Category: beach

No Beach, but Artist’s Date at Clark Botanical Garden

Isn’t it amazing how time actually does fly by? My brain is still at the beach.

Inside my head it’s a beautiful sunny day at the ocean and I’m looking out at the horizon. My bare feet are pushing around the warm sand in front of me, iced coffee is on my left and my painting equipment is on my right. There’s a slight breeze and the air has a slightly salty signature.

Sigh. I don’t even have to close my eyes to imagine the scene.

Reality check: it’s well past beach season at this point in October. Let’s be real here, as much as my head says “beach” it isn’t very likely to be good enough weather to go there wearing a light jacket and enjoy some quiet time.

However, I did take a quick ride to a nearby botanical garden on a comfortable day last week with the Princess (my granddaughter).

One of the ponds at the Garden

Artist’s Dates have been lacking lately, and there won’t be beach visits now, but this garden trip was a good alternative. Clark Botanical Garden in Albertson, NY is a ten minute local drive from my house and the day was warm enough to be outside for a while. I grabbed some lunch and my ‘munchkin’ and we were off!

What a beautiful place it was, too. I’d never been there, always wanted to go, and now that I have I know I will be back with painting supplies. This 12 acre garden had so much to look at and enjoy with sunny open areas, colorful seasonal flowers, a child’s size privet hedge maze, woodlands, shady areas, woodlands, ponds, rocky brooks. They were preparing for a Halloween spooky walk which was fun to see.

The Princes with spooky stuff hanging in the trees

Mindful of my charge, I didn’t take too many photos as I would have had I been all alone. We walked along paths that lead in and out of the different gardens. As we walked through the woodland pond area with tall trees we could smell evergreen pines and tried to breathe it in deep.

A restful spot overlooking a pond

Walking out of the woods, we found a sunny pond area bench where we had lunch. Both of us were happy to enjoy the lovely, late fall day outside in this beautiful, quiet place.

So it isn’t the beach. I’ll be painting here one day soon.

Friday’s Photo on Saturday

Three Beach Shells (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis  8×12 Watercolor

Fighting resistance with everything I have this week. Sometimes I win. Sometimes Mr. Resistance wins.
What’s with that?

If you give in to it, low motivation can last longer than you would like and that just can’t happen anymore. I don’t have time to waste, so Mr. Resistance needs to get kicked out the door. He overs stays his not-so-welcome welcome every now and then.

Two of these shells were collected on one of the last great beach days a little while ago. The cracked smaller shell you have seen before. The watercolors were out, the shells and the paper ready, and I had the time so I pushed through the fog to paint. Twenty minutes later and I was done.

I tried to use only as much water as would allow the paints to flow so I could continue and finish without waiting for it to dry. I think I figured out how much water to keep on the brush. I also think I need better brushes. I was using synthetic brushes, but I went back to using sable. I like the way the paint flows and the point might be more pleasing. A visit to the art supply store may be in order, just to get some info.

These shells were similar in color and value so I needed to establish the ground there were sitting on by throwing on some color. I think it adds a little something and perks up the whiteness. You get the idea.

Quick Watercolor While Busy

Lone Shell (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
7×11 Watercolor Canson paper

Busy will be my buzz word for this coming week. I am babysitting my little mushy while Son#1 and Gorgeous are away on vacation. Yay for us, we get to see our grand baby morning, noon and night. I’m not sure if any painting will be happening while we entertain our charge.

I have plenty to do to prepare like fill the refrigerator with food and do laundry. I want to be as free as possible. Somehow in my busy frenzy yesterday afternoon I had the thought to do a quick watercolor painting of a piece of shell I threw in my bag from the beach last weekend. Twenty minutes and done.

You know how it is when you get an itch you just gotta scratch! If my paints were not readily available maybe this would not have worked out, but they were and I did it.  Lucky me!

Progress, Process and the Beach

Monday scene

All of the angst over the computer issues has worn me down so I’ve been at the beach.  Let me say how much that beach helped my brain relax.  Sun and ocean does wonders for the psyche, my psyche anyway.

Sunday was a beautiful day at Pt. Lookout Beach.  My sister, my mom and I went and met up with Son #1 and Gorgeous DIL (daughter-in-law).  The sun was out, there was a nice breeze, we talked, laughed, and generally had a nice day.  Monday, Labor Day, I visited the beach again with just my sister.  People must have been on vacation or away for the day because it was pretty empty beach for a holiday.  We chose a nice spot with good space all around us and plopped ourselves down.

