Family & beach

[fbhjr]

Yesterday morning we set off for the beach.
Actually, we set off for a Target and then a Walmart because I had not been able to find the “aquashoes” my wife wears on the rocky beaches near my aunt’s place.
I couldn’t find any. Since they’re used in the summer, they probably took them off the shelves the last week of winter. Instead I got her a pair of orange slip ons that were on sale very cheap.
But, I digress.

A straight line between my aunt’s cottage and our apartment goes through a different state, even though both are in Massachusetts. So, we drove through Providence Rhodes Island.


Then, back to Mass and into Fall River.


By the battleship Massachusetts.

(It’s in the river by the bridge, not in the porto-john on the bridge...)

Then, to Westport where my aunt’s cottage sits by the river.
It’s funny going back to my other entries about my yearly visit to my aunt. A photo from this point is in everyone on of them.

What can I say, it’s a nice view.
The cottage is on the other side of the river.

And, down a small lane.


She’s about 1/2 way up the bank from the Westport river.

Bigger version: http://www.phoenixswords.com/fbhjr/Beach072112/Beach-008a.jpg

I used to spend my summers here as a kid. The whole place has been knocked to the ground and rebuilt since then.
These rocks used to be at the edge of the bushes that are now 30’ down hill from them.


We had a nice visit with my aunt and her husband.

They’ve been married 20 years this month. They were 55 then and it was the first marriage for both of them.
As it happened when I was 28, I have trouble calling her husband my uncle. But, I guess he is.
I am always glad to see how happy my aunt has become, even if I’m not his biggest fan.

Then, we went to the beach. It’s funny, the sand beach they show on the state site for the Demarest Lloyd State Park is what I remember from 30+ years ago. But, erosion was so bad the state covered the beach with rocks to keep it from washing away. So, it looks nothing like that now.

Bigger: http://www.phoenixswords.com/fbhjr/Beach072112/Beach-011.jpg

We didn’t pick the beach with the big waves. We didn’t pick the beach with the deep water. We picked the beach that is a 1/2 mile wide sand bar that has all sorts of interesting things swimming around.


My aunt and her husband did not go in.


You can get to water that is deep enough for swimming, but it is a walk.

Especially at low tide.

We walked a fair ways from shore and weren’t yet up to my knees.


Apparently there was some sort of kayak race down the Slocum river that exits at the beach. (And is where all that sand comes from.) So, unusually there were kayaks floating around and lifeguards.


I do love the patterns the sand and water make.


My wife likes looking for sea life in the shallow water.


Buying her the bright orange shoes seemed to attract many smaller fish.


The tide was not totally out as the third sandbar still had a small amount of water coming over it.


But, it was only up to my ankles.


After that it can get deep and it was up to my knees when we were pretty far out from shore.


This is me in what passes for waves at this beach.


My wife saw a “bigger fish” that seemed to like her orange shoes. Based on her description we think it might have been a very small shark. When I was a kid we used to see these around all the time. So, it wouldn’t surprise me at all.
But, it swam off fast, so no photo.

We only went suit deep.


We found lots of clams, hermit crabs and small fish.


My wife was sad because in previous years we found some larger crabs this year, no sign of them.


So, I used to go crab fishing near there, I know where to find them.
I looked under a seaweed covered rock and got a two for one sale.


I put them back and they did their best to disappear again.


Next we started a contest to see who could find the smallest hermit crab.


Mine was pretty small.

My wife found a smaller one, but it was too small to get the camera to focus.

I also found some standing stones that align just right to the shadow of me with a camera.

So, ancient astronauts must have gone to the beach here too...

We did attract some little shrimp and shrimp eating fish by stirring up some mud.


One thing that was very nice is I found a horseshoe crab.
I used to see a lot of them when I was young, but hadn’t seen any in years.


My wife liked some of the smaller shells she found.


But, we had been in the sun a long time and decided to head back.


We went back to my aunt’s and then out to dinner.


I had hoped to look at the shop next to the restaurant where I found some very cool things last year. But, it had turned into a yarn shop. While I know some of you like yarn, I would have liked more scrimshaw.

We had timed dinner to be when the local church service was going. We left dinner just as it let out.


After dinner we took the long way home.


Lobster and art? Maybe we should have gone there.

I remember buying lobsters there when I was young.


I find it funny driving my aunt around here as she was one of the people who taught me to drive on some of these same roads.


Ten years ago, I used to dream about this road that runs along the side of the beach. I dreamed there was a huge wave that came an washed it away.


Yeah. Hurricane last year.


This was the beach I went to the most when young.
Swimming around the rocks was a lot of fun.


It is strange because some parts of Westport are just the same as I remember.



Some are different. Mostly the mansions.


My aunt’s husband really likes their cat. The cat seems to feel the same way.

My aunt was a dog person, but accepts the cat.

Her husband was having computer problems, so my wife went to help him download the latest AOL version.
This was very nice as it gave me some time to talk with my aunt. We didn’t talk long.
But, we talked about siblings, children or their lack and her declining health.


Then, we all had a nice visit on the porch while the sun went down.


My aunt seems really happy that we visited.


As the sun went down we headed home.


There was a very nice crescent moon setting as we drove. My wife did her best to take a picture of it, but the moon is hard to photograph and more so in a moving car.


It was a very nice day and we both had a good time.

Comments

[ravena-kade.livejournal.com]

Sounds like a perfect day. I also like going to the beach to look for things swimming around more than for my ability to swim around.

[pallid-regina.livejournal.com]

Nice day, I love hearing about these visits. I would have chosen that very same beach.

[kismets-kiss.livejournal.com]

I love your picture posts, and I know I saw that a lot, but you are a fantastic storyteller through visual art.
I'm glad you got to visit with your aunt and had a great walk down memory lane as well!
I love the see-through shell, very cool!

[chris-warrior.livejournal.com]

what an awesome day. :)