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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Rainy Day Memories

It's definitely a stay-at-home, curl-up-with-a-quilt-and-a-good-book kinda day here in Nashville!  Rain is expected all morning, and it's so hard for me to get motivated to do anything when it's so gray and dreary.  I understand a lot of you are also suffering under gray skies, so I thought perhaps I would brighten our spirits by sharing some memories of my recent trip to Myrtle Beach SC .... Be warned!  This is a very photo-heavy post!!!  



My mom and I used to go together for a week every year, but the last couple of years have been tough ones, and we were not able to go.  So you can imagine our excitement when we made our plans for this year!  We both love the beach in October - cool days, no crowds, and lots of quiet time together on the balcony overlooking that glorious ocean!


Most days it was a little too chilly or damp to sit out on the beach, so we spent a lot of time on the balcony, which was just fine with us.  I couldn't stop snapping pictures of the glorious nature on display .... and mother nature came with her "A" Game - she was fully prepared to impress us!


There were stunning sunrises ..... each one more beautiful than the last .... we held our breath, awestruck, in those first hushed moments as the world began to wake and come to life ....



Our amazing Creator, painting each day fresh and new ...




Delighting Himself in our delight ...





Mom and I played like a couple of beach bums - doing exactly whatever we wanted to do and nothing else!  The water was a little chilly, but we managed to get in a few lazy walks and some shelling most days ... the beach was practically deserted!





We found some of the most interesting shells I've ever found on a beach!


Many of them were absolutely perfect tiny little specimens!



We had one pretty good storm a few nights before we left - the water came up to the very edge of the beach ....



...  and it totally changed the shape of the shoreline...

BEFORE:


 AFTER.....

When the tide went out in that particular area, we found this deep crevice in the sand, maybe 3 or 4 feet deep, with a very deceptively wicked current.  There were tons of shells in that bank!


In the evenings, we both enjoyed our favorite activities ....

Mom is an awesome artist!!!!
I got LOTS done on this languishing UFO
I'll post my progress on this soon!!!

We spent the last day shopping at our favorite spots ...


I remembered this quilt shop from previous visits and was delighted to find it still there and doing very well!!!  They had quite a few nice pieces that managed to find their way into my cart =^..^=

I dropped Mom off at an Arts & Crafts store on my way to the quilt shop and noticed this in a little resevoir area as I was leaving the mall ....



I'm thinking - "Is that turtles???"  So of course I had to stop the car, right there in the road! - and get out to get a better look ....



Yep, sure enough, it was turtles!!!  There was a ring of some type out there just below the surface that they were sitting on.  I wonder if it was placed there for them specifically, or if they were just grabbing a spot to sit and enjoy the day?  Several of them jumped as they saw me approach.  I never knew I was such a dangerous looking character - apparently, my presence is enough to seriously terrify turtles!  You can see one swimming nearby at the very bottom right - I think he's hoping I'll go away quickly so he can hop back on safely!

We were happy to find a really wonderful and well-stocked used book store - a dying breed my friends!  Bookends was even more delightful inside than its window promised ...


I found a few Louise Penny novels to add to my growing collection :-)  On our way out of the parking lot, we noticed a really unusual phenomenon .... can you see that the setting sun is on the left, and then there is another light on the right?


It had a rainbow effect, but it wasn't like any rainbow I've ever seen.....  Anyone ever see one of these?  Know what it is?


Maybe that was my first UFO encounter that had nothing to do with quilting LOL!!!

Of course, we always took time to enjoy the sunsets .... and there were some doozies!!!  Mother Nature doesn't believe in getting lazy or sloppy just because it is the end of the day!  She likes to end the day with an exclamation point .... and we were left speechless in wonder once again ....


















And what beach trip is complete without ice cream sundaes???


Isn't my mom beautiful?  She makes 77 look pretty darn good! As some of you know, she battled and won against colon cancer this past year.  My gratitude at this time of Thanksgiving is overwhelming.  We are so blessed to be allowed to celebrate the holidays once again with her - healthy and so, so dear to me!

Well, I hope this little trip to the beach has cheered you up as much as it has me!  I think I need to go wash the sand from between my toes now :-)  Enjoy your day!!!

Hugs & Blessings!
Teresa
=^..^=

26 comments:

  1. Gorgeous pictures. One of my favorite things is to look out my window as I am waking up and see the sun starting to streak the sky red.

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  2. You captured some gorgeous views, Teresa. There are several ocean photos with peach, yellow/cream, a little blue, and some greys that are great color inspiration photos for quilts!

    I read your blog in feedly and only come over to your blogsite to leave comments. I scroll, read, look at the photos, scroll to the next section to read or photo to look at. I got to the photo of your mom and stopped. My first thought was, isn't she beautiful?! And then, when I scrolled down to read the next section, I read that we have the same thought about your mom. She IS beautiful!

