The End of an Era

Well long gone are the days of cute little costumes and tonight marks the passage from the scary costumes too.  My 12 and 14 year old have moved past walking the neighborhood in dark costumes in order to fill a sack with candy.  We will all be together tonight, enjoy our shows and take turns passing out M&M's, Skittles and mini Snickers bars.

This morning n commented on how we didn't do anything for Halloween.  So when I came home today I decorated the table with the few festive decorations I had put away.  I even used the last of the helium in our tank to blow up a mylar pumpkin as well as a few orange and purple party balloons.  Flicka thought the pumpkin was a threat and barked at it for several minutes until I could calm her down and reassure her that we were all safe.  Both children were happy to see the decorations when they came home as well as the large bucket of candy.  It is comforting that some things never change.

Happy Halloween and Peace to all the ghouls and goblins!

After the Storm

Well I am counting my blessings today.  We are incredibly fortunate to have weathered the hurricane so well.  In my neighborhood there are many standing dead trees and countless 50 to 100 year old trees.  After driving through most of the neighborhood n and I did not see one fallen tree.  Every yard is covered in twigs, pine needles and leaves but that is pretty much the extent of the damage.  We walked down to the beach and were pleasantly surprised by it's overall good condition.   The boat ramp that is our beach access sustained some damage and one very large chunk of the cement was displaced and now precariously sits on the edge of the ramp but other than that things look stable.  It is clear from the seaweed left on the ramp that last nights high tide was even more powerful than what n and I saw mid day yesterday.  It appears that it climbed 1/3 of the way up the ramp.  Mother nature and her wrath is unbelievable.   Even as Sandy moves away from the coast the ocean is still churning.

Sending prayers out to all those who were impacted by Sandy.

Peace!

Texture Tuesday - Free and Easy

Well it was a pleasure to spend a few minutes this morning focussed on a photo for my Texture Tuesday post.  In the wake of Sandy, I decided to use some texture on one of the images I took at the beach yesterday. The power of the wind and surf was astounding.  I will go down to the beach again today to see the extent of the damage caused by Sandy the 'frankenstorm'.  I must say that here in MA we were very fortunate.  The damage we sustained is nothing in comparison to what is being reported out of New York this morning.  My thoughts and prayers go out to all who are effected by this storm.

Below you can see my recipe for the above image. I like the misty effect the textures have given my photo.  

Peace!

Sandy

Growing up in a coastal community storms like Sandy have always evoked for me a sense of both trepidation and excitement.  As a child I remember well preparations we would take before the many varied storms that came up the coast.  Jugs of water, tubs filled for the flushing of toilets and food in the fridge.  When Dad was home ropes and boots would be at the ready.  We always had the fireplace working and candles available for the inevitable loss of power.  My childhood home was directly on the ocean.  We could count on conditions that were significantly worse than any forecaster would be predicting for our local area.  As a student I always held out hope that we would have a day off from school.  On the evening before a predicted storm you could feel the energy rising in my home.  We would do the snow dance or storm dance in hopes of no school.  Even many years later as a Mum and teacher I still hope for those unpredictable bonus days off from school.  Upon the governor's request all schools in MA  have been closed so we have been enjoying our bonus day.  

So far today the weather has felt relatively mild.  It is deceiving.   After a morning of baking and fire place preparation n and I decided to take a walk to the beach.  The wind became stronger the closer we got to the beach.  Interestingly all the pine trees have lost their brown needles.  The road was covered with them.  I have never noticed trees drop their needles so quickly.  As we approached the boat ramp that leads to our neighborhood ramp we noticed that many people had turned out to see the power of mother nature.  The wind was staggering.  Both of our eyes were tearing and honestly my breath was taken away by the strength of the wind.  I have not seen the ocean this angry in the 20 years that I have lived here in my home.  It reminded me of how the ocean looked during the blizzard of 78.  I managed to take some shots to share. 

