beach – thereisnosanityclause

As It Should Be…

The tourists are just about gone. The day is warm with a chance of rain later on, so what’s a Mom to do?

We went to the beach and got our paws wet.It was almost high tide, as our seagull friends let us know.

It was unusual to see the pilings in the bay without being able to see the bottom:it didn’t stop the gulls though, as they were waiting for their fish special for lunch!

We almost walked a mile and a half, not quite, but it was good for the three of us to be together while Jim tried to sleep.We love walking during the tranquility of the morning and thanking God for getting us on all 2 or 4 paws in the morning!

Autumn Beach

I felt my Dad with me while I walked my girls on the beach. The Sea foam in the picture my Dad would always call soap suds.It was almost as if I could here Daddy in my ear.

I wanted to get Zush and Kasia out on the beach before it gets too chilly, and of course, in my heart, I wanted to make memories with Zush.After all, she was the reason we ended up here. If you recall a past post on Sea glass, well, we didn’t score any on our walk, just shells and stones.

In all, we had a good morning, and suffice it to say, we are relaxing this afternoon.

The Grass is Never Greener….

Since we have moved down here, I have been trying to transfer doctors, so in situations like I am currently in,I would have a physician near-by.

HAH.

The latest development in the screwed up knee is, well,” I called the Orthopedic office and they want you to see infectious disease doctor.” Uh,ok…

No wait…”It’s me again, and Infectious Disease wants you to go to the emergency room and THAT WAY an ortho will see you in the ER and they can drain your knee and culture it.”Oh yeah..and the bill for the attending doctor and the ER $100 co-pay?

The girls and I are going through walking withdrawal.They know I am sick, and between Jim and my neighbor,they get one walk a day.A long way from four walks with Mom.I have been in the house and am going stir crazy.

So the next time you see a photo I take,like, of a good sunset or the beach and you think this is the life, well, it’s not all green grass down here at “Amity”.

Smelling the Roses

I am listening to an Alton Brown Podcast with Jet Tila, and Jet just asked him if he stops to smell the roses.

The idea was “being in the moment”, and it made me stop and think about my current life. In a way, my time here with the girls is a blessing, as I get to be with them and meditate while I have them out. I look up at the sky and take in the clouds and the different patterns, I go down to the bay and take in the coastline.

Maybe it’s my cancers that have made me cognizant of it, but I do try to be in the moment every day.

Family Affair

We went out as a family today, for a walk on the beach at the Cove in Cape May.

The fur girls are only allowed on the beach off-season, so we really like to try to take advantage of that when the weather is decent. Decent was an understatement today: the last day of January had us at 50 degrees.

Kasia walked with me, and Jim had the Zush on her leash.We went from almost the end of the Cove at Cape May beach and walked up beach toward the Convention Hall at Cape May. I think Zush heard us say we were going to try for the Hall, and she let us know it was time to turn back.We couldn’t believe that all the rock jetties and pilings that we normally would see between the beaches literally have disappeared.We don’t know if it was beach replenishment or last weeks’ Nor’Easter, but it really was reminiscent of Lawrence of Arabia. There was a lot of sand as far as the eye could see.

We came across a lot of shells that we brought back home and both girls,especially Zush, were beat.

I think it’s safe to say we’ll all sleep well tonight.

Gifts from the Sea

My Zush has been a little lame on one paw so this week we have been walking down and around for potty walks.

I had to go down and talk to my neighbor,and she was going to walk to the beach,so I decided I ‘d walk her part of the way.

I was then rewarded by six pieces of beach glass on the sand and all of a sudden, I found this

It’s a whelk shell in tact, and it was there rightin front of me.

Finds are pretty good when there is no one around. Sometimes you can feel when someone’s presence put it there for you. I offer thanks whenever I am blessed with one.

Flip flop weather

What’s wrong with the above picture is that there are usually a ton of people on that porch, hanging around, drinking coffee or sipping cocktails.

But it’s December, right?

What a gorgeous day to return for our mid-morning beach walk. I let the girls get their feet wet, the air reminiscent of spring, no one around…it was fabulous.We easily walked 2 miles and in honor of my buddy Belinda,even found two pieces of sea glass.

Days like this are tough to take…NOT!

#Iamblessed

Beachcomber December

One of the perks of living bayside is the quiet of off season.

The girls and I took our lunchtime walk to the bay, and they humored me by letting me look for Cape May diamonds,shells ,colorful stones and sea glass. I, thanks to my buddy Belinda, have really gotten into sea glass.

Even though I cast a larger shadow over them,they dictate which way they want to go, as I know ,although I am the Mom,they get their way so everyone is happy.It was fabulous to be on the beach, even if I had to yell at them to stay out of the water-too cold!

