41 Minutes by the Blue

Life can be scary. Nature is healing.

Today I drove Sis’s car, with Sirius XM radio and good A.C., to Sherwood Island State Park, exit 18 off Route 95 North. It’s a little beyond Westport, Connecticut (the town where Paul Newman and Joanne Woodward raised their family).

I had to get the car back in time so Sis could go to spin class. Traffic was bad. I had 41 minutes at the beach, 4:19 p.m. until 5. 

It was enough. Nature in my heart, my soul, my pocket. I took off my Peds and Nikes, minced my steps over a dense carpet of whole and jagged seashells, and walked into the Long Island Sound--ankle-deep. 

Many gifts if eyes open to see them:

• A sailboat, crisp white wing against June sky.
• Seaweed. 
• Shells in hand, an oyster shell for Sis.
• The promise of summer in my heart. Joy, sand, sunscreen, water, waves. Always and forever.
• Walking the path, which climaxes by the quiet "living" 911 Memorial, designed to change naturally with the seasons. It’s a beautiful pocket by a rocky coast. 
• A few Wednesday sun umbrellas and small beach tents.
• Beach roses, pink and promising white. Just like Cape Cod! (Dan even planted a hot candy-pink one in our backyard.) We can’t pick flowers in public places, so I plucked a single pink petal and held it to my nose.
• White clover in green grass. I remember that in the lawns and parks of my girlhood. Wildflowers. How pretty. Flowers that grow wild, whether we want them or not. Determined blooms. Rugged.
• Quick prayer.
• Lungs filled.

I asked the nice guy at the snack bar if they had iced coffee. Not today, but they will, come summer.

I was back in time for Sis to get to spin class. #grateful

Good night.

Sunday in Stamford, Connecticut

Punch and Sug on the fishing pier at Cummings Beach in Stamford.

The blues were in--men were baiting their lines with chunks of raw chicken and reeling in bluefish after bluefish. They were smallish, and the fishermen said you don't have to filet them, just pan-fry as is.

H., Punch, Sug and I drove to visit Sis and Don. We went to the beach, and their friend Chaiya joined us, too. What I love about going to visit Sis in Connecticut is that it feels like I went far away to the water's edge but it's only an hour or so from Montclair. Also, I love to see my Sis. 

Punchy has been buzzing like an Energizer Bunny on overload. It has been a difficult Saturday and Sunday. Defiance, pushing limits, restless, hyper. Torrential rain yesterday for most of the day didn't help, as she was cooped up. It has been very challenging. Tonight, Figgy and Marc watched her and H. and I went to the 7 p.m. showing of "Gone Girl"--chilling and good. 

Good night.

Too Tired to Write, but Sea on the Horizon

Yay, just booked a room with ocean view in Cape May for our anniversary weekend, when Punch's grandma will have her. H. and I got engaged in Cape May under winter stars on the beach and always loved it, but haven't really explored it in more than 10 years. And the ride to this Cape is 2 1/2 hours or less, vs. 5-6 hours to my other beloved Cape [Cod].

Good night.

TCOY

1. Private Benjamin. Helpful.
2. Walked all the way back from town with two heavy bags of groceries. Been meeting my 10,000 steps on fitbit flex for two days, I think. But not eating too well.
3. Made slow cooker cauliflower soup.

Gone Fishing

My brother-in-law Don with the sea robin he caught today in Greenwich Cove.

Sis rented a power boat and a captain today, to take us out of the Greenwich Water Club. It was a gorgeous Sunday, and we were on the water from about 1:30 to 5.

The captain for hire, Niel [Harold Nielsen], lowered our anchor in Greenwich Cove, and it was beautiful. Around us, other boats tied to moorings held sunbathers, people reading and folks otherwise whiling away a sunny afternoon.

When Don reeled in a fish, people on three other boats around us clapped and asked him what he caught. Unfortunately, it seems the sea robin is a bottom feeder with bony spikes and not much meat. The captain/skipper threw him back.

I felt so privileged. It was really lovely to motor around Greenwich and Indian Harbor Yacht Club, where Sis and Don got married [on a sailboat] almost 17 years ago. Sometimes today's ride was choppy, other times placid. But the view was a glamorous tonic for a tired soul. I liked the salt spray in my hair and on my cheeks when we really sliced through the waves.

Aside from that, I've been anxious, panicked, cranky, mean. Self-doubting and self-loathing. Unsteady. I'm hoping that a good night's sleep [last night was a long one] will put my boat on a smoother course. Hoping and praying.

Let's all drift off to dreamland.

TCOY

1. Tried to speak my mind honestly and clearly.
2. I loved looking at the sailboats on the water. Like a painting. Such timeless beauty.
3. Ate my veggies, thanks to Sis, who served a delicious dinner that included a big leafy green salad and snow peas.