By the Beautiful Sea

Independence Day week was hot where we live in California's Central Valley. We opted to enjoy cooler weather and different scenery on the coast--an excellent choice. In the lovely villages of Ft. Bragg and Mendocino, we encountered perfect weather, beautiful scenery, and small town Americana. From Mendocino's Volunteer Fire Department doing its annual fund raiser with food for the parade-watchers, to George Washington reading the Declaration of Independence from the steps of the Masonic Hall, to a juvenile gray whale hunting just off-shore at the nearby state park, we spent a refreshing week appreciating the beauty and diversity of our state and nation. In these images, I share some of my favorite memories, hoping you enjoy too.

 Some of the locals posed for us, both in the sea and at the parade in Mendocino.





Everyone flew the flag.

Susan Aylworth is the author of 18 published novels. Her latest is SUNNY'S SUMMER, a novel set in the Sierra foothills near her northern California home which examines the aftermath of the devastating #CampFire. She lives with her husband of 49 years, Roger, and one old, arthritic cat. She loves to hear from readers. Find her at www.susanaylworth.com, @SusanAylworth, susan.aylworth.author@gmail.com, or facebook.com/Susan.Aylworth.Author. Also on Pinterest and Instagram.

SUMMER

I can’t be the only one who, on the twenty-first day of June, starts to get anxious about summer being over. Even though I’m mostly retired and travel and vacate nearly as much during the other three seasons, summer will always mean vacations and good times. But every year, from the first official day of summer, I start to fret about it almost being over.  Come the third week in August, I go into panic mode as the sun sets earlier and the evenings get cooler knowing autumn is just around the corner 

There are theoretically, three months to summer:  mid-June to mid-September.  But most of us, even if school was fifty years ago, still think in terms of the school year and summer vacation so it’s really less than three months. That’s not a lot of time to pack in all that summer brings.  

My list of wants combined with the Northeast’s relatively short season means there’s simply not enough time to cover it all. It doesn’t help that this June it also rained almost every single day.

So what is it about summer that is so great?  Being outdoors for starters.  Come November through mid- March, unless you’re a skier and I’ve hung up my skis, we Northeasterners are mostly inside. But in the summer months, you can be outside all the time—unless it’s raining. 

Most spectacularly there are the lakes and the ocean and even the backyard pool to enjoy. Besides the sports that come with being by the water, including sailing and kayaking and swimming, there’s the wonder and beauty of simply sitting beside water either in a lounge chair or a hammock with a good book and a glass of rosé or iced tea—pure heaven.       

But back to the salad days of summer, which are just now beginning. Besides the pleasures that come with the beach or the lake, there’s grilling outdoors followed by dinner on the deck or in the screened in porch alight with candles as the sun goes down. Rocking on the front porch with a friend or that same book and of course, a glass of wine.  There’s also playing golf. Whether you’re ready to go pro or are a duffer, there’s still the joy of being outside in a beautiful place. 

And when not golfing or reading and drinking wine? Outdoor concerts, summer theatre and midweek potluck dinner with friends fill the days and evenings as do celebrating Memorial Day, Fourth of July and Labor Day outside with old and new friends..

Perhaps summer is really be a symbol of what I love best, socializing, being outside and enjoying life and all it has to offer.  It is probably also about childhood memories of the beach and the lake and long carefree days when I wasn’t responsible for anyone but myself. Regardless, it is my favorite time of the year, not because I’m able to tan to a beautiful bronze, I freckle, but because more than any other season, it represents the little joys that life brings and reminds me to stop rushing so that I can enjoy them.

More Shredding Words with Sofie

By Sofie Couch

Yes, I’m defiling more books this month. But it’s okay, because it’s actually the same book that I defiled for another craft project, which is sort of like being a cannibal and justifying it with the phrase, “yes, but I already started eating him. It would be wrong of me to waste the tasty bits.”

So today, being the day of Independence et al, I thought I should stick with a theme – a book theme and a patriotic theme with something near and dear to every writer, a little tribute to free speech and freedom of the press.

First, you’ll need some little flags. (Easier said than done. I finally found them at the local box store for $2.50 for four of them, three of which I use in this project.) You’ll also need a wreath frame – straw, grapevine, whatever you have in the attic that’s looking a little worse for wear. And finally, a few pages from an old dictionary. I’ve chosen a dated and crumbling Spanish-English dictionary.

From the internet, you can do an advanced Google search for copyright free images. Here, I’ve chosen an American bald eagle. Print it out on one of the old dictionary pages. (You may want to / have to tape the page to an 8-1/2 X 11 inch piece of printer paper to avoid getting it jammed.) This may take several tries to get the image positioned correctly on your dictionary page. Once it’s printed, pull out your color pencils. (Oh yeah. Did I mention those as one of the necessary items? Yeah. You’ll need color pencils.) Color the image. It’s best if your copyright free image is an old engraving, so it has white space and transparency .

Curl the edges of your picture and hot glue it to the wreath. (Behind the scenes note. I’ve just moved, so couldn’t find my hot glue gun. I know it’s here somewhere. So instead, I placed all of the items and with the help of gravity and camera magic, they look as if they’re all glued in place. I’ll probably use a couple of straight pins to keep them in place and hang it on the door.) In my example wreath, I’ve used some of that straw stuff, (there’s a name for it - Raffia?), to create a bow. Well, actually, the bow was on the wreath that I liberated from the attic.

And “ta-da”! A patriotic Fourth of July wreath, perfect for celebrating freedom of speech, freedom of the press, and all things literary and fourth of July-y.

OH! Don’t forget to grab a favorite Classic and Cozy novel to take with you to your fourth of July celebration. You’ll need a good book to hold you over until the fireworks start. Only question is, will you be able to put it down?