Kasia loves the beach and was ready to keep going.

Zush was a trooper and was waiting for me to turn back.

We’ll try to get a walk or two in again before the weather changes.

Nothing or Something

A buddy of mine is attending a wedding this afternoon.As she is my neighbor, I am helping her out by letting her dog out for a few hours after her handyman leaves.

My other buddy flew to the islands for a week. I am picking up her mail for a week.

Jim took advantage of a pause in the action to go hiking by the beach.

I got a call from my buddy Kath and they are coming down for a day trip.

Nothing like having a full plate: life is good!

Summer’s gone…almost

I can’t believe July is almost over.

I was hoping to have had some time for rest and relaxation. Instead,I am working. I would have liked to spent time working in my garden. It unfortunately looks like the amount of time I have spent on it.I have enjoyed taking the girls down to the bay before, but now, I have to savor having them at the beach once a week.

We had to take Zush to the vet tonight because she has had a GI bug of sorts.Hopefully, the medicine and temporary diet change we are going to have to do will have her feeling better. It is a bittersweet reminder about how short life is, and it needs to be enjoyed.

I am determined that this last month of August will have me actually taking more time to enjoy things.They say you know what you have missed after it has passed you by.

Here’s to stopping the train, getting off, and savoring what’s left of life.

The Morning After

In light of my blog post yesterday, I actually got a response from Mayor Michael Beck of Lower Township, who made sure I knew who didn’t vote for the dog restrictions.

Uh-huh.

Your leadership is SO strong that the new pretenders to the throne see no problem in ignoring your decisions and leadership, and you all just quietly voted the law in.People who had no life to go home to, who could afford to sit through all of your blow hard politics, were left scratching their heads wondering what happened ?

You should be ashamed of yourself.You lead people to believe that it would be taken under advisement and actually enforce the law already on the books.

Oh yeah. Let’s ENFORCE a law already on the books by writing a new law.And the hell with residents here: I’ll sell a ticket to watch you all collect the fines you are going to collect from those with open containers on the beach, along with dirty diapers left behind with Wawa hoagie wrappers.

Let the games begin.

same stuff, different day….

.is what I have found out down here at Amity, er Townbank. More importantly a politician is a politician is a politician.

We went to the rather hush-hush hurry up meeting that was held at 4PM today at the town hall. Oh yes, Mr. Mayor, I really agree we should first ENFORCE the laws we have in existence.Let’s see how that fares through the end of the season.Plenty of blah-blah and total kiss offs to anyone who has a dog.They are more concerned about the tourists and their grandchildren and the possibility of them getting bit:did I tell you they announced in the meeting there was one, count’s ONE dog bite on file last year.

So screw the fact that people drove to this meeting from out-of-state, and the Mayor was a patronizing POS politician, talking out of both sides of his mouth.Some of us have lives to come home to and thingsact that people drove to this meeting from out-of-state, and the Mayor was a patronizing POS politician, talking out of both sides of his mouth.Some of us have lives to come home to and things to do, like walk the girls.

Didn’t my neighbor stay to the end and tell me that as everyone left, the board quietly voted to pass the amendment preventing dogs on beach from 11am to 4PM in season.Never mind the trash left behind by the day trippers and the crime that comes with them.This was what was causing them sleep.

Guess what, Mayor Michael Beck, Council persons, Norris Clark,Thomas Conrad, David Perry and Erik Simonsen.We have got your number and now that you made Lower Township lacking tolerance for dogs, we will be campaigning against you 5. Your pictures will be plastered all over and although you are not Michael Vick, well, when you separate us from our family members, there just aren’t words. We will make sure all people who rent will be “used to” renters, as we spread word through vet offices in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware and New York.Every dog magazine will hear how terrible it is to be here in Lower Township, thanks to 5 men who write with their tiny pens in their pockets and sign laws to make them feel like big dogs.

Guess what,cowardly boys? You are going OUT.

Tarnished Town

So here I am in Townbank, Lower Township, New Jersey.

Retired, pulled up roots, relocated..we are all here.

I walk the girls four times a day. As it has gotten warmer, I have taken the early afternoon walk with Kasia, as Zush isn’t too comfortable with the heat. We walk for two miles, and part of it is on the bay. I have her leashed, and good Dog Mom that I am I have plenty of bags.We have come to enjoy it.

Until tonight.

My neighbor informed me that the local government meeting this past Monday night moved to BAN dogs from the beach between 11 and 4 from Memorial Day.

**Sigh**

I am not stupid. I have lived here in the winter. I know it is a vacation economy and they have to bow to folks who want to come down and go on the beach. Yup, they do, with their infants, toddlers, dirty diapers, juice boxes,little dogs, big dogs, toys, and when the day is done? They pull up their beach blanket, count their children and dogs, and go back to their rental.Never mind the soiled diapers that they leave behind, beer cans, Wawa hoagie wrappers, and the like. Oh that doesn’t happen? Walk with me after the day beach folks and see what is left behind.

