a
17-mile long beach isn’t enough, the final highlight of Cumberland Island is the ruins of a Gilded Age house that was the winter retreat of the Carnegie family.

This was the first day in about a month that we enjoyed clear skies and warm sun, so we stayed ashore almost all day to soak up as much as we could!

We were back on board in time for sunset and a lovely dinner with new friends who spent the day with us at the seashore.

It hardly felt like opening day of the Christmas shopping season…

A Sailor’s Thanksgiving

November 23, 2012 | Leave a Comment

Like American ex-pats the world over, sailors also get together to celebrate our Thanksgiving tradition.

St. Marys, Georgia, is well known for bringing sailors together for a Thanksgiving festival. The local Riverview Hotel opens its dining room to hundreds of cruisers, and locals volunteer to roast enough turkeys and hams to feed this army of transients.

Hotel owners Jerry and Gayla Brandon started our morning off with a bang by mixing up a large cooler of Bloody Marys while Charlie Jacobs delivered them by dinghy to every boat in the harbor! I’ve never had a drink at 8.30 am, but I do highly recommend it!

The sailors arrive at the hotel from late morning through noon bearing all the side dishes and desserts. Three long tables are set up in the hotel lobby to hold all the platters of food.

It almost felt like family, and it was a wonderful gathering. Everyone was a bit homesick for loved ones, but we were a rag tag family to each other… and that was okay!

Missing my family and friends quite a bit this weekend….but I’m also thankful for the generosity of St. Marys’ community and the newly made connections to very friendly cruisers.

I did wear my sleeve-less “Ann Jacket.” And at the end of the day I picked up stitches and started the first sleeve.

Anticipation…

October 4, 2012 | 1 Comment

We are just hanging out in Annapolis, waiting….and waiting….

…waiting for the boat show to begin. Bob is always excited to visit the boats on display and to find out what new and improved equipment and technology has entered the sailing universe. He has a shopping list of things we need before going further south. We are working in the booth of the SSCA (Seven Seas Cruising Association) on Monday afternoon so we cannot just pull up anchor and leave….we have obligations…

….also waiting for our two sons and one girlfriend to visit on Saturday and Sunday. This is such a high point for me that I’m practically holding my breath until they arrive. I’m worried about all the little details that might get in the way of enjoying their visit. At the moment the dingy dock situation is so awful only a handful of dinghies can actually make landfall. This does not particularly bother Bob since he will scramble up any number of hurdles or obstacles to get ashore, but I really must insist on a more civilized disembarkment. There is a water taxi, but the wait times can be long and the cost for one round trip is $20. That will add up quickly….

Also, it’s been so humid, with rain all day on Tuesday and about 100% humidity on the days since then, with temps in the 80s. It feels a bit too much like July, and that kind of weather does not promote my happiness or energy level for sight seeing. Sigh… into each life some rain must fall…

Meanwhile, there is no denying that Annapolis is a beautiful city, easily walkable, with so much to see and do. Annapolis is the capitol of Maryland, and at the top of the main shopping district that rises from the edge of the harbor is the heart of the government sitting on a beautiful circle with surrounding government offices that look more colonial than either Philadelphia or Williamsburg.

Later today we plan to walk through the Naval Academy, which is also quite an architectural gem.

Days 22- 24, Oct 2 – 4: Still in Annapolis (yes, that is editorializing)

Recharge

December 28, 2011 | 2 Comments

Life has been pretty stressful for the past 8 months. My blog is a place where I try to put my daily, non-fiber obligations behind me, but all those obligations have basically taken over my life these past few months so it’s been hard to feel connected here, especially when I’m avoiding talking about these obligations!

Thankfully, this is a time a year when I recharge my enthusiasm, my commitment, my passion for weaving, knitting, spinning, dyeing. My wonderful family and friends have encouraged a rekindling of fiber energy by giving me some empowering gifts!

‘Warped 2 Weave’…..exactly the message I need to get me back on track! My son ‘painted’ these sneakers for me with colored pens. He says if I keep him supplied with shoes he’ll keep making them!

Finally! A way to organize my circular needles! Some Tofootsie sock yarn to knit while drinking my favorite morning beverage in this adorable sheep mug.

This sheep mug is from Herdy. I’m in love…..
Their website has a creative video of escaping sheep that showcases their products.

Time to get busy!

Holidays

December 1, 2011 | Leave a Comment

: Harry Lauder’s Walking Stick in the garden

It’s the week after Thanksgiving. The weather is ridiculously mild. We’ve had a holiday weekend of sun and warmth that felt like September, but today there is change in the air. I was just outside taking some garden photographs, and moments afterward the wind kicked up and suddenly there is a little squall passing through.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Callicarpa "Beauty Berry"

I am starting the holiday gift making with a small Nantucket basket.

The base and rim were made by Jeff Sowers out in Iowa, and the basket design is by his wife Marlys. His turned rim is stunning, so I can’t wait to get to that point! This is a lovely basket, and I hope to make several!