Beach Walk

Perfect day for sailing... sunny and windy


Starfish "hiding" in the seaweed so the seagulls do not eat them.


The little bit of beach not covered in seaweed today


Little starfish "playing" in the surf


Treasures found today while walking on the beach

After all the wind we have had I had thought there would be a lot of treasures... which there might be.. but 99% of the beach is covered in thick slimy seaweed so I will wait a couple of days for that to wash out and then head back out to see what is there :)

Stormy Beach

Winter is arriving... with the wind and the rain. I love the beach and this time of year is my favorite... the wind comes in crashing the waves on the shore and then rips them back out.. dragging sand and rocks and logs with it... churning it all up and uncovering all the treasures.

There is power and life on the beach in a storm and one never knows what little bits of beautiful it may uncover and leave laying on the beach to be found. Yesterday there was a period of strong wind gust and it happened to be at high tide.. which was not all that high.. but mixed with the wind gust is made it so much more powerful and amazing. We were only out there for a few minutes yesterday and got a couple of pictures is all... I will be heading out there this week to see what has been turned up so there will be more pictures soon... this time of year.. there will be a lot of beach pictures :)

Normally at a 10.4 tide the water would be many feet from the little sea wall there... with plenty of room to walk down the beach.. and.. this is not big ocean beach.. most of the time we have little ripples not big frothy waves.

I am a little concerned though as I have been reading reports that items from the Japan earthquake and tsunami are expected to start washing up on beaches before too long.. with the most of it arriving in 2013. Beach Combers Alert Even though I do not expect any to wash up on the beach I spend time on..it would have to go around Whidbey island. I do know I will be looking at each item a bit differently. That tsunami really affected my time on the beach... I have not walked the shore since without being thankful for everything I have or without thinking on those who lost so much.

Beach Walk

30 degrees and a bit cold this morning... but still a great morning for a walk on the beach!

Tide was coming in so it was not a long walk but it was so calm and sunny and brrrr cold.. Wonderful morning walk! With all the wind the last few days there was all sorts of fun stuff stirred up and left on the beach :) This morning the water was so calm and the birds were just having a lazy morning.. lots of stretching and quiet noises... very peaceful and calming.

Found lots of fun treasures

This one made me think of my flickr friends :)

Pretty sure the bird on the left was telling the other bird... " head up.. open the wings.. fly!"

Time to head home.. which was ok because my toes and finger tips were getting a bit chilly :)

Walk on Beach

Beach to the left

Beach to the right.

Guarding his part of the beach.

I always want to climb up those stairs, I think there is a magical land up there.. must be to be connect to here.

The treasures I found today :)

Fun New Stuff

I found these cute little wooden frames awhile ago.. and I knew I needed them.. just was not sure what I would do with them.. well I figured it out... lol sort of as I went.. I just sat down with the frames, some paint and some boxes of imagination (different supplies) and started having fun with them.

I have them listed in my shop now and if they do not sell fast I may be claiming them for myself.... I love them! I also had fun trying out a new setting for taking pictures.. I think it worked pretty well.. Basically.. today was a lot of fun!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Week Two update with some pictures from todays beach adventure :)

This last week I started walking on the treadmill and did a good job (not great) of doing my workouts. The lunges, the weights and the resistance tubing. I really need to work on getting a lot better at doing at least some part of it everyday.. it is hard to get back on schedule for doing this.

I really tried to work hard on eating better.. smaller portions... and more veggies and fruits with less sugar and carbs... hmmm I still need a lot of work in this area.

I did have more energy this week and I did sleep better, also helps that we had some sunshine to enjoy.

Weigh in last week 255 ~ Weigh in today 253 = minus 2 lbs :)

New Beach and New Shop, Lots of Fun

I have been wanting to write this blog for a couple of days, but with the issues blogger has been having I waited.. which.. was very hard to do! I had an amazing weekend with my honey. It is nice that we get three days.. we love spending time together.. only problem is.. it is still never enough time to get everything done. The plan was to spend as much time as possible in the shop working on the cabinets as we can not do anything else out there until they are done.. but.. Friday we had to run to town to do some errands and it was so beautiful out. We did get everything done we needed to.. and just in time for dinner, burgers and fries at 5 guys.. Awesome!! Then we walked around Best Buy and Costco.. turned it into a date night... yeah that is how we spend our date nights.. and we love it. We do need to buy a new printer so checked those out.. would love any recommendations, just leave a comment. Then home and we watched some tv... no shop time.

Saturday.. we slept in a bit... and then.. decided since it was still nice to run and get some propane ( to use to burn the weeds in the driveway) and while we were out we would stop at a garage sale or two. It was so nice and sunny out, we also stopped at the Beach House Barn , I love this place.. they are super friendly and have wonderful fun stuff, one of those places that every time you visit you see something new that you can't live without.

