Aarons Beach

The past few days have been unseasonably warm around here, 

so today on my day off from work I decided to visit Aarons Beach.

Truth be told, I had a list of a million tasks to accomplish and didn't want to do any of the things listed except for two.

Those two things were jogging and blogging.

(They even rhyme.)

The jogging part was over and done with first thing in the morning.  That left the entire day--along with those 999,998 other undesirable items on the To Do list--in front of me, mocking me, taunting me. Picking on me, really.

I decided to ignore the taunts and focus on what I wanted to could accomplish. Although blogging was on the I Want To Do This part of the list, I had absolutely no new pictures.

Hence, the trip to the beach.

This beach has changed so much over the time I've been photographing it--over 8 years.

But some things remain constant.

It's hard to believe that December is here already.  Although I survived Thanksgiving and barely survived the annual Chesapeake Bay Woman vs. Artificial Christmas Tree fight, there is still a lot left to do before I'd consider myself anywhere close to ready for Christmas.  I'm not in the mood--at all--to do any sort of Christmas shopping.  But I am looking forward to the Mathews Christmas Parade on Saturday, December 10. It's always a great time. Perhaps that will put me in a more festive mood.

As for this weekend, I'm looking forward to it.  Friday I'm taking my parents to dinner at my favorite local restaurant, Mi Casa Azteca.  Saturday I travel to visit Baby Sister in Richmond.  I ought to take advantage of being in the Big City and start some Christmas shopping, but that's just not on my radar at the moment.  The older I get, the more I can't stand shopping, especially when it's semi-forced and overly crowded.  That just equates to stress as far as I'm concerned.

And I'm all about avoiding unnecessary stress.

Which is why I thoroughly enjoyed today's trip to the local beach and the intentional avoidance of that pesky To Do list.


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To read about previous Christmas quandaries,  click here .

Aarons Beach

These pictures of a sunny Aarons Beach area were taken a couple of weeks back, when I stopped there to take a jog.

It was breezy but warm.

The bay really isn't elevated that much above the shoreline/beach area.  I was using my zoom and this was the result.

I've been behind in my jogging and my blogging here lately.

This week, any down time I had was spent preparing for a possible It's Either Gonna Be Another Hurricane Hazel, A Dud, or Anything In Between storm.  

So far, Hurricane Matthew is only delivering Mathews County lots of wind, rain and high tides.  But, to be perfectly honest, we've had those weather conditions hovering around for what feels like years months now, in spite of the sunny, clear skies depicted here.

I'm off on Monday thanks to the wonderful federal holiday, and I hope to take some pictures and do some more jogging then.

Have a great weekend.

Aaron's Beach

Sunday afternoon after a four-mile run, I drove down to Aaron's Beach just to say hello.

Although the sun was shining brightly, the wind was brisk.

Temperatures were only in the forties.

(Saturday, when I went running down Redart, it started snowing!)

(I'm really ready for warm weather to settle in and for the cold to go away.)

Anyway, the sand at the beach's entrance has shifted since I last visited.  

But most of the rest of it 

looks the same.

It was another busy week here in the Chesapeake Bay household.  Daughter purchased her prom dress, and in a few weeks I'll be taking my very last prom pictures as a mother.  Sunday night was her basketball banquet, the very last sports banquet I'll be attending as a mother.  Her cap and gown recently arrived, and before too long I'll be a blubbering idiot blinking back tears at her graduation.  She's very eager for high school to be over and done with, and she can't wait to get to UVA.  I'm so proud of her.

I continue to press the limits of an odometer with my 100-mile daily commute, but I have been doing some fun things as well.  On Saturday, Middle Sister invited me to an oyster roast at the Mathews Yacht Club, where she recently applied to become a member. We thoroughly enjoyed a seafood feast with some fascinating people.

Baby Sis and I are once again traveling to Nashville to visit our blog friend Lauren.  We will also attempt to run another half marathon.  Since my car accident, I've not been able to get back to where I was physically.  There are more aches and pains and I just feel older different.  But I'm not letting that deter me.  I'm able to run six miles without stopping, just not sure I can do 13.1 miles without walking, so I'm not making that a priority.  I just want to finish the race and not worry about my time or whether I have to walk or not.  Plus, it's not really about the race.  It's about the adventure that Baby Sis and I will have with our friend in Nashville.  That doesn't happen until the end of the month, but I'm gearing up for it nevertheless.

There's more to tell, and when things simmer down here I will tell the story from beginning to end.

It's a very good one.

I hope all is well in your world.  Have a great week!

Cormorants

These cormorants were enjoying a sunny day off Aarons Beach recently.

I've been busy busy busy just doing the usual, every day things.  I'm struggling with the fact that summer is over and only three (likely short) months stand between today and Christmas.