Have you seen the stuff people have been bringing to the beach lately?  I want to know where they stash all of that during the winter?  And what’s with those carts?  Gorgeous pointed them out to me and we were counting them.  I don’t know about you, but I used to take my kids to the beach with an umbrella and a bag with my stuff.  My kids held their beach toy or a pail and shovel.  Done!  There must have  been a sale at Costco and everyone bought that Wheelie cart thing.

After sitting in our choice spot on the beach for a little while, a couple of people show up in front of us and assess the space.  My sister and I looked at each other thinking the same thing:  Of all the space on the beach, are these people really going to sit right here in front of us practically touching our toes?  Very nice.  They don’t even look at us.  After the first two people came a band of ten people! All thinking this is a very nice spot to park themselves, two inches from our feet!  I said we need to move.  My sister said let them sit on our feet and she’ll show them who’s boss!  Look, I’m not interested in trouble, I just want to spend a nice day at the beach.  At my urging she grudgingly got up and we move away from that crowd of annoying, no conscience people.  I thought about it too late, but I should have taken their picture for my post!  Rats!

Okay, we settled down again and try to relax.  I just can’t help but ogle all manner of tattoos and belly rings on people.  Sorry, but I can’t stop looking if it’s all out there.

Then a swoop of seagulls came and dive bombed all the people in our new spot.  Some guy had thrown his kid’s french fries on the beach, full of ketchup, so the gulls could eat them.  Not a nice move mister.  People were annoyed, kids were crying.  My sister heard the guy tell his kid, “Now we made the seagulls very happy”.  Well what about the human people?  Nobody around this guy was very happy that the seagulls were happy!  Give me a break.

Tuesday scene

Tuesday I sneaked off to the beach by myself.  It was the first day of school and NOBODY was there, except a few people scattered around.  Just me, myself, and I.  I brought lunch and my watercolors, my chair and a drink.  What else did I need?  After enough relaxing I felt like painting something, but there were no shells or rocks.  I was too shy to ask some little kids and their mothers if I could borrow the horse-shoe crab they found, so I decided to paint my sandal in the sand instead.  Progress, process, artist’s date, and I’m back in business.

Coming Up Soon

There are so many things I have to tell you,but now I need to learn how to upload photos to the new computer. Right now I’m posting from the new iPad and it’s kind of uncomfortable. Fun, but wonky. All you need to do is lightly touch the keyboard and it types!

Bear with me as I get myself together. I want to tell you my technology news. And I have beach adventures to report.

The long weekend was very relaxing as I was at the beach twice and the weather was beautiful even as Hurricane Earl was threatening. Nothing happened, but a little breeze thank goodness.

Today the school kids had their first day and rest assured I was going to the beach and boy was it the best! Like I’ve said before Heaven is an empty beach.

Tomorrow maybe photos…maybe.

Heaven is an Empty Beach on Long Island

We’re back from our quick trip to the east end of Long Island, New York in the town of Southold near Greenport.  These few days were a great break from our normal routine and I must say it was much needed.  Do you ever realize how much you need a vacation until you actually go?  I knew it was the right idea as soon as I made the reservation for three nights out there.

To me travel is stress.  Being able to just get in the car and drive to a destination was the least amount of stress involved, unless there is traffic.  But really, if you’re on vacation with no timetable, no one expecting you, no reason to be anywhere at any time, who cares if there’s some traffic?  Yes, we had a little bit of traffic.  The usual suspects were involved, meaning people who need to see all the aspects of a three car accident.  OK, there were police cars and tow trucks, one really beat-up-from-all-sides car and two other beat up cars on the Long Island Expressway heading east.  Rubberneckers abounded.  After we passed it we had smooth sailing.

 First stop on the way was in Mattituck at Cooper’s Farm.  This is the best farm stand out east with the most vegetables you can pick on your own, or just buy what they’ve already picked.  We go all U-pick.   The most beautiful and large beefy tomatoes, long crunchy cucumbers, glossy eggplants and peppers, sweet as anything watermelon.  Delicious.


Actually, our real first stop was at Briermere Farm for the best buttery apple tart there is in New York.  We can’t visit the north fork without a stop here.  Neither can anyone else.  Every time we stop in there’s a line out the door.  Each time the door opened, out wafted the smell of butter crust and sweet fruits.  Breathe deep!  I was so excited I forgot to take pictures.