( that bottle is one of the things I Love at the Beach House Barn)

We also checked out a new shop that just opened... called Retreat. Beautiful place, friendly, fun stuff. I look forward to visiting there again too. Between Stanwood and Camano there are a lot of wonderful fun stores to poke around in and visit in.. I am not much of a shopper but I love the visiting part :) I love seeing fun stuff and new ideas on old stuff :) Retreat has that! They have a Market coming up on June 25th that looks like something not to be missed :) Lots of fun stuff from different people all in one place! ( I love the wine holder below)

We did find one garage/estate sale that we bought something from.. I got a old pan for making cheese cake in.. I always have a hard time avoiding the kitchen stuff.. a lot of the sales have stuff from when I baked with my grandma... I love it and can never refuse it.. I spent one dollar.. lol Dave spent $20, which for us is big spending.. but he got two brand new, in box never opened items.. one is a compass.. an old sighting compass.. looked it up online and you can buy a new one for $150, he also got a flash lighting kit thingy ( umbrellas and flash bulbs and tripods for taking photos) new is about $170. Everything works and has manuals for both items... so we got a great deal. ( One sale we went to has a bunch of peacocks running around )

Found a new beach I can not wait to explore more... we spent a little time out playing on it but hope to go back and walk the trails and I want to spend more time on the beach itself.. it is a lot different than the beach at my house.. mine is all rocky.. this one is all sandy and lots of drift wood.. even found some pieces of sea glass :)

We did get home about 2 or so.. we did get all the weeds in the driveway burned and cleaned up.. and well that was pretty much all we did..it started pouring and then it was dinner time.. we decided to head out and get pizza and beer.. went to Islanders and it was wonderful... as it always is :)

( crummy cell phone picture in the dark does this No justice)

Sunday we spent all day in the shop, the top cabinet is boxed and ready for face frame and shelves tonight.. then should start doing the finish work on and by this weekend it will be up on the wall.. then all we have left ( for that half of the shop ) is doors and drawers. I think we are going to tackle the other side before we do those though. That side will get some tear down of cabinets that are there and then we need to build cabinets for a couple of the tools.. and one more for the wall... they should be easy compared to the ones we have done. Just the fact that we will not be tripping over as much stuff will make it easier to build them.

It was a wonderful weekend.. and this week so far is wonderful too :) Sunshine :) Yesterday I had a burn pile for hours and got some of the scraps from the shop burned and a bunch of branches.. neighbors all came and visited.. it was a nice afternoon.. then worked in the shop in the evening :)

Crossing Fingers for Spring

Today was just beautiful... went to physical therapy and then stopped for a minute ( two hours ) at the beach... the tide was out really far and it was warm and sunny and beautiful! I am hoping this means spring is really here.. even though some neighbors not too far away had snow.



Now it is 7 pm and we are working in the shop with the door open and the sun shining in. Not even cold enough for sweat shirts :) *fingers are crossed for spring*

The Beach House Barn

Today my daughter and I stopped by the Beach House Barn to check it out.. and we love it!! Right away outside I saw many things I would love to bring home and put in my yard. Bird houses and planters and lanterns and even milk boxes from the Smith Brothers Dairy. Had one just like this when I growing up, brings back a lot of wonderful memories. I am thinking I might go get one and put it in my garden by my front door. All of the prices on things in this shop are amazing, super deals for sure.

In we went and right away there are so many wonderful things to see. Jewelry and soaps and candles and fish things and beach things and bottles and lights and frames and bird houses and ornaments. This list could go on and on... every time you walk around it you see new stuff you would swear was not there a minute ago. They had some super cute rubber boots with lace around the top.. some fun cow boy boots and a leather vest. Daughter found a party dress she loved.. and it was only $24, she was super sad it was not the right size.

This is one of those fun stores that you could easily spend hours looking through. I loved that it had the whole beachy feel.. but it also has so much more. On their beautiful business card they say "antique treasures and retro riches" they are that and so much more. There is a little of everything for anyone in here. One of the best parts is that you can even bring your hubby. He may not want to go inside (it is a bit girly) but.. they have cool trucks outside and old tools and farm stuff. He would not be stuck totally sitting in the car. I wish I had taken more photos.. I only had my cell phone on me though.. I need to remember to always have the camera with me. I am hoping Snohomish County Blog Girl sees this post and heads out to check this place out. She does Awesome reviews on shops and takes wonderful photos. Be sure to check her blog out for some more awesome local places to explore.

Thank you Kelly for the wonderful visit while we were checking out your shop. We both loved it and I am sure we will be regular visitors :)

65 West North Camano Drive

Camano Island, Wa 98282

206-228-8159

Hours 10:30 ~ 5:30 Wed ~ Sun.

email Beachhousebarn@yahoo.com

Facebook.com/BeachHouseBarn

Fun Day at the Beach

This morning I was sore from PT yesterday but I really wanted to head to the beach. Since starting PT I have not been spending much time at the beach.. too sore and well there have been other things going on also.. paper work type things that keep me sitting at the desk instead of out playing. Today I went out for a few hours just to play.