    Thanks for sharing your days at the beach. Lucky you!

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  3. So glad you and your mom were able to get together at the beach this year! She does look great., I loved the pics, esp. of the shells and the turtles. Thanks for sharing!XO

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  4. I will agree . . . your mom is beautiful. And so are the pictures. What a wonderful time you must have had.

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  5. Thank you everyone for the kind remarks! It was such a joy to be there with Teresa this year. I am grateful each day for another chance to love my family and enjoy the wonders of creation. One of the greatest wonders of all is my daughter Teresa who as you all know is a very talented seamstress and a joy to all of us who get to be in her family! I thank God for all of you, her friends! blessings

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  6. I, too, spent some time in Myrtle Beach in October to celebrate my 50th birthday. You are right about Mother Nature! She puts on a glorious show, rain or shine. What beautiful photos you captured!!

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  7. What a delightful time you've had. So fortunate you've still got your mom to enjoy these special times together. You are both blessed to have this special relationship and enjoy these artistic interests together. We have always called rainbows like that "sun dogs".

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  8. I call that little reflection a "sun dog" too. Very common on winter mornings when it's -10C. (About 10 F). I'd rather be in Myrtle Beach on a day like that.

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  9. Oh, thank you for the soul restoring views of God's handiwork! Love them!
    You know, I have always felt like you would be terrifying to turtles!! *LOL*
    I think your Mom is beautiful, too. The apple didn't fall far from the tree!
    I can see you have already learned that the phenomenon in the sky is called a sun dog. Our weatherman says that they are thought to be a portent of coming stormy weather, because it is the additional moisture in the atmosphere that makes the light refract like that..

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  10. Yes.....your mom is beautiful. You have much to be thankful for this year. I know it was not an easy road for her this past year....or you!

    The trip looks fabulous and so many beautiful sunrises. Your beach scenes were gorgeous.

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  11. So wonderful to be able to spend this time with your Mom! A time to treasure! Now I know where you got your awesome eye for color. Loved the photos. And I will check out Louise Penny.

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  12. Wonderful photos!!! I love the sea, sunrise and sunset so what a wonderful post to sit and take time to let all that beauty just flow over me. Pleased to see your Mom looking so very well!

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  13. What an absolutely fabulous holiday you and your mum had, Teresa! A perfect setting and your photos are wonderful :-)

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  14. Some of God's most beautiful handiworks are sunrises and sunsets ... especially on the ocean. And your mama is just so beautiful ... I'm so glad that you two got to spend that special time together.

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  15. What a great trip made even more special with your Mom along to share it with you! Thanks so much for sharing the lovely beach photos with us. I miss seeing the ocean....

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  16. OMG, OMG, OMG! We just got back from there on Sunday! Yes, the weather was rainy and cool...but I took some beautiful sky photos also. Just AMAZING! And, you went to my favorite quilt shop in all of the Myrtle Beach area!!! Every time we go to North Myrtle (twice a year) my husband sits patiently in the car while I go inside and shop. Fabric is my souvenir every visit. I just love the $5/yd area. Wonder if we were there at the same time, LOL?

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  17. God delighting in our delight.....awesome!!!!!!

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  18. God delighting in our delight.....awesome!!!!!!

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  19. Great pictures, Teresa. My family used to go to Myrtle Beach on vacations when we lived on the East Coast (Virginia and North Carolina). I don't remember a lot about it, but I do remember being happy when I heard we were going. It's been cold, gray, and dreary here too. I remember thinking yesterday that I feel lazy on those days.

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  20. This was an awesome post and pictures of God's handy work. I'm so glad you were able to share it with your mother and us. I am so happy to see your mother looking great and enjoying herself with her favorite daughter. Loved your commentary as we went along with you on this adventure. God Bless you and your family.

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  21. Amazing pictures thanks for sharing them. I am glad you and your mother had such a great time together. I agree with you about going anywhere in the off season as I am not a fan of large crowds and the weather is many times more enjoyable.

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  22. What a fun, beautiful and relaxing trip with your mom! Thanks for sharing - I feel so tranquil and relaxed...and then I remember that we have snow in our forecast for tonight! Oh well, I will just continue looking at your pictures!

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  23. Great photos! How nice that you and your mom were able to spend time together. Now we know where your creativity and wonderful sense ofr color comes from! I love the beach, any beach, in any weather.

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  24. What a wonderful time you and your mother had Teresa! Thank you for sharing all the beautiful photos! It reminds me of when my mom and I would do things like that....such wonderful memories!

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  25. What a beautiful recount of what sounds (and looks) like a simple splendid trip!! Wonderful stuff in here, my friend!! :)

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  26. THANK U for taking us w/U on vacation!! What wonderful photography & viewing this on Sunday seemed like being in the background at a church service. Thanks again for sharing!!

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