New beginnings

This will eventually become No.73 in the Beachcombing series: Hulls Cove, March 6, 2014.

This is how the Beachcombing pieces start - sorting the debris from a day of beachcombing, looking for patterns, colors, likenesses. This one seems to be leaning toward warm greys and off-whites. 

And for another new beginning, I'm going to be moving this blog from the Blogger host over to Wordpress this month, and I'm not sure how that will affect the feed. Cross your fingers that it goes smoothly. I'm digitally literate but not fluent!

Beachcombing Research

I don't know how many of you have discovered Pinterest, but I find it very useful for storing research projects - places I will be visiting, rooms I am decorating, and even identifying things I find while beachcombing.

The link above is to the Beachcombing board, where I've stashed all kinds of fascinating sites dealing with stuff found on beaches: everything from clams of the Pacific Northwest to drift seed identification to explanations of sand formations. There's even a Feather Atlas! Fabulous stuff, so I figured I'd share it with you. If you've got some favorite sites, let me know in the comments - I'm sick in bed this week and could use some virtual exploration...

I've been translated into Gallifreyan

Much to my astonishment, one of my photos was posted on the Dr. Who tumblr, where someone thinks this looks like Gallifreyan writing. Dr. Who is one of those shows I've been meaning to watch for years. I probably first started intending to watch it in the late 70s, and have been a regular non-watcher ever since, so I have no idea what Gallifreyan letters look like. But in one of those peculiar coincidences novelists like so much, I have a two-day series of medical tests coming up that will leave me alone in a hotel room in another city, and I had just announced to my friends that I plan to use the time to catch up on Dr. Who. So by the end of next month I may be able to say whether the Tumblr comment was true or not.

Incidentally, the photo has been re-posted 4,236 times so far, which unquestionably means it has been orphaned from the original link and is floating out in cyberspace, and I am kicking myself for not having put my name on it. I started signing everything I post online about a year ago, but haven't gone back to update older work. Ah well, if you see these watches in your internet travels, say hi for me, ok?

Beachcombing series No.68: The Shore Path, November 3, 2012

The Shore Path, Bar Harbor, Maine; November 3, 2012 (Beachcombing series No.68)

Well now, here's the very last Beachcombing still life from 2012, number 68. After number 67 sat on my light table for six months I felt guilty, somehow, as if I'd been procrastinating on a process that should have been much more efficient. But when I finally got the test prints back, I really really liked the photo. It seemed brighter and more balanced and somehow more satisfying than many I did last year. And I like this one a lot. So maybe my object-arranging-mojo needed a break. I spent a lot of the winter inland, too. You'll have noticed there are photos of snowstorms and beavers and fox cubs and frog eggs, but there haven't been any beaches yet this year. It certainly wasn't a conscious decision, just that when I've wandered, my feet have been going into the swamps and the woods this spring rather than down to the shore. But a couple of weeks ago I took a mini-vacation with my sister and we spent two days walking along the coast in Ogunquit, Maine. It's taken me a long time to edit all the photos, but very soon you'll get a nice, long post full of views of southern Maine beaches. It was so exotic - they have sand over there!


Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea), driftwood, schist and granite beach stones, lobster-claw band, Dog Whelk (Thais lapillus), White Pine cone (Pinus strobus), Rockweed (I think it's Fucus distichus) covered with Coiled Tube Worms (Spirorbis spirillum), rope, Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis), Red Pine cone (Pinus resinosa), Coralline (Corallina officinalis), sea brick.

College of the Atlantic (Beachcombing series No.66)

The College of the Atlantic has one of the most spectacular campuses in the world. Fact! It was patched together from several grand old estates so it still has a couple of Victorian "summer cottages" and even some remnant gardens by Beatrix Farrand. And then there's the view - it's set on a bluff overlooking Frenchman Bay, with granite ledges, cliffs, a sturdy dock and a small pebble beach. One of these days I'll have to give you a photo tour. I end up there more often than I'd expect since my friend Eddie runs a tour boat from the college dock, and my husband keeps Eddie's sound system running smoothly. So either I'm waiting for a boat ride, as in this post, or waiting for my husband, as I was today.

For some reason, there is always a lot of sea coal on this little beach, and last time I wrote about it, I'd been killing time by drawing on stones.

 When I finished beachcombing this time (which didn't take long because at high tide the beach is just big enough to hold the school kayaks) I played with stones again.

Happy rocks!



In the still life: Fishing ropes, schist beach stone, Dog Whelks (Thais lapillus), sea coal, driftwood, Common Periwinkle (Littorina littorea), cone (possibly Hemlock), birch bark (Betula papyrifera)

Rainbows, September 4, 2012

Our family had gathered to celebrate my father-in-law's birthday when we were distracted by the drama unfolding in the sky.

