Lots of people build forts and sand castles on the beach, so why not a giant foot complete with very nicely sculpted toenails?

I’m not sure how much this little guy contributed to dad’s work of art, but he sure was proud enough to pose by it!

We’ve spent the last four days “down the shore” with friends at our neighbors’ shore house in Ship Bottom on Long Beach Island. For the next few days I’ll be taking you along with me ... down the Jersey shore.

I love early morning walks on the beach before most other people get there. The sands are freshly groomed and all traces of yesterday’s beach goers have been removed, leaving a clean slate for the new day. I share the sand with a few other early morning walkers, an assortment of gulls, and a woman with a metal detector. The other walkers are clutching their coffee mugs in their hands while my hands hold my camera. We nod and say “good morning” to each other, smiling as if to say “isn’t this a beautiful morning?” without saying it out loud.

The gulls eye me warily. Possibly sizing me up for a handout of food.

Gull crossing!

The waves lap at my feet as I walk along, leaving a foamy trail of suds behind.

Upended shells capture “sea suds.”

The water is warm this morning but the waves are mighty as they relentlessly pound the shore.

My footprints behind me in the sand look indelible.

But as the next waves washes over them they disappear as if they never existed.

The sand at the water’s edge is an ever changing canvas whose artwork lies in the shells and other objects left behind. Waves roll in and shells are deposited at its highest point. Some are carried back out, tumbling over and over, caught in the strong pull of the receding water. Each new wave rearranges the objects on the canvas of sand. It never ceases to fascinate me.

For a beachcomber like me, morning is the absolute best time of the day.

On Saturday we took a picnic lunch and drove through Harriman State Park in New York and up Bear Mountain. The weather was perfection: not too hot or humid. Just clear blue skies and a lovely breeze. What better weather for a convertible like Mia to stretch her legs in?

The view is beautiful no matter which direction you look.

What a great day to just sit on a rock and take in the beauty of the countryside and the Hudson River.

The next few photos were taken from the scenic view point.

A barge was nice enough to be heading up river while we were there.

Under the Bear Mountain Bridge it goes!

We stopped at roadside picnic area to eat our lunch. I just love our picnic backpack. It has everything you need: plates, cutlery, salt & pepper, cutting board, and even a tablecloth and napkins.

Lunch was chicken salad sandwiches. Cha-Cha-Chicken Salad has a can of crushed pineapple, cream cheese, mayo, a touch of curry and orange flavored cranberries. (And chicken of course!) Very tasty!

This tree was right by our picnic table. What makes people want to carve their names/initials into a tree’s bark? This one has certainly had more than its fair share of signatures.

A nice drive that didn’t take all day. We were back home and in the pool by two o’clock. We’ll do this again in the fall to catch the colors!

Let me ask all of you a question. How many of you have had the experience of washing your car while a bear looks on?

On Sunday morning Rick decided to give Mia a much needed bath so he pulled her around in front of the house where we are able to access the hose from the back yard. The turkey had been around, so I had scattered a few handfuls of seed and cracked corn.

We were almost done when I heard a sharp, loud snap of wood. I looked up to see a bear approaching through the trees. I whispered quietly to Rick “there’s a bear coming!” When it broke through the trees I could see that it was the same yearling cub from Friday. It seemed to walk on tippy-toes over to where I had scattered the handfuls of food, watching us out of the corner of its eye. So, there we were. Rick and I froze for a few seconds wondering what to do next since the bear was only a mere 15 feet away from us with the car in-between us. We could not believe it.  It didn’t seem to care about us being there at all! I was too stunned to even try to go back in the house to get the camera, but oh what a photo it would have made.

When I opened the car door to do the inside of the window the bear spooked and ran off into the trees but within two seconds was right back again. Rick didn’t want to go around the side of the car that the bear was on which was of course the side we still needed to finish up. I stepped up to the front side of the car (but not in front of it) to get the hood, keeping an eye on the small bruin the whole time.

I wasn’t afraid; it’s weird. Here I was ten feet from a bear and I was not in a panic. I don’t know how to describe it but a mutual unspoken trust seemed to hang between us. I won’t bother you if you don’t bother me. I moved slowly. A few times when Rick moved the bear took a few steps back eyeing him warily, but that was about it.

This went on for a good ten minutes and it was really getting ridiculous. I mean, here we were calming buffing the car next to a bear! Who would believe us? Never in a million years did I ever think a bear would knowingly get that close to us. Just as Rick was going to get in the car and back it up so we could finish the other side, Bella saw the bear from the computer room window and started barking. That did the trick. The bear took off and didn’t come back.

I think it’s a female. So she’s going to have a french name for bold and daring: Hardi (pronounced ar-di).

I took these photos of Mia today in approximately the same position that she was in while we washed her. Just use your imagination.

Here I stood right next to the car in the same position that I was in while the bear was there.

And here I am including a photo taken of the bear on Friday. You can see the same tree stump by the bear.

It’s not something either Rick or I are going to forget very soon! I guess I am going to have to quit feeding my turkey.