Sea Dreamin’

Here we are looking all magazine-y!

The sea lives in every one of us ~ Wyland

Dear sisters,

Why do I feel as if its been forever since we’ve been to the beach together? That’s just not right! I AM the BEACH Farmgirl after all! Truth be told, we haven’t been able to access our Lil’ ole beach since sometime in January and before that it was too darned cold! To quote our daughter, ” the beach is for summer “. I get it. However, weather permitting ( and drivable roads) we traditionally kick off a new season at the beach by celebrating Easter with our dear friends and family on the shorelines. We made it! Our beach and cottage were featured in a local magazine last summer! I thought you’d like to see the rocky, windy road in to our remote, ‘off the grid beach’ community. This photo was taken in late May last year. The top photo is one from the shoot also. That was a first for us having to look all magazine-y. I’m used to being on ” this side ” of that world!

Our beach community and cottage were featured in a local magazine last summer.

It was SO refreshing to get back to the beach, smell the salt air and hear the waves rolling in and out. We were all thirsty for our little slice of heaven. I promised I’d take you once we could get there! Today’s the day! Grab those flip-flops and your favorite hat! We’re going on a little Sea Dreamin’ cruise!

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Do you have a place you ‘go back to’ every year? Whether it’s a cabin in the woods, a favorite camp ground or a vacation destination it’s hard not to compare the changes from one year to the next. It shapes our memories and gives us something to look forward to. My husband is well into his 5th decade of enjoying these sandy shores. I’m going on 27 years this summer and still, it feels brand new with each new season.

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You’re getting a first glimpse of our beach in early spring mode!

The beach was all but deserted on Easter Sunday making it easy to walk and observe winters wrath on our fragile dunes and cottages.  Some years the tide takes significant amounts of sand back out to sea leaving the beach rocky in places, and creates tide pools around the big rocks perfect for the next generation of beach bums to get lost in water play and sea life discovery. Many a hermit crab and starfish have been rescued by little hands ( held hostage is more like it) and placed into buckets for closer observation only to be released back into the pool before the tide comes rushing in.

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This year, the beach is flat, no rocks are exposed and many of the residents lost several feet of sand from the dunes that protect their homes. Given the risks of beach-front living and the winter we had things looked pretty good over all.

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The wind and high storm tides tossed a lot of debris onto the beach and into the road that leads to our cottage.

2015-04-015  Can you tell it was a cloudy day out? It even rained at one point but that didn’t dampen our spirits. It was such a relief to FINALLY be there!

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As the season unfolds, the junk left on our shores will find its way to a bonfire or dumpster, the buds on the trees, lilacs and hydrangea will burst open, residents will return, spring maintenance chores will ensue and friends and neighbors will pick up where they left off as if winter never even happened.

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I hate to leave you chilled by the sea in the middle of a damp, New England April. Come into the cottage and warm up!

087-001This is our tiny dining space. It seats four very cozily but we can cram a few more in if needed! We removed the icky vinyl flooring ( a 1970’s fix no doubt ) last year and painted the floors a rustic red. I liken it to the color of cooked lobster!

060-001Have I ever shown you the valances I made from fabric I got at the two dollar store? We’ve had these up for over ten years and I still just love them! When you only visit a place for a few weeks a year, you don’t tire of the decor as quickly as you might in a year ’round home. I find theirs’ a comfort in returning and finding things just as we left them.
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Rather than use a bulky curtain rod I picked up a Coghlan’s Grommet Kit and used grommets to hang my seafaring toppers on cup hooks screwed into the window frame.

2105-002 EDITFrom what we’ve learned about our cottage over the years it was probably built-in the late 1940’s early 1950’s. And like most cottages in our community it was outfitted with re-purposed pieces back when that was just what people did. One of my favorite pieces in our cottage kitchen is the Hoosier cabinet. I just have the base to it, but it’s perfect for storing pots and pans, and kitchen necessities and utensils. The enamelware surface is wonderful for prepping meals and not too fancy for filleting fish my handsome Yankee  catches and brings home to me!

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It won’t be long until the rhododendrons are dripping in blooms and the first cuttings will adorn our cottage kitchen table.

I hope you enjoyed our little Sea Dreamin’ Cruise! Next time, we’ll do some old-fashioned ” porch sittin’, at the BEACH!

Until our next shoreline visit~ Sail into Spring! I think it’s FINALLY H.E.R.E.!

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BEACH BLESSINGS and much love!

Deb # 1199

 

  1. I feel like we just had a very nice visit, thx! Love seeing your little piece of heaven.

  2. CJ Armstrong says:

    So charming, Deb! Wish I could visit you at your cottage, walk the beach and get some sand between my toes!
    Happy April to you!
    CJ

  3. Sheena says:

    I loved Sea Dreaming Tour!!! Wonderful read with lovely pictures. Thank you so much for sharing! ~ Sheena

  4. Linda Baker says:

    Enjoyed the vicarious seaside visit and to your cottage! I love it when you share this place with us! I hope you will share the other rooms with us next time. HAPPY SPRING!

