it's that time of year

it's that time of year

a middle tennessee garden blog


finding beauty in the natural things around us makes for one happy self and a lovely life. ~marmee

dash home farm, leiper's fork, tennessee

Friday, February 13, 2009

heading to the beach

thursday was a designated beach day.
meems and i were headed off to anna maria island.
mr. meems let us use his very cool convertible.
the sun was shining but it was not too warm.


as soon as we were down the road a bit...the sky looked a little threatening.
very quickly out we pulled over and put the lid back up on the car.
what we had in mind was a beautiful day at the beach!


instead of sunshine we saw fog...fog so deep and thick the moisture
was lingering in the air...making everything very
damp...and visibility very limited.



so we decided to go to a quaint little eating/antique/
florist/bakery/library/wifi/coffee house/cafe' called ginny's.
it was so cute. the table and chairs literally strewn thru out
the place. it was such a unique establishment to have lunch/shop.




our table was near the florist. her tropical flowers were beautiful.


she was making simple arrangements with the cymbidium orchid.
i love green flowers.

her other tropicals enchanted me.

ginny's had a little bit of everything in it.

from shells encrusted with more shells...


...to wreaths with tropical blooms and starfish...


...vintage linens...mosaic tables...
(the top vintage linen is for meems and the bottom one for marmee)



...to fresh baked yummy carrot cake...after all i am on vacation.
after many hours of chatting/eating/shopping at ginny's
we head to the still very foggy beach.
one thing i needed was a beach fix on this visit.
i needed to feel the sand between my toes...hear the ocean's
thunderous roar and smell the salt water...i am a florida born girl after all.


this is really the way things looked...you could barely
see a hundred yards in front of you.
still the smell...the sound...the sights of gulls and pelicans.
my heart was happy.
we met this handsome fellow right away and he was very friendly.

there were plenty of gulls hanging around close by.


it wasn't sunny but it was beautiful.



we took a nice long stroll down the beach.
taking photos at our leisure.
although the fog never lifted while on the beach we
thoroughly enjoyed our time there.


sea grapes and their leaves have always fascinated me.
these got burned by the frost.
it is very rare for that to happen.
this is what sea grape leaves mostly look like.


it was a good day...it was a beautiful day to spend time together.



20 comments:

Unknown said...

Well one thing is for sure, on a day like that you have the beach to yourselves. Looks like a great relaxing time, love the little shop.

Roses and Lilacs said...

Love the restaurant. We have a similar one in my little town called Between Friends. It's fun to browse while waiting for the food.

I would be happy walking on a foggy beach. Atmosphere;) No really, anywhere warm. Fog, rain, it wouldn't matter as long as it was warm.
Marnie

Susie said...

Fog or no fog, it looks like you guys had a marvelous time together!
I love the beach and your pictures show such beauty. I've always wondered what those sea grapes were, now I know. Thanks.

That cute little coffee shop looked like a great place to visit. I know you two will continue to have a great visit.

marmee said...

darla, it's true not to many others on the beach except the regular walkers and the birds.
it was a very relaxing day(just what i needed.) the shop was just to cute.

marmee said...

marnie,

that little eat/shop place was so adorable, very eclectic.
i love the name of your place "between friends." do you go often?
i was very happy to be someplace warm, fog and all. to bad you weren't here to join in on that stroll.

marmee said...

susie,
we did have a marvelous(good word) time together. i am glad you could see the beauty thru the haze, i know i did.
that cute eat/shop place was a perfect place to start our time together.

joey said...

When it comes to quality time at the beach with sisters, like you I'll take whatever I can get ... love it! Great photos, Marmee. Happy Valentine's Day!

Unknown said...

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Anonymous said...

Oh Marmee, everything you showed us wonderful, even the lack of sun adds a mysterious air. You too look pretty hot in that convertible too, woo hoo.And talk about a great photo, that carrot cake almost wanted to jump into my mouth from the laptop! I love that you get to spend time with your dear sister.
Frances

Aunty Belle said...

how charmin'!

You two sisters is a fine pari--glad ya have each other.

The beach is lovely, and Ginny's looks marvelous--what a grand day.

Meems said...

Marmee,
Good thing I was in such great company because that fog didn't matter one bit getting to walk along the shoreline and chatter away with you. Besides we knew we were coming back the next day and there is NO WAY we could have two days in a row without sunshines... not in Florida!

The birdies were loving the fog and the mist weren't they?

It's was SO fun to linger as long as we wanted to around Ginny's with you! All those homemade goodies kept us well fed while we browsed, too. LOL

marmee said...

joey, it has been so nice, just the best sister time. i am being treated like a queen...going home will be a bit of an adjustment.

marmee said...

jenny,
glad you liked "things i love"
and want to come back.

marmee said...

frances, you are so sweet to say these dear things. we are having such a wonderful time together me and meems. i have loved every moment of this memory making trip.
it will be hard to go back to, "mommy i need this" and "where's my such and such mom." or "when is dinner going to be ready honey?"
that carrot cake by the way was just as good as it looked in the picture. drool!

marmee said...

aunty belle,
what a grand day indeed. my time here so far has been amazing. it is so much fun having a sister and we like so many of the same things. hope you are doing well aunt b.

marmee said...

meems,
aren't we having the best time ever. i don't want to go home. but i am going to soak up every last bit of being treated so well while i am here.
i have loved every special place we have visited and being in your home is just a treat.
love you and thank you for a great vacation so far.

Corner Gardener Sue said...

What a fun time it looks like you are having! I love the beach pics, and the vintage linens.

marmee said...

sue, the vintage linens are all we have gotten so far so i am very glad we bought them, it will always remind me of this trip. which has been glorious.
today we are headed out to have lunch with my best friend in high school and her mother. then off to the beach(hopefully) to see another sunset.

Kylee Baumle said...

Hi Marmee! Oh, how I wish I'd gotten to meet you, too. I had such a nice time with your sister, Meems.

I loved reading this post! Familiar sights, as well as knowing just what you were talking about made it fun to read.

I've been at the beach on Anna Maria Island when the fog has been so thick you couldn't see the people sitting right next to you. You could hear them, just not see them! Weird, isn't it?

marmee said...

kylee,
it was strange to see the fog like that. meems said she doesn't remember it doing that. i really can't remember it like that ever either. it was eery but i was so glad to be there it didn't even matter.
it would have been great to meet you too.
i hope you enjoyed your time in the sunshine state...i sure did.