Seaview~LONG.....Winded..

Bonjour Monique:)

Time to retire the above..they served me well for quite a number of years♥

The diamonds !

Remember when I made the watercolor watch?

I sent the original link of the person who created the original to an artist friend ..guess what?

He made one..I saw him here and he showed me..his is so much better it has compartments.

I think it is fantastic:)

every day..subtle changes..nuances..clouds..sea..

Below..is NOT where we stay..just a couple of the homes along my stretch..

all different styles..my favorites are the plantation looking ones like the yellow one.

I am partial to yellow homes:)

We stay in something I guess the size of their living room..or less..oh less I am sure..maybe the butler's pantry;)

Some..are so large..the fronts almost encroach the front road.

maybe 15000 ..sq ft..as people we know have a 9000 sq ft one..and these look far larger.

NOT FOR ME.

And I have rarely seen people there.

I guess it's a home here and a home there.

Apart from home..and the Cape..or Maine..this is my favorite place in the world.I guess because I feel at home.
I love France..Italy..I could live in Provence if my whole family could come:)
.. here I feel at home.
It's not a hotel..it's humble..but that's what we sea :) all day long..
the sea.. shore birds..sometimes dolphins..manatees..jumping fish...
we eat in..because we like to..why leave this?:)
No housekeeping... we make our beds and clean the space  ourselves..
I am not big on hotels..too much flafla for me.Younger..my eyes would be round as saucers when we went on business events ..I had never seen such luxury..The Cloister at Sea Island..I was 20 and pregnant and we arrived at this unbelievable place..so yes younger..all that had a different appeal.
I like to wear extremely casual clothes here..flip flops and a pair of knock off black Toms.
To have to dress up would take all the purpose of our totally laid back no obligation trip.
Plus I am not into ritzy.At all.
Have you noticed we eat better at home?
And Jacques and I..find..   that too much food is served..and numerous courses are not for us either.At our daughter's homes..we overeat:) but we eat for hours in our favorite company.

One day many years ago..I went to the Ritz for tea..I must admit that was a fun little thrill..
But I have not been back.
I have no idea why I am like this...but so is Jacques.
He has not worn a suit in decades.Except for our two daughters weddings:)
The people we see..are all so good to sea:)
We all know we care..but we all know we like our spots of privacy.
It is a well managed happy marriage♥s..
 ..they are all sooo nice.





Before I get into my Christmas mode w/ cookies and tourtières..it is such a different life here..no baking..no real cooking..easy quick things..
no baking tools..no knives that cut..LOL..no cookie stamps ..nor cookie cutters..no pie plates..
I can handle that ;)Here.
I did buy a precious set at Williams -Sonoma online though:)
Cookie stamps..

..and honestly..how great is customer service in the states?

Pretty darn good..
ours has taken heed I think and is quite good too:)

This year we FLEW.I will never drive again..for 30 years we have driven..different months ..seasons.. but always drove..except a few times when work didn't permit to leave etc..and Jacques drove..I flew..one way..
We used to do it in 2 days..13 hours..13 hours..  in our way younger days..we drove direct..26 hours..

but 3 days 2 nights....just got to me..and admittedly to Jacques..
You have no control over traffic..the weather..downpours and trucks....ice and sleet and crazy snow in Nov!
Detours and road construction..
White knuckling it is not for me..

I WILL NEVER DRIVE AGAIN.

Blablabla..I write and talk way too much..;)

I often tell myself..you have taken the exact same photos for years on end..but still..the views..make me want to click away to remember..again.

I learned my lesson years ago..to not use my best cameras on the beach:) Sand and cameras..don't get along..
when the Littles are with us I sometimes make an exception..but on our own..I take the point and shoot..
as you may have guessed none of our beautiful boys joined us this year..
They went on a trip to Mexico and loved it..Room service..beaches..pools..Oli won that top in football..:)And he is the soccer player..looks pretty fantastic.At their ages and their parents ages..so much fun.

Above photo..courtesy of Caroline,our daughter

Noah will be at Disney in March:)It's Spring break and he and his mommy make the most of it as it is her Spring break too..I gotta give it to her..she uses travel points she accumulates during the year..makes all the arrangements..totally impressed..I never would have done something like that on my own.


It's all beautiful and natural here  w/out a fancy lens:)
My friend Brenda..Gene's lovely wife..contemplating the beach:)
She had been..I ran in to get my camera..and she wasn't:(
I asked her to go back for 2 minutes..:)Imagine..Gene is an artist..yet he bought a frame for this:)

Prima Tropicals.. pencil and brush...an Artist Loft brush that I LOVE..I have had it for a while..3 yrs maybe..red handle ..perfectly pointed yet roundish..and small.Scott towels..a small yogurt container of water..next time..a mechanical pencil..because I did not bring a sharpener..:( And my Micron was dry..:(
Kilimanjaro paper from Cheap Joe's...it came with my travel kit last year..I did pick up another small block in Fl.
I am so impressed with these Primas..that I also bought Decadent Pies..ap $15.00 I love the granulation..the bright vivid colors  ..here I used soft colors..quite a bit diluted.
I can safely say that I think I have enough watercolors to last my lifetime and more..oh way more..but feel so lucky to enjoy doing this ...that with photography..and baking..I am set to hibernate.

I painted quite a bit..every day  a little something..a card for our UPS gentleman..a card for our manager here.. did a few Christmas vignettes in a new journal..all copied except one and the one I didn't  copy is my very least(oxymoron?) favorite..sob.

And Brenda:)

And then the wind and whitecaps appeared one day under the most brilliant sky and the sound of the surf♥

And I loved it all just as much.We get to see the most glorious sunsets..every night..and they are all different also~
I don't think anything beats babies and nature...and kind hearts like this one..oh please look at it..♥It made me cry..

And then we have the other end of the spectrum..yikes:(:(
I can't believe  it.
Black Friday..Cyber Monday..Cyber Monday continues..

you know..our Thanksgiving is WAYY before the US one..yet..we have Black Friday when they do..and Cyber Monday too..they jumped on a bandwagon.
I used to love Boxing Day..when we were in the need to get things..
now if I go..it's to be with my girls.

and then..this made me smile:):

If my wife was a Transformer..her name would be Amazon Prime.

Photo credit: Brenda

Photo ,courtesy of Jacques.(He bought a mini Ipad:).The guy who does not even use a cellphone..nor owns one..when he worked..he had one..the size of a brick . a big brick..in a faux leather case.
A bit like a big walkie talkie:)

Namaste.