Next Wednesday Daughter turns 17.  She's requested dinner at her place of employment (and my favorite local restaurant) Merroir. She's juggling a very full workload at school these days, and we're both eager for the college application process to be behind her.

Otherwise, it's just business as usual around here, nothing too exciting or out of the ordinary.

And that's just fine with me.

Waterman

I've been taking pictures since 2008 and somehow always manage a shot like this, where the water seems to be pouring out of the lower left corner.  Don't worry, I'll clean up the mess.

These shots of a local waterman fishing nets were taken off Aarons Beach this week.  They are timely because Mathews recently lost a legendary waterman who died doing what he loved best.  (Click here for more on that.)

In brighter news, Daughter successfully started her last year of high school this week.  And I'm very excited that Market Days is upon us once again.  I plan to enjoy every single moment of this annual event, including the Party at the Wharf Friday night, the car show on Saturday (where a certain 1965--what a fantastic year--Mustang belonging to my friend will be on display), and the street dance Saturday night.

Click here for more info on the Market Day festivities.

If I can remember to buy batteries for my camera (I give it a 50-50 shot on remembering to buy batteries and a 40-60 shot that I'll then remember to bring the camera), I'll post pictures here next week.

Aaron's Beach

These were taken earlier this summer from Aaron's Beach.  I'm very negligent in my photo-taking duties, but it's been a whirlwind summer that doesn't seem to be letting up.  This is Son's last week at home before returning to UVA, and his 20th (!!) birthday is Thursday.  Daughter is gearing up for her senior year and the whole college application process.  And my work continues to pull me in multiple directions.

Also, our neighbor Sydney died last Friday.  Sydney has been our close neighbor since before I was born, and he was my father's good friend.  His passing is just another reminder that time is passing all too quickly, and our time to enjoy this life is neither guaranteed nor unlimited.

I've been doing my best to enjoy what spare time I have, which has resulted in no pictures and no attention to this blog.  I have been enjoying a lot of the local music scene and have probably seen more bands this summer than I have in my whole life.  Middle Sister is also doing her best to drive me crazy keeping me busy in the evenings, and we try to get out to eat about once a week after work, which is nice.

So, there's lots happening here lately, but at some point I'll venture out to take some new pictures.

I hope all is well in your world.

Washed Up

This basket was washed up on Aarons Beach a few weeks ago.  These always remind me of picking daffodils as a child.  We'd go through the fields picking up the bunches and placing them in these baskets--which were then submerged in metal buckets of water in the dark, cool barn before the flowers were packed up and shipped off in large cardboard boxes to commercial markets.

Most people around here associate them with fresh seafood, too.

Unrelated to anything thus far, my surgery took longer than I anticipated to recover from. I was expecting to trot back in to work on Monday after a follow-up visit with the surgeon, but he actually wanted me out another whole week. I was lethargic and just generally weak.  No appetite, no strength, nothing.  Nada. Since this is the busy season at work, and we're already short-staffed as it is,  however, I chose to ignore the surgeon's advice compromise and have been going in to work half days.  I race home early and take two-hour naps.

But finally today I'm feeling a little stronger. And I'm eating a little bit.

If I can survive next week, which is our absolute busiest at work, the following week I'll be on a much-anticipated vacation.

I can't wait.

I hope all is well in your world.

More from Aarons Beach

Here are some more shots taken from Aarons Beach.

I'm pleased to report I barely made it, they tried to kill me!  survived gall bladder surgery.  In spite of what I'd heard and read, recovery wasn't exactly swift and easy.  I'm supposed to return to work today, but I'm still taking pain medication which makes me tired, and I can barely eat anything.  So we'll see.

While I was incapacitated, July arrived.  We're now in the seventh month of this year.

Time continues to fly by whether I'm half dead from surgery an active participant or not.

Scenes from Aarons Beach

In spite of all outward appearances, this blogger blog is still alive, although barely. Last week my internet was down for a few days, but it wasn't as if I had any pictures to share anyway. Since then, however, I made a trip down to Aarons Beach one evening and snapped these and several others I'll post later in the week.

Speaking of later in the week, I apologize in advance for whatever more-inane-than usual gibberish may find its way to this blog the next time I post.  More than likely I will be under the influence of heavy-duty pain medication from the surgery I'm having on Tuesday. Although I am looking forward to some mandated bed rest and any excuse not to have to drive 100 miles a day to and from work, I can't say I'm looking forward to the surgery itself.

Assuming everything goes as it should, though, all of this will soon be behind me, and I can get back to life without fear of a gall bladder attack.  And I'll return to complaining about other things, such as my commute and the weeds that are taking over my yard and the ants that are so rampant in my house they are drafting up an eviction notice they intend to serve me any day now.

Have a great week.