sunday morning, july 23rd, i picked up korrina and chanda at korrina's place (chanda rode her bike there) and we drove out via the long island expressway to visit kathy, warren, jason and adam at the house. it was a mix of beach time and home improvement. but first: beach time!
(note the new light to the right of jason, on the house. it's one of the four we bought at the lighting store in connecticut. they hung them just before we arrived.)
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monday . .
the early morning home improvement crew . .
they were wondering where they were going to get a board to fix the split one on the side of the garage, when adam noticed a board in the rafters of the garage that was a perfect size. "noni to the rescue," warren said. it was like my dad had left it there specifically for such a moment.
sizing the new board against the split board . .
back out on the deck the literature crew were hard at work . .
along with the knitting crew taking important pictures of a special project . .
this is korrina's "brownstone ivy" shawl in brioche stitch, pattern by lesley anne robinson. it's not up on her ravelry site yet, so i can't link to it, and i can't remember what yarn she used. i'll have to try and remember to add it later.
ta da!
(the literature crew)
adam brought monstera deliciosa back from florida for us to try (they grow in his yard). it was perfectly wipe and delicious, which was good, as unripe monstera fruit is full of oxalic acid which can burn and cause throat irritation. he also brought about eight to ten mangos which were perfectly soft and sweet and which we all devoured.
i brought two quiches for breakfast from the green market at home.
where to hang these photos?
my dad's navy photo from 1944 . .
can you pick him out?
now? (he's in the second row from the bottom.)
korrina was going through several very old boxes filled with china dishes, cups and vases all wrapped in a myriad of newspaper.
"auguste"
it's the brandy glass i brought back for my parents from venice in 1982, from the island of murano. it's been packed away since the early 90's probably, when my parents moved from my childhood home to an apartment in which they lived while building the house. i had been wondering where it was.
this little whale used to sit on my mother's hutch in our old home. i don't recall where the duck is from.
perusing old papers pertaining the building of the house . .
an old checkbook which felt strange to look at . . bringing back memories of my dad and mom sitting at the dining room table and going over their finances and paying bills.
an old us navy chest which held some old coats and boots.
meanwhile, adam was wrapping wood planks with foam to place under the couch cushions to make them more sturdy.
a two dollar bill from my mom's coin and two dollar bill collection?
instructions on how to crochet the kitchen towels my mom would make for us each christmas.
an old personally autographed photo of my mom's favorite actor that she had wanted to try selling.
cushions she never finished making. i'll have to check downstairs to see if they are still in the drawers as i remember now that there is an organization where you can send unfinished crafts from loved ones that people will finish for you. i hope they're still there.
finally . . more beach time!
the literature crew is very hardworking!
kathy is observing the common terns that were flying about the bay - diving for fish and feeding their young who were bopping around along the shore.
there was also a cormorant who was feeding also.
our next door neighbor happened to be on the same beach that day, with his daughter and granddaughter. they were enjoying having a nice chat together.
back at the house kathy began putting together a salad to go with the marinara sauce i made.
dishing up our own bowls of ravioli with marinara sauce . .
tea and strawberry rhubarb pie from the green market for dessert . .
along with a game of apples to apples.
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tuesday . .
9:30 tuesday morning . . scrambling eggs and peeling mango for breakfast.
adam was trying to discard some old sticky paint leftover from my dad (probably more than ten years old).
he was hoping it would dry out in the sun.
korrina had spent the late evening yesterday listening to a podcast while rolling all the coins we had found.
the literature crew!
maybe the literature crew first laid out these knives and forks before beginning the literature work.
the late morning was spent boogie boarding at ditch plains.
afterwards, we bought a wrap sandwich for korrina from the ditch witch for her train ride home.
chanda and i went to the bay for a swim where jason joined us.
relaxing back at the house . .
when a huge flock of crows noisily flew by . .
dinner was pizza . .
followed by a game of code words, which i really enjoyed after a few rounds went by and i understood what was happening.
meanwhile morgan was on the way to austria from london, for a two week visit.
an arrival late at night, when all was quiet.
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wednesday . .
time to stain the deck . .
oh, is that the literature crew i see out there?
looks like the literature crew is doing some deck furniture staining . .
hmmm . . the literature crew doesn't look too happy.
say hello to the deck furniture staining crew.
last beach swim before heading home . .
linaria vulgaris, or common toadflax, yellow toadflax or butter and eggs.
verbascum thapsus, or common muhlein, whose leaves i picked for korrina, so she could dry them to use for tea.
chanda and i left around 2 pm for nyc where i dropped her at her apartment, and where greg met me so we could drive home together. (arrival time around 7 pm.)
morgana sent a photo of them with the new baby, manu's first grandchild, a little girl, lea:
i think lea was the reason for the visit.
and that concludes the family get together out east.
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