Even though we’ve not had much beach weather in New England this summer, with the chilly temperatures and rain, there are still occasions for exploring artistic opportunities.  A day at the ocean or lake can be much more than swimming.  Look around you and expand your imagination…be creative.

Sketch pictures of the scenery and people
Collect stones and shells.
Later make collages with them.
Create jewelry.  My aunt had a long, narrow shell with jewelry fastening glued to the top for a chain.
Take photos and create a slide show on your computer.
Find sea glass and learn about it.
Write a journal about your beach experiences and …read more

Beach and water fun for summer is the theme this week . This brings back memories of “the ole swimming hole” on the farm where I grew up.  Two brooks joined in the pasture and made a pool deep enough for Mother to teach us four children to swim.  There we cooled off after a day in the hay fields or working in the garden.
On family vacations, we often visited my aunt and uncle and spent a day or two at York Beach, Maine…my aunt’s favorite beach.  We had a taste of swimming in salt water and looked forward to …read more

You should be here. Really, every mother should at least once a year. Here, a place away from the schedules and the obligations and the day-to-day goings on.
When I packed my bags three days ago and headed to the beach with my five girlfriends (we have been doing this 17 years now) I left my husband a note. It reminded him of Graham’s birthday party Wednesday afternoon and Caleb’s on Sunday. It told him who got which present, which were all wrapped on the kitchen table and ready to go. I packed outfits for Truman (who spent a couple nights …read more

Every mother deserves some down time. Mine, this week, is at the beach with five of my old sorority sisters. I hate to admit how difficult it is for me to leave my family. But the minute the first friend arrives and we load up the car and head to the beach, I’m recovered.
Today I slept until 7:30 a.m., ate two cinnamon rolls, got a massage and read People magazine on the beach until my skin was scorched. I caught American Idol’s Adam Lambert’s version of U2’s One on my iPhone (heart) while poolside and sat in a hot tub …read more

Here in the Northeast of the U.S., we have endured very strange Spring weather. Winter didn’t actually leave us until early April, then we went through a heat-wave in May, and then a rash of dangerous flooding in June.
But today, July 1st…it’s a glorious day, it’s hot in that way I remember as a kid…there’s just something in the air that says beach.
But alas, I am not in beach condition…I had all of those winter months to get ready…but I did nothing. Even Kirstie Alley got off her duff and lost a ton of …read more