Mermaids and Unicorns...

on a delightful trip to the beach

~ where summer was extended with September's warmth and sunshine ~

a mermaid appeared

and long haired dogs were filled with joy

we enjoyed the sun setting on the ocean

{and I decided to be Queen of the Beach}

and one golden evening a unicorn pranced on the sand

~ Violet ~

A Garden Inspired by the Beach

We visit the Oregon Coast yearly and I love the flowers and gardens

in Cannon Beach with a view of Haystack Rock and the ocean

{the dogs like it there too}

After visiting there in April, I came home wanting to create

a miniature garden with a beach theme.

Flowers, a tree (a dwarf form of Japanese Cedar), a sandy beach

and of course, the ocean!

with Haystack Rock off in the distance

We always see dogs at Cannon Beach

{and bring our own}

The black one above is resting on Scotch Moss,

a ground cover perennial

and the white one is running on the beach,

past the sandcastles and beach umbrella

These last 3 photos have a blue sky appearing above the ocean

I used pastels on paper as a photo prop

and now I want to figure out how to keep a sky out there

beyond the ocean!

{my back yard fairy garden has a painted background, so why not?}

I added some glitter to the sparkly sand,

not sure what a wind storm or heavy rain will do to this garden,

but this week has beautiful weather so I'm not going to think about that now.

~Violet ~

fun at the OCEAN

a tiny starfish

with a portion of an ocean painting printed on a tag

... and written on the back, a note ...

tucked into the sand,

left on a bench in the sunshine

in the beach town.

Here and there

a little reminder of His love

which is as vast as the ocean and deeper than the sea

Praying a blessing

on whoever found them,

~ a few gifts ~

from me, anonymously,

{tee-heee!}

His, announced gloriously in

SIGHT,

SOUND, SCENT,

TASTE

and

TOUCH

on warm vacation days,

~ my springtime birthday present ~

at a favorite

B E A C H

_____________

This was so fun,

anyone want to join the "Sisterhood of Anonymous Gifts"? 

no, the initials for that club are not good.

Definitely need another name.

But it would be a fun club

in which to be an

anonymous

member

another idea, what about the

G R A C E club?

                                              Gifting

                                                      Random

                                                             Artistic

                                                                     Creations of

                                                                             Encouragement

hmmmmm ... this is something to consider!

Enjoy your week,

may it be full of wonderful surprises!

~ Violet ~

Beach Cottages

Some photos I took on our beach cottage walk

while on vacation last week.

Striking, that pumpkin in the basket of the rusty blue bike

At the cottage with the bright green window trim

These cottage dwellers are most likely glad that most tourists

stay on the main road in town,

perusing the shops, bakeries, galleries and cafes

-

but oh what we would have missed

had we not taken to the alley-ways and back roads

not striving toward a destination

but just enjoying the adventure of the journey

I take photos of the same cottages every time we visit,

but, each time the light is a bit different,

the flowers always beautiful

In our home town I often overlook the beauty

of a window box or porch decor

as I breeze by in my car heading to my destination

-

but in leisurely walking the same route

often there are treasures of beauty to observe

-

There is an old garage in an alley,

once painted blue but now completely weathered.

Everytime I pass it I enjoy its texture and peeling paint,

the grey wood exposed

-

~  back to the beach cottages  ~

Gorgeous weathered wood

A favorite color

The purple trim on this cottage

always creates a smile in my heart and on my face

The hounds enjoy the cottage walk

but prefer the sand and ocean view

Yes, our beach has AQUA sand dollars !!!

(with chocolate inside, the best!)

-

-

I just know Anita is smiling at this.

te-heeee!!!

Snowy Beach Vacation

Snow on the beach is a rare sight

and we were so happy to be here last week as it snowed

on the Oregon Coast... we have not been to the beach in winter before.

It was very cold, and we experienced every type of weather

( ~ except warm ~ )

sun, hail, rain, sun, wind, snow, sun, blue skies and

glorious cloud formations and sunsets

Our dogs love vacations at the beach

~ and long to run free on the miles of sand ~

... sighthounds can  not usually be trusted unleashed though ...

so our Afghan Hounds only ran short distances,

until my husband ran out of breath and energy ~ and then we walked and walked

all bundled up ~ and they wore their lovely fur coats.

~ It was a perfect winter vacation ~

and I snapped so many photos, having never been here in the snow

-

Brrrrr..... and now, I am ready for spring!

(How about you?)

-

Happy March!

Beachy Shop Vignettes

A delightful shop discovered while on vacation at the beach.

May you be inspired by the beauty as I was!

Shells. Oh how I love them!

...The beauty God creates brings such joy to my heart...

-

As does the beauty of lovely interior design

Inspired by shells

and not willing yet to say goodbye to summer!!!