As soon as I got to the beach there was an Eagle sitting out on the pier just hanging out. I knew it would be a fun day, which it was. I meet up with my friend and her dog and cat... and off we went. I love walking with these guys on the beach... the dog is always so happy to see me... he loves collecting huge sticks ( sometimes more like logs ) and taking off with then down the beach :) The cat just follows along meowing and stopping once in awhile to get petted. Today we kept him really close to us as the eagles were flying around above. My friend is great to walk with.. we walk and talk and then she goes in search of what she collecting then we meet up again on her way back. I can go pretty slow.. just looking at things.. taking pictures.. watching the water.

I found a bunch of fun things today... lots of pretty glass.. some in the greens and blues that I love. Also found a big black rock that looks cool and is super light weight. A big chunk of cement that has news paper embedded in it.. reminds me of taking silly putty and transferring comics to it.

Low Tide and Sunshine

Headed to the beach today at low tide.. it was way out there too... almost a -1 .. I had not been to the beach when it was this far out for awhile. Today I just mostly walked.. and watched the water for whales.. did not do much treasure hunting. Found some Big rocks covered in Lots of shells and barnacles.

Lots of people on the beach, some clamming some walking and some just sitting watching. I did some visiting with some of them. I learned that years ago it used to be that when someone on the beach would see one of the whales that they would ring a bell on their porch and that you could hear the bells ringing down the beach as the whales swam by. I wish they still did this.. makes me want to get a big bell and ring it when I see a whale.. though with the luck I had last time I am just hoping to hang onto the camera long enough to get a picture when I see a whale next!

I am not sure what this is... I thought it was a cup cake paper someone had thrown on the beach so I bent over to pick it up and take it to the trash.. and it felt just like a star fish... but all one piece, no tentacles and it is the size of a cup cake paper. It was also pretty stinky.. well.. beach smelling.. so I just left it alone and took some pictures, will look into what it might be.

Today was a nice relaxing day on the beach, the news had said we would be aiming for 60.. but according to my house we made it past there and to 65.. I know it was
t-shirt weather at the beach today and I Loved it!

Anger at the Beach

Today I took no pictures on my beach walk, today I gathered no treasures. I walked along the shore and I cried. I thought of the families who are missing, the damage and the pain and hurt that is in Japan right now. I prayed and I cried and I prayed some more.

I had to make myself go to the beach today, I thought I was a bit afraid... but I knew when I got there it would be ok... and yet it wasn't. I am not afraid of the beach, I am though angry at it. Which sounds weird.. but the beach has been my safe place, my place of therapy, and watching the news this last weekend and seeing all the damage that was done I feel like I just found out someone I love and trusted turned evil.

It is sort of weird writing this, feels childish. My head gets that the beach itself did not stand up and decide to go hurt people and destroy lives, and by admitting that I am angry at the beach shows that I have been thinking of it as something with thought and feelings. Yes I spend much time walking along the shore talking to the waves and letting them help me sort things in my head. It is a lot cheaper than therapy and seems to work as well.

Today I sat and I cried and I yelled at the beach while throwing rocks at it and into it. I then walked along the shore, crying and praying and thinking of every person who is missing.

*update* Today is a better day, for me. My heart still hurts for every person going through all of this... but me being angry at the beach is done... that won't do anyone any good... I am sure I will be down there throwing some more rocks at it and being upset... how can anyone not be when they see and hear all that is happening these days. Like i said earlier... the beach is my therapy.. so throw rocks, cry, pray and scream gets done there often.

Dangers at the Beach

I love the beach.. everyone who has read here knows that... every once in awhile I get a little reminder that I need to be aware and be careful when I am at the beach.. and today was one of them. In the past I have bonked my head on low branches... even made it bled one time... I get so busy climbing over logs and looking for treasures that I have to pay attention and watch for low branches... since the last head injury I have been very careful. I also have to be careful because the logs and the rocks are slippery. I have not fallen yet *knock on wood* but I am sure my day is coming.... often I am sure if anyone could see me they would be thinking I was a drunk. I am not sure if it would be different if my shoulder did not hurt... possibly then I would be a bit more secure but at this time if I start to fall I will landing on my face or backside as no way I would be able to use the arm to stop myself. Also I have learned that animals live down there... I knew that birds and clams and crabs and what not.. but I had never thought about animals like raccoons or sea otters or snakes.. or any other animals living that close to the waters edge. Almost found myself in an animal den last summer before it dawned on me that something else was in there.....that the cool hole was a door. Slow and steady and carefully I enjoy many hours on the beach.

