Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Beach Week 2013-It's All About the Sunsets

For the past five years I've been spending a week in August at a rented cottage on the ocean in Stonington, Connecticut.  For one week of the year I do absolutely nothing.  And I mean nothing.  Nothing except read mindless fiction novels, work on my tan, eat fried seafood and watch the sun set.  Since I'm only a little over an hour from home, I usually get a steady stream of company.  I enjoy sharing the the experience with friends but try to maintain a good balance so I get the time I need to recharge.

Every year the week flies by and this year was no exception.  Two weeks would be nice but between work, pets and garden care it would be difficult for me logistically.  And why overdo a good thing?

Loctaed in a small cove, the cottage faces west.  Every night I set my beach chair out on a small spit of sand just steps from the door and watch the sun set.  Weather obviously plays a huge factor.  Some years are better than others.  On a scale of one to ten, 2013 was a ten.


Saturday night


Sunday night



Monday night



Tuesday night



Wednesday night



Thursday night



Friday night

Normally on vacation I'm not up at the crack of dawn but one morning I woke up and noticed the moon was setting outside my bedroom window in the southwest.  So I grabbed a robe and went out in the dark.  Not the best pictures but not bad for a handheld camera on the slowest setting.





Early mornings weren't bad either.  Some were overcast.





Some were brisk.




Some were calm.




And one was foggy.  I love foggy.





All in all it was a great week!  Now it's back to reality.
 
 
Sue~




28 comments:

  1. The toe shot with the glass of wine nearby is missing. ;) Gorgeous report Sue!

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    1. Toe shots were reserved for my lucky Facebook friends this year.

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  2. Sue these are beautiful photos ! I'm no expert (yet) but it seems to me you have a good eye and a feel for composition--in reality framing a photo is really similar to designing a container or a garden vignette-balance,contrast, etc. Good stuff !

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    1. Thanks Kathy-I do play around with cropping in Picasa every so often.

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  3. Perfect. I'd say you deserved a 10.

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    1. Since this cottage has to be reserved six or eight months in advance, the weather is always a big unknown. I'm pretty happy with anything except extreme heat or days on end of rain (both of which I have had in the past). This year was definitely a 10.

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  4. Really beautiful photos Sue! You've caught how changeable the skies and weather are at the ocean. We had a great visit, thanks for sharing your get away

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    1. Glad the weather cooperated. Let's hope by next year some new owner will have taken over tha hot lobster roll joint and it will reopen.

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  5. Sue, your evocative images show you have a piece of paradise. On that scale of one to 10, I give it a 20.

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    1. Every year I think I should branch out and try a different cottage in a different location but I always come back to this one. Why mess with a good thing?

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  6. A nice review of a wonderful week at Idle Haven. Or is it Idyll Haven South? No, maybe Ideal Haven. Love those sunsets! And the foggy day.

    Why overdo a good thing? Hey, Mae West had it right. "Too much of a good thing is wonderful."

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    1. Idyll Haven South-I wish! No need to worry about overdoing a good thing here. A shack with not even a water view in this beach community goes for more than my house is worth.

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  7. Gorgeous! I feel calmer just looking at your photos.

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    1. The sea definitely has that effect, Kathryn. It keeps me coming back.

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  8. Thanks for this 5 minute beach vacation. You got some beautiful shots and I'm glad you had a good time! You've been dealing with some pretty heavy stuff lately so it must have been nice to have a change of scenery.

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    1. A change of scenery is always good. This year more so than most.

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  9. I felt relaxed just looking at your pictures. And I can't get over the color of that pink sky. Unreal. I've seen orange sunsets, but I don't remember ever seeing anything quite that pink. Beautiful.

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    1. The pink was happening after the sun set on nights when the actual event was a bust. The first night I gave up and went inside then noticed the pink 15 or 20 minutes later when it was almost dark. I've been watching sunsets here for five years and have never seen any color like that.

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  10. It looks like the perfect way to spend a vacation to me. Were the sunsets really as pink as your initial pictures show?

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    1. Yes they were. Although I did fiddle around with exposure on some of these pictures, I never adjusted any color.

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  11. Love the beautiful pink sky! Hope you had a restful and relaxing week!

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  12. I desperately need a beach vacation like this. My husband is not a beach person. Sigh... Gorgeous pix. :o) Lucky you!

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  13. The beauty of the Connecticut shore. . . you captured it so well, I felt like I was there. What a glorious, well deserved, wonderful time you had in a truly lovely spot on the planet!

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  14. Wow, talk about idyllic. For myself, I like beaches best when the weather turns cool, but your beach cottage vacation sounds wonderful. Lazing around and reading are essential elements of a good vacation.

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  15. Beautiful series of pictures. The colors are awesome.

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  16. Very nice. I think Friday was my favorite. We also benefit by living so close to places people like to vacation. You still get the sensation of getting away, but without highway and airport nightmares.

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