Did I mention they are going to fine folks for being on the beach with dogs then? Leashed or otherwise? Hah…would love to see them to catch up with visitors.Whoa if word gets out to pet parents who rent down here, and they bring their dog down and find out their water dog CAN’T go in the water.Obviously the powers that be haven’t read any of the travel surveys that note the trend is people who own dogs LOVE to travel with them.

So now I have made this post, and if someone looks and finds the tags for Lower Township NJ and Townbank, I hope they are warned.

As for me and my girls, we aren’t defeated. Hah! Far from it. We know the shady route, and the girls know their Mom votes. I vote with my wallet and my actual electoral vote.I’ll make my voice heard.

Hole-y Sinking Sand!

The girls and I had a rare treat today.
Jim finished work early and we celebrated by taking a 3 mile walk on the Cove beach at Cape May.

We had a rough time for a little,though.

Where we were walking, which would normally have been the sand right around the tide line, when you stepped on, when Zush stepped on it, it sunk! I mean, you would put your foot down and your foot would go down a bit and then, eventually, you hit another layer of sand.It scared me, and Zush and Jim, when it happened to each of us: eventually we moved away from the tide line.

We love the Cove, as do a ton of folks, because it allows you a southward view of the ocean and beach and the lighthouse at Cape May State Park.

We took our time walking,picking up seashells as we went along.There is a bunker that was built for World War II that still was on the beach, and for some reason,we couldn’t make it out from the distance. It gave us incentive to keep on walking.Well, we decided when we would make it to the bunker, we’d touch it and then turn back.

Here’s a shot of Jim and Zush when we made it down to the ruins of the bunker. Kasia was walking with me.I took this shot of the lighthouse and considered it my reward for the effort and to make 15,000 for my fit bit zip today.

It was a wonderful family outing…I am hoping we have more of them in the future.

Making our way

So keeping in line with my fit-bit walking, Kasia and I went for a long walk today while Zush was home with Jim to rest her leg. Her scheduled surgery is this Thursday so any prayers or good mojo you can through our way we would appreciate it.

We walked and walked and because it was just the two of us, we went onto the beach. As Kasia was leashed, we walked slowly and appreciated the stillness and solitude of the beach. It really served to soothe my soul and even Kasia was good in her beach exploration.Below are a few shots I took, or rather, one selfie of us and one of her ready to play

Going back to Jim and Zush in the house, I really felt at peace. It is good to feel blessed!

Windy

We had a good visit this weekend with our buddies Juls and Tim and today we went for a beach walk.

They had been with us over a few times down here at Undisclosed and we had attacked the various parts of the beaches for our walk.Today, we went by the mother house at the shore for the Sisters of Saint Joseph at Cape May Point.We walked up the ramp and got down to the beach and the wind was insane.You had the ocean in front of you, and the wind was blowing the ocean from two different directions, so the surf was really restless.I managed to find a few different shells on the beach and we talked and walked through the trail in the state park to give us all a break from this wind that just wouldn’t stop.It was a good thing that the dogs got walked so we could go without them-they really would have struggled in the wind.It was a beautiful blue sky with the clouds, and the wind was so rough, the lighthouse was closed due to ” inclement weather.”

It’s always nice to have our buddies down for a visit.We need to do it more often.

And the wayward wind…

It was a nor’easter today.

My friend Julie and I went through Cape May today and Cape May Point and we were dressed for the weather.It was still chilly though and the rain came and went and then showed up again. It was a classic rainy day at the shore and we were happy hanging out.

One of the things that we did was going to the Cove in Cape May: I love to try to take the shots of the sea crashing on the rocks.

October Beach

Jim and I had gone out to breakfast and when we were coming back home, we came back on the road by the bay.

I have become accustomed to nature: I followed nature all my life and never was so aware of it until we came down to the bay.I saw something I had never seen before.

Dolphins.

Sure, I have seen one or two in the waters before but there was an actual school of dolphins-there had to be at least ten of them.As I stood there, awestruck, never seeing so many so close, I figured I have to get a shot or video of the dolphins.

They must have been reading my mind. They saw a “human” and then laughed amongst themselves and said ” let’s split.”

I stood there and Jim told me they are like Amish. They don’t like having their picture taken.

**sigh**

As I walked away, I thought, this is my new home.

Awesome!

M	T	W	T	F	S	S
		1	2	3	4	5
6	7	8	9	10	11	12
13	14	15	16	17	18	19
20	21	22	23	24	25	26
27	28	29	30	31

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this:

Rate this: