seaside september weekend

 Some of my thoughts from our fall beach weekend, which is turning into quite a tradition:

• I am discovering that I am in love with the allure of ships. I think my favorite place at the beach is the inlet, where all the giant steel fishing boats sleep. We went there one sunset and saw fishermen unloading their day's bounty, which included small blue fish. I asked the fisherman, who was very kind, if I could snap a few pictures of him doing his work. He obliged, and that black & white photo above is one of my new favorites.
• We also have a weird new go-to beach that I like to call Carcass Beach (sounds lovely, right)? It's actually gross but I always leave there as wide-eyed and curious as a kid. There is almost always a scattering of fish vertebrae, crab legs, and that pungent smell of fish. This is weird...but I kind of like it. At a distance, of course.
• To go with my new love of watching ships, I have become obsessed with tracking them and reading up on shipwrecks. I started reading a book, Shadow Divers, which I am halfway through...it is SO COOL. All about shipwrecks scattered along the coast of New Jersey. I borrowed the rental house's copy but didn't finish in time, so I bought my own copy and am patiently awaiting its arrival in the mail.

I love the beach in the fall when the crowds have left. It is so inspiring and beautiful, with the most enchanting smell of autumn in the air. It is the season for spices, orange hues, scents and tastes - but by the sea everything is better. 

I woke up every morning around 5am to see the sunrise - thanks to my mom, for getting me out of bed. Once on the roof, we saw the most stunning vistas, even if it was a cloudy daybreak. I also liked watching the ships bob in the water - even the big freighters and fishing ships, too. 

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Last post I announced I was changing my public settings on my blog and going to go "private." So if you're reading this, thanks for staying on :)

ciao xo!