The boat ramp that gives us access to our beach has been damaged over the last several years.  It is clear that the last section of the ramp will most likely be washed out to see or at the very least displaced from the bottom of the hill.  The power of the ocean is simply amazing. 

Hope you are all safe and sound. 

Peace!

What is Our Word View?  A collaboration between two friends who lost touch over the years but have reconnected online.  We share a love of the ocean, photography, quotes, animals and family.  Often times our photographic interpretations of our word of the week are very similar.

This week I chose the word crisp for our photographic interpretation.  I hope you will go over to Our Word View and see what Liz shares this week.

The following images were taken just a couple of weeks ago as I walked around the yard for inspiration.  These are macro images of the most beautiful moss.  These tiny tree like plants are simply enchanting.  Their branches look like they would be sharp but they are actually soft.  I think the first image especially conveys the feeling of crisp in subject matter as well as in the clarity of the photo.  

Peace!

Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY

Outside my window...the sun is fading and the light is lovely.

I am thinking...that their is much more competition for teaching positions than I realized.  

I am thankful for...the little things in life. 

From the kitchen...trying to be better at making home cooked meals.  This week we had tortellini with red sauce, chicken broccoli & ziti, homemade pizza, pulled pork. 

I am wearing....my school clothes.  

I am creating...a portfolio to use in interviews.  

I am going...to pray that the hurricane goes out to sea. 

I am wondering...If I'll get an interview for the 3rd grade position.  Hope so!

I am reading... Superhuman.  It is a superhero story with a science fiction feel.   I'm more than halfway finished.  

I am looking forward to...having my own classroom.  Hopefully sooner than later!

I am learning...to accept compliments. 

Around the house...things are OK.  We began the Daily 15 last night.   For 15 minutes all four of us work together to pick up and clean up.  It was hugely successful last night and takes the pressure off of my shoulders. 

A favorite quote for today...

You’re braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think. - Winnie the Pooh

One of my favorite things ... Lays potato chips!

A few plans for the rest of the week: hopefully working tomorrow, battening down the hatches in preparation for the storm next week, working on my portfolio, playing on pinterest.

A photo I'm sharing:

Peace!

Beauty

Well it has been quiet here at Surfside Serenity.  I have been teaching each day.  There is a position that will be coming open in a school across town in January.  I think I'll throw my hat in the wring.

For tonight I'd like to add some pictures that I took over the weekend.  I was inspired by the beautiful light that was playing off of our maple tree at the end of the driveway.  Through our living room window the leaves glowed with the warmth of the mid afternoon sun.  Such amazing beauty.  Sadly when I got outside the light had changed and my images of the tree did not capture what I was hoping.  I moved on to photographing several areas in the yard including a very cool tree in the woods.

Peace!

Our Word View - Red

What is Our Word View?  A collaboration between two friends who lost touch over the years but have reconnected online.  We share a love of the ocean, photography, quotes, animals and family.  Often times our photographic interpretations of our word of the week are very similar.

This week Liz chose the word red for our photographic interpretation.  I hope you will go over to Our Word View and see what Liz shares this week.

My immediate thoughts when I hear the word red is Christmas and cardinal.  Well last week I shared one of my many pictures of the beautiful cardinals that visit us here and for me it is just too early to think about Christmas so I went searching for other options.  It was fun to go through some folders of photos that I have not looked at in quite some time.  In doing so I realized that visually I tend to focus on photographing cooler colors.  I have many images in tones of green, blue and cool pink.  I did come across a set of images that I just love.  Years ago R's grandmother showed up on our doorstep, as she was known for doing, unannounced with a car full of plants for our fledgling garden and yard.  One of the plants she introduced us to was the Weigela bush.  When we first planted it nearly 20 years ago it was just a tiny sapling.  Now it graces the side yard with it's glorious blooms each spring and sometimes when the weather is just right during the summer months she decides to bloom again in the fall.