So It's True....

In spite of crossing my fingers the news is sad.....Seascape is gone. Hurricane Dorian aimed all of her awesome power straight at this lovely vacation home on Elbow Cay and wiped her off the face of the earth. No more decks overlooking the ocean or the bay.....no more dock leading to the boat slip.....no more two bedroom retreat in a Bahama paradise.

The foundation on the left is all that remains.....

Farewell beautiful Seascape....I'm glad my dear cousin is not here to see this....

It's Gone.....

In the 1970's my cousin's husband built a home on Elbow Cay in the Bahamas. It was just down the road from Hope Town perched on a bluff....the Atlantic on one side and White Sound on the other. It was a beautiful spot. When Rob designed it he took a clue from Mother Nature....looking at the palm trees around him he noticed that they were all leaning in one direction. So he angled his roof line to mimic the trees and build the house to be strong and designed it to withstand strong winds and hopefully hurricanes. And Seascape did make it through many storms. Sometimes the door blew in and the wind raced through the interior blowing out the windows in the back. So there was wind and water damage that had to be fixed....but while neighboring homes were wiped out, Seascape remained.

Until Dorian. Until this weekend. We haven't gotten the final word.....but all texts back and forth between family members indicate that she is gone.

Dave and I only visited once. We were living on our sailboat and exploring anchorages in the Abacos. We visited Green Turtle, Marsh Harbor, Treasure Cay, Man-of-War Cay and other spots throughout the northern Bahamas. And then, finally the weather was good and we were able to go around Whale Cut and sail to Hope Town. We anchored, jumped on our folding bikes and pedaled out to Seascape. Claudia and Rob were there with two of their kids....so we had a wonderful but short reunion. They flew home to Indiana the very next day. That was 2001.

How young we look.....and happy to be together in their island hide-away. Claudia died almost three years ago so she is not here to experience this particular heart ache. But I look at the photo of the house....and the photo of the six of us and I remember. And I feel sad....can only imagine all of the memories Rob and the kids have.

A toast to Seascape and all the good times.......

Lost Count.....

My day starts early with a quick Fenway morning walk....usually between 6:30 ish and 7:00 a.m. Then back for coffee! The morning slows down until about 9:00 when I get that "look".

Someone starts telling me that he wants his mid-morning stroll....a little longer with more time to sniff smells, conquer trees and do other important "business" please. So off we go again. This time I steer him toward the bike path and we walk north. It's a very windy day, but once we get in the trees we are somewhat sheltered and the day is absolutely gorgeous.

I start counting monarchs, beginning their southern migration. They are floating along in a sort of random way stopping on thistles in bloom and goldenrod. I lose count at 28 when I am distracted by four flying daffodils (goldfinch!) zipping from one goldenrod bloom to another. They balance on the tip top while the breeze stirs the stems and they find seeds or whatever it is that attracts them to the plant. I spot a woodpecker, a few white cabbage butterflies, one chipmunk dashes across the path in front of us and a solitary doe is grazing up on the hillside.

We turn back toward home and I begin to notice and really listen to Mother Nature's symphony in the trees. Sheltered on the path I can see the tops of tall trees demonstrating that there is a lot of wind "up there". And each tree is making music as the wind moves through the leaves and branches. Its a peaceful background noise that is just beautiful. 

Just before home I notice a "something" growing on a vine so I grab it. At home I check my wildflower book and find it's a bur cucumber fruit. Mystery solved. I've had this little Audubon Society book since 1979 and it's well worn but has helped me identify wildflowers from all over the USA.

Once, when talking to a counselor, she made a comment that nature seemed to be very important to me. I think she was right....I know how much I love being out in it and noticing the small things. Thank you Fenway for your 9:00 look......if it's not raining we'll repeat tomorrow!

Witness.....

When I sit at the computer in our family room I can look out the window and see "our" bike path. There is always something/someone passing by. Obviously we get lots of bikers going north and south on the path....colorful helmets matching colorful garb. I often see deer walk tentatively out from the side hill, ears rotating like radar, and making their way to the bird feeder or walking up the path. Right now we may spot this years spotted fawns trailing behind mom. I spot rabbits and lots of different birds zipping here and there. Lots of wildflowers offer small pops of color as they move in the breeze.

Yesterday afternoon I was at the computer checking our bank statement. I didn't have my glasses on, but a motion caught my eye and I looked out the window.

A young man was down on one knee looking up at a young woman and holding her hand. I ran for my glasses and then out to our deck, again overlooking the path and the unexpected activity taking place. At this point the young couple were hugging....and then she was looking down at her left hand. I began to clap......they looked up and I called "Congratulations!" A wide smile from both of them and a "Thank you!" echoed back.

I witnessed an engagement! Right there on "our" bike path. I don't suppose that will ever happen again.....but who knows. Look out the window....something lovely may just surprise you.

Damp Eyes.....

I think I need to just stop watching the national news at 5:30. Tonight it was full of stories about young white men arrested for threatening to take assault weapons to try to kill lots of people.....one wanting to top the biggest kill count. And then there was 45 walking back on comments he’d made previously (no surprise). One of the most ironic was 45’s advisors on the morning news saying no tax cuts were being considered....and 45 later in the day saying exactly the opposite. How does anyone work for this man? And the high school students throwing the Nazi salute.....excuse me?

I honestly get teary just watching this....our America.....2019. We have grandchildren......their America.....god.

Bumblebee Rescue......

I was sitting in Dave's chair in the den watching TV when a slight motion off to the side caught my attention. I turned my head and saw a really big bumble bee crawling across our beige carpet. It must have flown in when the screen door to the deck was open. I got up and grabbed a couple kleenex and tried to carefully pick it up.

I walked toward the deck door and all of a sudden the bee started to buzz and move around. Startled, I dropped the kleenex on the living room floor. When I bent down and picked it up there was no bee to be found. I couldn't see it anywhere so figured it had crawled under the couch or somewhere else out of sight. Mission not accomplished.

Today, about 24 hours later, walking through the living room I spotted the carpet-cruising visitor again. It was still alive!

This time I went to the kitchen and grabbed a small plastic container and top, walked back and quickly scooped up the little guy. It only took me a few seconds to open the screen door and go out onto the deck....but Bumble was NOT happy....lots of buzzing and bumping around in that container.

I stood at the railing and lifted the top and that guy zoomed off across the parking lot. It was so fast and such fun to see it sailing through the air....disappearing in just a moment. Seeing it from the back end was really fun...a glimpse of that bee butt and wings vibrating! Hopefully it found a more natural place to live out the summer....or got back to it's hive after deciding that carpets don't offer much in the way of sustenance.

My good deed for the day....successful bumble bee rescue!

Soft......

Another beautiful first-walk-of-the-day morning with Fenway. He wanted to circle the bandstand and that means we walk along the shore for a few blocks. This morning the water was calm and very peaceful....a few gulls floating here and there. Just a slight breeze but we had the walk to ourselves.....no one else out and about yet this Sunday morning.

We missed the sunrise, but still.....a lovely soft start to our day.

This view just never gets old.