We arrived at our little hotel/motel around four o’clock in the afternoon.  The sun was behind some hazy clouds, but the air was still hot and humid.  Just how I like it.  We settled in, put our things away, donned our bathing suits and headed across the street to the almost empty beach, where we sat until well after 7 P.M.  The waters of the Long Island Sound were calm as oil, the Mr.’s phrase.  The summer air had almost no breeze, but the clouds above kept changing patterns as the sun went down over Connecticut.  




Heaven is a warm summer day and an empty beach.

Taking a Hop, Skip and a Jump

While I tried to get the Mr. to take a trip to somewhere this summer, the only idea he liked was to stay local.  Forget Greece, Las Vegas, Bahamas, or Florida.  A short road trip it is, with no housework in sight!

We’ll be visiting the east end of Long Island, on the North fork, in farm and winery country.  While I don’t know if we’ll be going to any wine tastings, I am hoping the weather is hot and humid, perfect for sitting on the beach. Weather is not something you can predict with any measure of accuracy and any outside activity depends on the weather.  Being a person who likes the heat, the weather better cooperate.  Earlier it was cloudy, rainy, but hot and humid. Now the sun is showing up.  It better!

Last week the humidity lifted and we were left with temperatures in the low 80’s and high 70’s.  That’s cold to me!  That’s get out the woolies weather!  I never complain when the temps go up into the high 90’s!  Nope, not me!  I am in hog heaven when it’s hot, hot, hot!  I know what New York winters are like and I never complain about a sweltering New York summer.  Yup.

So I will probably..scratch that, definitely be AWOL from the blog.  I don’t have a Blackberry, or a netbook, or an iPad.  You’ll all have to carry on without me.  Rest assured that pics of my days will be forthcoming.  I plan to bring along my travel watercolor set and my ink pen with a drawing pad.  Morning pages will be coming along too, which I will have to sneak because the Mr. always wants to know what I’m writing about.  Will I get to do some art while I’m sitting in a beach chair all day long?  We shall see, won’t we.

A Day on the North Shore of Long Island

The weather here in New York is hot, hot, hot!  It’s only June.  I’m not complaining about the heat, no way.  I’ll take it hot any day.  You know what kind of winter we get here?  It’s not fun, for me anyway.  I can’t seem to get myself warm enough in the winter.  When the summer rolls around and everyone is dragging and complaining about the heat, I’m all smiles.  Yes to summer weather, every time.
So I won’t be painting in the heat of mid-day.  I’ve been waiting until the sun starts going down in the afternoon.  I wish I could get myself out there in the early morning, but there’s too much to do in the morning around here.  I like how the light looks very early in the day.  Anyway, forget it.  I have to get my things done early, get out and be back by lunch time.  Then the rest of the day is mine.

(c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis

The Mr. was home on Sunday, rather than fishing out east.  He suggested visiting a custom car show that a friend mentioned, nearby in Glen Cove .  That’s the other mania: cars.  Drag racing is in the blood.  The Mr. and the Sons watch it on TV, talk about it, go to sanctioned events, and had/have cars they’re developing.  Car people just want to look at and talk about cars, a very benign bunch.  All cars, all the time.  Ok, so I don’t mind it either.  Unless my guys want to spend money on car parts, then I get crabby.
(c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis
(c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis

The car show was at a lovely shore-side park called Morgan Park, on the north shore of Long Island, so the setting was lovely.  A band was playing, food and cold drinks were available, some vendors selling car stuff, and cars.  Parked all over the private park were all kinds of cars as far as the eye could see.  Old cars and new cars of every model, shape, size you could think of.  Over the sea of shiny waxed, colorful cars and chrome, was the blue of Long Island Sound.  Boats bobbed in the calm water.  The sky was clear with puffy clouds and the water sparkled.  Great!  I love being near water so I could ignore the cars.  (Except for the 1963 Buick Riviera I saw, one of my pop’s favorites.  Hi Pop!)

(c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis
(c)2010 Dora Sislian Themelis

The park was very pretty and had walking paths along the shore with this lovely, stone pergola at the end where people were fishing.  Another park and museum near this one is Garvie’s Point which houses Native American artifacts and such.  The area is a great place to draw or paint.  Seeing the signs on the road pointing to Garvie’s Point I thought I’m going to have to visit alone one day this summer and make it an Artist’s Date. 

Good idea.