  5. I loved going to your beach house with you. I love how colorful your kitchen is. You’ve really captured “beach cottage style.”
    We trek every year to the Oregon coast. I grew up in Hawaii and long to smell salt water. Even though I’m actually not far from the Puget Sound, seeing ocean is so much better. Dying for our beach trip and enjoying some fresh Dungeness crab….
    Enjoy your precious place.

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi Syliva!
      OOh… Dungeness Crab.. YUM! Growing up in Hawaii must have been amazing. I’ve been twice and each time I cried when I left. It truly is paradise.
      Enjoy that crab! xo Deb

  6. gretchen goodwin says:

    So nice to follow you to the beach, what a treat. I feel you are a long lost friend I am so happy to see each time you post. I am in the southern Nevada desert and I have to say I do envy you where you are. Be well, and thank you for your posts.

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi there Gretchen!
      You and I are Nevada girls! I’m from Reno, NV. I so miss my high desert roots, but I’ve fallen in love with the shore and New England too! So glad you enjoy my posts. Thank you for reading! xo Deb

  7. Oh Deb, I just love your little beach cottage. It is so darling. That bottom half of the Hoosier Cabinet is awesome. My mom has one just like that in her kitchen and she is always threatening to throw it out but I love it. The enamelware top is fantastic for rolling out biscuit dough! 🙂

    Are there people that live there year-round or would it be impossible during the winter months? It is such a beautiful beach – so different than the beaches I’m used to. I love the “wildness” about it. It’s just gorgeous. Can’t wait for more beach posts from the summer!

    Hugs – Dori, the Ranch Farmgirl – P.S. Do you have a hopeful plant date for your flower gardens?

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Howdy Ranch Farmgirl!
      There are a handful of residents that live there year round. Some of them had to make other living arrangements for January and February this year, and others toughed it out. It’s really a three season place and while many of us dream of being year round residents, it’s just not practical with our winters but those hardy souls who do it, love it! My hopeful planting date is Mid May! We are supposed to get into the 50’s and low 60’s next week! If it stays that way the soil will be warm enough for planting! How about you? xo Deb

  8. Donna says:

    Love reading your stories.I don’t get to the sea much now, but oh how I miss it and the sound of the water.I enjoy ever bit you write.Thank you
    Donna Shaw

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi Donna,
      Well, thank you! I’m so happy you enjoyed the visit to the beach! There’s more on the way 🙂
      xo Deb

  9. Judy Mac says:

    Thank you for sharing your cottage. I know just the feelings you are writing about. My hubby and I own a cabin on a Maine lake. We are still waiting for our first trip in. The snow is still too deep to drive in on the road and the while here is still ice on the lake, i don’t trust its strength this time of year. Hopefully, just another few weeks and we’ll be able to check er’ out. In the mean time your tour was just what the doctor ordered…got me dreamin’ about summertime.

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi Judy,
      It’s not easy to ” wait out the weather” when the pull of a summer home is calling is it? You’re almost there! Cheers to a wonderful summer for all of us!
      xo Deb

  10. Nanette Boots says:

    Thank you for sharing your beachy cottage. How wonderful to own a piece of heaven. I am a “water girl” at heart which is challenging living in land locked North Dakota. I like to think we have a bit of heaven too in ND, it just looks a little different. When I saw the debris photos I did wonder who had the job of cleaning that up. Bonfires are the next best thing to a beach walk. I hope you have a wonderful summer season at the cottage. Oh, and I so love your posts, especially the beach ones.

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi Nanette,
      My heart beats for the real deal sort of farm land too! Glad to have you along on my beachy cottage tour! We’ll go again. Promise!
      xo Deb

  11. Karen Dixon says:

    Thank you the visit…we’ll see you at the cottage in September!! Happy Springtime.
    Love you all,
    Nan

  12. Pam DeMarrais says:

    Hey Deb! I love your charming cottage by the sea. How exciting it is that all of those magazine readers will get a taste of beach living!
    I won’t probably get back to Boston and the South Shore this year, but I am heading east to Charleston, SC in a few weeks! The ocean calls!

    • Deb Bosworth says:

      Hi Pam! I was hoping to hear from you! I’ve always wanted to visit Charleston, SC.. I used to work with a gal who grew up there and she loved it. I bet your day lilies are coming up by now and looking good!
      xo Deb

  13. WendyLynn says:

    Gorgeous article & photos! Thank you SO much for sharing!

  14. Hi Deb,
    Thanks for the peek inside your adorable beach home. I have a “Girl Genius” I’d love to introduce to you! Is there an email address where I can contact you directly?
    Thanks and happy spring!

  15. Denise Ross says:

    Love your seaside Home Deb and the beach scenes. I live at the seaside year round and your scene is like mine. Thanks for sharing 🙂

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