vacation

I love this place.  I love our neighbors. I love the beach. It makes retirement look all kinds of appealing.

Here we are, practicing for retirement.




Samson will still need a job. Chasing Chuck-it is a good one.







Bella has retired.  She is a smart cookie.







A couple noteworthy sunrises.





We had days and nights and more days and more nights of fabulous food, good friends, and great laughs.  I love this place.  Cheers from EOTE.

What happens on the beach

stays on the beach. 

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

From 2012-09-06

And it's a wonderful thing.

Conflict and resolution

It gets a little crazy on the beach.  We have lots of dogs, lots of people, lots of traffic, and well, lots of time to play. Samson loves to play. He will share his beach, his deck, and his water. But ... Samson is VERY protective of his toys.

In this exchange, Bella approaches slowly.

From 2012-07-28

Samson, not to be fooled, makes a move. Don't even think about taking my ball, he says.

From 2012-07-28

Bella walks up, Samson eyeing her warily.

From 2012-07-28

Then they eat grass.

From 2012-07-28

It's how conflict get resolved on the beach.

From 2012-07-28

We should take a lesson from this.  Cheers from the beach!

Beach walks

It was a delightful week off.  We had numerous walks on the beach.  It was delightful.

From 4th of July

From 4th of July

There were several "firsts" during the course of our time away.   I never in all my years up north, seen this:

From 4th of July

From 4th of July

There he was, just hanging on the beach.  Paul almost stepped on him.  Weird.  At least he hung around long enough for pictures.  :)

Friday love

We are so grateful for wonderful neighbors up north.  We really enjoy their company and are also happy just knowing that they are there if something goes wrong.

Sandi and her family recently adopted a beautiful dog, Bella.  I can't keep my eyes off her.  I had to take my camera to the beach and take her picture.

From Weekend in June 2012 EOTE

From Weekend in June 2012 EOTE

She never minds when people love her.

From Weekend in June 2012 EOTE

Bella is still getting used to the beach.  We loved watching her take her first swim ... just walked into the water and went for a swim.  It was just precious. 

And then she walked over to Sandi and ...

From Weekend in June 2012 EOTE

From Weekend in June 2012 EOTE

My heart melted. Happy Friday!

A day at the beach

I can't remember where I found this little gem. I love it.

German Shepherds were bred to work for us and be a part of the "flock."

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

They become deeply devoted to the entire family. The GSD needs to share all aspects of their family's daily life - being with you in your home and going with you when you go out, following you from room to room.

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

Nothing goes unnoticed. They thrive on being near you, a head or paw in your lap. If you feel you may not truly enjoy having a dog's constant companionship, enjoy having him sleep in your bedroom at night and share many of your activities by day, then you may be happier with a breed less oriented to human companionship.

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

The GSD is NOT an outside guard dog.

From Memorial Day weekend 2012

Not at the beach anyway. 

Understanding

There are many things in life I don't understand.  I suspect that I won't because it's not intended as such.  But I work at it.

I couldn't understand, as we were shopping for the cottage why in the world anyone would want to live on an inland lake.  It was beyond comprehension for me.  But as I have adjusted and acclimated, I have an inkling.  It's just a hint.  But I get a glimpse of another way of thinking.

Inland lakes are calmer.  They seemed to be better suited for small crafts and sporting (like water skiing or boarding).  That's nice.

But what they lack are waves.  Smashing, pounding, beating, pulsating waves.  To me, there is nothing on earth like the sound of pounding waves.  Better than any Brian Eno music.  Or Bryan Ferry.  Or even Kate Bush.

From 2012-04-21

From 2012-04-21

From 2012-04-21

And here we sit, East of the Equator, listening the sound of heaven on earth.  Cheers to the weekend, wherever you are. 

Wood

The coast changes with the seasons.  It's stunning to watch how the coast ebbs and flows.Along with the shifting coastline comes debris.  Mostly wood, scattered along the route.

From 2012-04-08

From 2012-04-08

And old sea walls become exposed.

From 2012-04-08

Enjoy a good walk along a great beach sometime.  Best medicine for a chaotic life.  

Sunrise

It was nice to be at the cottage without the Handsome One.   The sunrise was a little later and it was sort of fabulous to be able to sleep in.

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

From 2012-04-07

It was a glorious weekend, Easter celebration, and get-work-done vacation.  

The beach - so much more than sand

I couldn't have asked for nicer weather, more beautiful sunrises, or gorgeous crashing waves.  We have just had a glorious week, Mr. Handsome and I.  Tanning, resting, swimming, and of course, a few pictures here and there.

My neighbor Michael (the retired botanist) is a treasure trove of fabulous information.  Like the first day we moved in and he came over and showed Paul the poison ivy.  God love him;  we sure do.  He also showed us the weeds that attract the monarch butterflies.  I will never pull this weed.

From 2011-08-11

It brings these.  All over the beach!

From Butterfly

From Butterfly

The purple weeds draw the birds.  I am sure that they have a technical name, and that Michael would know it;  for now, let's just call them the purple weeds.

From 2011-08-11

From Butterfly

>

From Butterfly

From Butterfly

Even the beach grass looks lovely given the stunning backdrop.

From 2011-08-11

Here's to another beautiful day, wherever you are.