First a fragment of rainbow began to spring upward from Ironbound Island. Then a second rainbow shot off at a funny angle. It was a reflection rainbow, a very rare phenomenon that occurs when the sunlight forming a primary rainbow reflects off a very large and still body of water. All rainbows are full circles (cones, really) of which we only see a portion. The center of a reflection rainbow is above the horizon, whereas the primary rainbow's center is below it, which is why that arc is at such an unexpected angle.

The base of the arch was so crisp we could see the point where it 'touched' the water. It looks so physical that it's hard to comprehend the optical effect that's happening. Did you know that because rainbows are an optical effect, they only exist in our own eyes, and no two people truly see the same rainbow? It isn't like fog, which is a physical thing. If there were no viewers, there would be no rainbow. Contemplating the physics of rainbows is my personal Twilight Zone. Try to imagine the giant cone of light refracting through the raindrops and concentrating itself on your pupil. Always makes me blink.

The primary rainbow kept growing, and a classic double rainbow appeared, except we already had the reflection rainbow, so it was a triple show.

After half an hour or so, the rainbow spanned the whole bay. The other end touched down somewhere near town. Talk about good omens - I think my father-in-law is in for a very special year!

South of Welshpool Wharf, Campobello; June 10, 2012

It was our last day on Campobello Island and I set out to explore the area south of the wharf. My husband is an amazing trumpet player and wanted to practice, so he stationed himself near the wharf building, which was deserted since it was Sunday morning.

The clouds scudded overhead and the light changed rapidly from cold grey to warm gold,

and I poked through the detritus on the beach as the Harry James Trumpet Concerto echoed through the crescent-shaped bay.

I've never had a musical accompaniment before - it was beautiful.

 

I had plenty of company. There were the usual seagulls,

and a pair of cormorants,

several spiders,

and a moth.

And as you can see from the first photo, there was an amazing amount of sea glass!



In the still life: Driftwood, sea glass, granite and schist beach stones, Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis), industrial ceramic cover, possibly from the Bryant Electric Co. (1888-present), porcelain, bird bones, seafood industry label, lobster-claw band, Rough Periwinkle (Littorina saxatilis), soda can pull tab, and plastic lighter

North of the Welshpool Wharf, Campobello; June 9, 2012

 The sea glass hunting around the Welshpool wharf is some of the best I have ever seen. There wasn't a lot right next to the pier, but to the northwest the beach was speckled with beautifully worn glass. 

According to the owner of our inn, a grand old hotel once stood on this bluff, and it very likely dumped its trash onto the beach. New trash is depressing, but old dumps are fantastic places for beachcombers (and archaeologists). You can see I brought back quite a haul!

There was a crow somewhere on the wharf making an awful racket, so after a while I pulled out my telephoto to see if I could spot him and see what had his panties in such a twist, and this popped into view:

I barely had time to press the shutter button before the eagle flew off. He must have been sitting there for a good quarter hour before I looked up to see what all the fuss was about. I happily gathered glass as the sun began to set, turning around every now and then to make sure I hadn't attracted any more avian stalkers, and occasionally looking up to admire the view.

The sun sank,

a light fog drifted up the passage,

and the lights of Eastport came on over the water.

When it got too dark to see the beach, I trotted back to our warmly lit inn and shared a glass of wine with my husband, who dutifully admired my finds. I suspect he secretly thinks most of it belongs in the recycling bin, but we were in Campobello celebrating our twentieth wedding anniversary, and one key to a long marriage is not pointing out when your spouse's hobbies are slightly dotty. 

What a lovely day. 

Addendum:

 I wasn't completely happy with the colors in my first shot. What do you think - first or second try?

In the first still life: Jasper beach stone, sea glass, Ten-Ridged Whelk (Neptunea decemcostata), china, bone, brick, Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis), Waved Whelk (Buccinum undatum), rubber, and industrial ceramic. 

In the second:  Sea glass, china, bone, Waved Whelks (Buccinum undatum), Ten-Ridged Whelk (Neptunea decemcostata), sea brick, jasper beach stone, industrial ceramic, and rubber.

Friar's Bay, Campobello Island, June 9

Friar's Bay, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada

One of Campobello's claims to fame is that Franklin Delano Roosevelt summered there. Friar's Bay was one of his favorite places on the island. It wasn't mine. Granted, it was high tide and pouring rain, so the view was fairly grim, but the amount of trash on the shoreline was some of the worst I've seen in a rural area.

The rain kept starting and stopping, but when it rained it came down mighty hard, so I didn't stay on the beach long. This is I saw when I looked up - black and white clouds chasing each other across the sky:
I did find some interesting things, like the whelk egg sacs (all empty), and a moon snail shell, and a tag from a Maine lobster trap. Maine traps in Canada? Well, yes - this truly is a borderland. Campobello's only bridge connects to Maine, so residents need passports to reach the Canadian mainland. Another reminder of how arbitrary national borders are.