Today it is windy and stormy and raining a bunch. I had planned on heading to the beach first thing this morning.. but then it started just dumping, so I waited until it was only raining hard and the wind was only blowing a bit and I headed down. It has warmed up so it was not too bad down there.. I headed down the beach... saw a new landslide.. just a small one.. some mud came down the hill and a tree is laying over onto the beach a bit. Not a huge deal... as it was just the start of the high bank area...a bit further down there is a big tree that fell a little over a year ago, most days that is the turning around point... but today I climbed over it... I stayed pretty close to the low tide line... just because the bank starts to get unstable here... and only a little further is a big slide from last year... a dozen trees and lots of mud slid down the bank.... now it has been thinned out over the year and you can climb through the trees ( at low tide ) I was peeking through and thought I could see a couple more new slides so I decided to go for it and climb through the trees... it is not hard at all.. you just go under one and then up the bank a little bit and across another huge flat one ( easy walking on it ) On the other side I do see a new slide so I head down the beach to it... looking for sea glass and listening.. listening for mud falling.. trees cracking.. anything that might not be safe or normal... first I had the beejees scared out of me when I bird comes flying out of the bushes almost taking my head off.. then I see a perfect piece of green glass.. I am reaching in for it.. and I hear something, almost feel it... a big thud.. so I look up and step back and then take a lot more steps back as a big chunk of the bank comes down and makes a big muddy splat right on top of that green glass..it was a huge feeling... almost more than a sound that the slide made... but looks like a huge dinosaur just walked up and pooped on it.. no way I am getting it now. Then it dawns on me that even though it would not have been life threatening if that mud had fallen on me... I was still in a bad situation and was not being smart or careful.. I was very lucky that was not a bigger slide and that the tree just hanging there had not fallen. I decided it was time to march myself to the low tide and get home.. or least to low bank beach.

Big Slide I climb through

Big Tree at top of Slide that is just waiting to come down


The Green Sea Glass I wanted is under that pile of mud

~Michelle

Gray Whales are in Town

I spent a lot of time sitting here watching for the whale today

Last year I saw my first whale ever, not sure what kind it was.. I was so excited I dropped the camera and think I scared it back across the water. I kept hearing something.. and it was a sound that was not normal at the beach in the few months I had been visiting there regularly. I find I "see" more with my ears than with my eyes while I am on the beach. My eyes tend to be filled up with the sea glass and the rocks and what not. My ears have learned to listen to the water and the wind and the birds and critters, and now the whales. I kept hearing this sound and looking up and seeing nothing.. finally I stopped... and just sat on a big log and watched the water.. I knew something was out there. He came up and spouted ( that was what I had been hearing ) and then back under the water. I was just in shock.. I had no idea that it might be a whale. He was so close to shore.... I was so excited.. I stood on the log.. got the camera all ready... and stood perfectly still.. watching and listening.. up he came... so very close to shore I was so amazed that I just stook watching and forgot to click the button for a picture. So I stood awhile longer... and then when he came back up he was almost to Whidbey (island that is 4 miles or so across the water from where I am ) and not a good picture... I stood there forever.. another lady came by and I told her what I had seen.. she said it happened all the time and was not a big deal.. again my jaw dropped in shock.. how could it ever not be a big deal.. if you saw it everyday it would still be an Awesome site. To each their own I guess!

I have lived here for 6 years now... only starting spending time on the beach a year ago... I had no clue that whales visited here.. and regularly.. like yearly. Since I saw that whale I did some reading and I am so looking forward to seeing some whales this year and am going to do my best to keep my calm and get some pictures :)

Just heard that the first one of the year has been spotted. A bit south of me... but I am still watching the water just in case he/she it comes this way. I follow The Orca Network on twitter and on facebook so I can watch where they are.

You can find all types of information on The Orca Network, not just about the orcas but about the Grays too :) Click here to learn about the Grays

Here is an article published today on the South Whidbey Record about the first whale of the year being spotted and about the "Welcome the Whales" celebration

Brrrrr on the Beach

Yesterday it was sunny and warm... well if you did not count the wind chill... but I over did it in the morning when I opened the doors and windows and did a bunch of spring cleaning.. by noon my shoulder was hurting so bad I ended up spending the next four hours sleeping.

This morning my house is already all clean so I took off for the beach, it was only 35 degrees but there was no wind.. just a light drizzle :) I could see the sunshine across the water.. kept hoping it would sneak over and warm me up... but it did not. After a couple of hours I headed home to some hot cocoa and to sit in front of the fireplace with my book :)

I did find a bunch of wonderful treasures... lots of Bigger pieces and lots of really frosted fun pieces. One cool red spotted heart rock and one star agate too :)

Now that I have warmed up a bit it was a great day at the beach... I do love it when it is cold and wet... the glass seems to glistens and you get the whole beach to yourself :)

~Michelle