Abandoned Love

I love to take the back ways.  I don’t know why, but there’s just something about abandoned buildings that evoke strong feelings in me.  They are so mysterious, sad, strange, romantic, sinister…

Was this once a thriving hotel or restaurant? What caused its decline? Why didn’t someone knock it down? Who boarded up the windows?

Schools, especially, seem creepy.  You can almost hear the voices of schoolchildren at recess …

I will be sad if they ever knock this old factory down. Think how she once probably stood strong and employed hundreds of people. Maybe someone will figure out a way to reinvent her and make her proud and robust again...

I hope all these buildings eventually find new life, but in the mean time, I’ll appreciate their haunting beauty.

Remains of the Beach Day

Coming onto the beach a few weeks ago, I noticed that there were always broken chairs and umbrellas sitting by the trash cans. It seemed such a monumental waste.  I wondered if someone (aka my daughter) could turn all this trash into treasure somehow.

 I talked to the guys collecting the refuse and they told me it was a great idea (if only to lighten their load).  They said, “this ain’t nothin’ lady, we come by here twice a day and fill the truck.”

So enter mom last Sunday morning at 6am on the beach with a pair of scissors. I tried to beat the guys with the truck.

My daughter examined my stash, hosed the sand off, tossed it in the washing machine and began creating. It’s just a start, but here are a few examples of what she produced by Sunday afternoon.  It’s one way to reuse, reduce, recycle, rethink and breathe new life into beach debris.

  

Take it as a Good Sign

I can appreciate a funny sign. It’s always good if it makes you do a double take.

Or sends a sweet message...

Or just plain confuses you! (This is in Beijing, China). I still don’t know what they’re trying to tell people. No explosive briefcases?

So, I’ll keep my eyes peeled for interesting signs and keep you posted!

Quirky Sights Along the Way….

I love to run into quirky things. The other day I was driving along Rt. 9 between Stone Harbor and Avalon and found this field with three upright doors.  Something about it made me do a u-turn, put my flashers on, hop out and take a picture.

Maybe it’s because it reminds me of an album cover.  Maybe it was the mystery of why the doors were there.  Maybe it was because it was just so unexpected.  But I love the scene.

Chances are, it won’t be there the next time I’m down that way.  When quirky opportunity knocks, I always answer.

Caltanissetta, Sicily - Beautiful Voices in the Midst of Violence

Here’s another of my dad’s World War II memories:

            What sticks in my mind most about the town of Caltanissetta was a little boy named Geno and his older sister Maria.  They were about eleven and thirteen years old and lived with their mother in a bombed out building across the courtyard from our makeshift quarters.

             Each evening, Geno and Maria would appear on an opening in the building about three stories up and sing Italian songs to us soldiers who would gather in the courtyard to enjoy their beautiful voices.  I can still hear those lovely Italian songs after these many years, and I often wonder if they ever had a chance to entertain others as they had us, in that little bombed out town of Caltanissetta.

Even with the horrors happening all around them, Geno and Maria found a way to keep beauty in the world.  They transcended the fact that they lost their home and the world was literally crumbling around them.  With their singing, Geno and Maria reached deeply into the allied soldiers’ souls and gave them a memory that would last the rest of their lives. 

Shower the people you love with love

The other night we threw an “old school” baby shower.  By old school, I mean at home and with lots of people helping.  Ok, we were lucky that the future mom’s sister-in-law is a professional chef who whipped up an amazing meal.  But other than that, we brainstormed some decorating ideas that doubled as gifts for the new baby. Hope you enjoy these ideas, some of which are original and some of which we shamelessly stole from the Internet:

Here’s a watermelon baby carriage. It was surprisingly easy to do!

Who can resist a clothesline of onesies?

I wish I could decorate with baby shoes all the time…

Next time you need to throw a shower, shun the restaurant and kick it old style!

Open Up

When I was a teenager, my dad brought home a kitschy bottle opener he found while working on the railroad. 

Ever since then, I’ve been hooked.  It’s amazing how many varieties of bottle openers exist out there.  Who knew?

Why not use a beautiful nude to uncap your Corona Light? Everyone seems to appreciate her. 

Apparently, the bottle opener wasn’t invented until two years after the bottle cap (in the late 1800’s).  People had to use the edge of a table, knives, or their teeth.  Ouch. 

I hope twist off tops don’t send bottle caps into extinction. There’s something so satisfying when you pop the top off a bottle, especially when you’re using a cool bottle opener.