In the still life: Lobster fishing rope, Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis), sea glass, granite beach stone, Soft-shell Clam (Mya arenaria), Waved Whelk (Buccinum undatum), beach china, plastic bottle cap seal, whelk egg cases (probably Buccinum undatum), lobster claw band, Moon Snail (Lunatia heros), and lobster trap tag.

Simply Handmade Sewing, September issue

Isn't it interesting that just when I finally started blogging again, the universe started sending me things to blog? The September issue of Simply Handmade is a sewing special, with lots of fall and Halloween projects to make from fabric and felt. Tucked among the projects is a little article on sewing room decor, and in that article is ... me!

 See down there on the right page? That's a photo of thread from my late grandmother's sewing basket:

There are some other wonderful artists featured in the article, including Rebekah Leigh Marshall, Heather Kojan, and Alyssa Nassner. Pretty cool!

Head Harbor Lighthouse, Campobello, NB; June 9, 2012

 

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? I've missed the whole darn summer! I won't go into the details or we'll never get to the beachcombing, but every darn person living in my house and several other close family members seem to have had some medical event and/or life upheaval over the last few months. The long and the short of it is that everybody's going to be fine, eventually, but I didn't go beachcombing at all from the time we left Campobello in early June until my father-in-law's birthday party on September 3rd. Rather than dwell on all that, I'm just going to pick up again with Day 2 of our trip to Campobello, because it was so beautiful and I found such cool things on the beaches there, and one would hope that by the time I finish telling you about Campobello, life will have calmed down and I'll have fresh adventures to show you.

The morning of our first day we planned to go see the Head Harbor Lighthouse, also known as the East Quoddy Light, which is way up at the northern tip of the island, and only accessible at low tide. There was a thick fog, but the tides were right, so off we went!

There were a lot of warnings about the tides along the way. To reach the lighthouse, you have to scramble up and down several sets of very steep stairs and across the seaweed-covered rocks below. It isn't terribly strenuous for the experienced beachcomber, but you really wouldn't want to try to race the tide back!

 The fog cleared slowly as we picked our way across, and by late morning it had turned into a gorgeous day.

The lighthouse is part of a cheerful, classic, red-and-white complex.

The buildings are not open to the public (although I did hear that a group of volunteers who had come to work on the buildings got to stay there for a couple of nights) but you can wander around between them.

 

It wasn't terribly crowded in early June - three or four other couples were exploring while we were there, and for short periods we were entirely alone.

 This last photo was a farmhouse we saw on the way back to the inn. How often have you taken a photo out the car window, knowing perfectly well that it will be a fuzzy mess but unable to stop yourself from trying? Well, this is the one that actually came out, guaranteeing that I won't stop shooting from a moving car anytime soon.

There are more photos from this trip in my Flickr stream. 

In the still life: Basalt, schist, and granite beach stones, sea glass, beach china, Blue Mussel (Mytilus edulis), Ten-Ridged Whelk (Neptunea decemcostata), lobster claw band.

Raccoon Beach, Campobello; June 8, 2012

Raccoon Beach, Campobello Island, New Brunswick, Canada; June 8, 2012

Raccoon Beach is part of Roosevelt Campobello International Park, an amazing joint effort between the US National Park Service and the Canadian government.

View Larger Map 

The park takes up almost half of Campobello Island, which is only 8 miles long. The island is part of New Brunswick (Canada) and is a bit over two hours away from home. If you follow the border between Maine and New Brunswick in the map below, Campobello is the point where the border meets the ocean (well, really it's the Bay of Fundy.)

View Larger Map

On our first day, we decided to go for a bike ride, so we asked the ranger at the visitor center what was interesting. "Well," she said, "there's a dead whale on the beach. Only been there a couple of days." "Oh no," another ranger piped up, "it's been there a week or so. Might smell a bit." So off we went to Raccoon Beach to see the whale. Pretty much everyone we talked to all weekend had been to see it, so I gather the first few days of its decay must have been quite the social occasion.

See that oddly-colored lump near the center?

Dead whale. Yup, smelled a bit. But only downwind. I later learned (through the graces of Google) that it was a baby Northern Right Whale, killed by a ship strike.

The stones on this beach are the smooth, rounded kind we call 'cobbles' back home. When I try to picture the melting and mixing and uprising and tumbling processes that made these lines and speckles my brain starts to hurt. Geological time does that to me.

There were some real beauties here, but I wasn't sure of the park rules (in US National Parks it's against the law to take any natural things like rocks or shells and I hadn't thought to bring my light tent, either (doh!)) so I just took photos on site. That's why there's only garbage in the still life.

But then I have to admit that I find the trash almost as interesting as the stones. Shotgun shells, a puzzle piece, sea glass, rope, and the top of a soda can. A wide variety of recreational uses! And I've never found a jigsaw piece before. Or a dead whale. Altogether a memorable day of beachcombing.

In the still life: Pulpboard jigsaw puzzle piece, sea glass, aluminum soda can top, shotgun shell, fishing rope.