Freshly squeezed orange juice? Really?

 

At a recent visit to Market Basket, the one in Sandwich, Massachusetts, just over the Sagamore Bridge, Marash Girl noticed two big bins of recently squeezed oranges.  Whatever could that mean?  Astounded, she asked the woman behind the counter, "Your freshly squeezed orange juice is really freshly squeezed, and freshly squeezed right here moments ago?"  "Absolutely," the woman behind the counter answered proudly, with a big                 smile on her face.     Need Marash Girl say more?

                                 

The Old Clothesline

                Sagamore Beach:   The Old Clothesline, or, Still Hanging In There.   Photo by Marash Girl.

The Church on Meeting House Lane

The Church on Meeting House Lane

Sagamore Beach -- the stone church --  the Swift Memorial Methodist Church -- Marash Girl felt a kinship to it -- it too had been harmed by tornadic (is there such a word) winds two years ago, causing extensive water damage to the interior of the church.  Thus, taking the grandkids to church on Sunday mornings meant driving down to the Swift Memorial Activity Center to a church service where the children said, "That was really interesting . . . and I understood every word!" 

In the same building, the church thrift shop does a thriving business on Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.  The first Wednesday Marash Girl took her grandchildren, they didn't realize that there was a basement full of books, and so they meandered through the first floor shop, finding a treasure chest for Elina and three crochet hooks, one for Marash Girl, one for Elina, and one for Iffar (for their next stint with their Ama when they'll learn the fine art of crochet!)

On their second trip to the thrift shop, Marash Girl found it closed -- torrential rains had kept the volunteers at home.  But her third trip there, on her last day in Sagamore Beach, Marash Girl circumnavigated the book room, finding such treasures as were far too many to purchase and carry back to Boston . . . while Marash Boy took a trip to the local Dunkin' Donuts for his morning coffee.  

At the checkout counter, Marash Girl girl found the greatest treasure of all.   She met the cheeriest lady on the beach.  This lady was laughing about her friend who decorated her (the lady's) blue jeans with daisies all down the side.  She paused in her story to greet Marash Girl and they began chatting.  When Marash Girl told her how much they (Marash Girl and the grandchildren) had enjoyed the church service the previous Sunday, the cheery lady said, "Yes, I love this church.    My son died in VietNam, and I didn't go to church for many a year after that. I blamed the wrong person," she said with a grin, pointing upward.  "This church helped me back to joy." Her joy was palpable. Her joy was memorable.  Her joy was an inspiration.

Last early morning walk, Phillips Road, Sagamore Beach

Listen to the Mockingbird!

Photo Credit:  http://www.nhptv.org/natureworks/mockingbird.htm

From the east, the soothing music of the surf; from the west the joyful song of the mockingbird.  What more could we ask?  It was our week at the beach, our week of beauty to our eyes and beauty to our ears.

Yesterday morning, for the last time this summer, Marash Girl walked along the road paralleling Sagamore Beach.  The mockingbird's song followed her as she walked.  Looking up, Marash Girl saw the mocking bird, singing not only with all its heart, not only with all its soul, but with all its body.  Every note was sung so fully that Marash Girl feared for the well being of the bird, but she need not have feared.  The bird sang and sang and sang, more beautifully, more fully, more joyously, than any bird she has heard.

Why then call this joyous bird a mockingbird?  Must we mock true beauty by damning it with words?

N.B. mockingbird - refers to Mockingbird, Mimus polyglottos. [mock Middle English mokken, mokke, mocque, Middle French mocquer, Old French mocquer, moquer, to mock, Greek mokos, a mocker + bird Middle English bird, brid, Old English bridd, bird, young bird].

Morning, Noon, & Night: Farewell, Sagamore Beach!

              Blessings on Sagamore Beach -- Let us give thanks.

 

Colorful reminder of earlier days -- when lobster traps were made of wood.

Trees on the beach at high noon!

The calm after the storm.

Have you ever seen the sunset and the moon rise in the same moment?

Keeping warm after the sunset:  Sagamore Beach

Bastille Day on Sagamore Beach

Last night, soon after the harvest sized moon appeared on the horizon, fireworks in all their splendor exploded up and down Sagamore's beach. Marash Girl had forgotten that it was Bastille Day. Not Karoun of Springfield's Karoun Yoga, though.  Just arrived from Springfield, Karoun reminded us of the reenactments that occurred yearly on Wilbraham Mountain, when her Uncle George (Dr. George Charkoudian) was still living and the children would free him from the Bastille that they had gleefully constructed around him.

Last night, on July 14, 2011, the storming of the Bastille took place for the first time with the next generation.  From the safety of her room, Marash Girl could hear the planning, the building, the attack and the final destruction of the Bastille, freeing the prisoners and bringing freedom to France and Sagamore Beach forever.

Monopoly at the Beach

Marash Girl's brain has been Monopolized!!!!!!!

Who's the real estate tycoon in this family?

Chicken Coop at the Beach

Good morning.

Cool breezes, surf, and chicken chatter wake us every morning at this beautiful spot on Sagamore Beach.  "I've never seen a chicken before," said Grandson Raffi, even though his mom is considering getting chickens and a portable chicken coop for their back yard in Takoma Park, Maryland, where, Visiting Blogger Enila informs me, roosters are not allowed!

Ama's favorite photo of the chicken coop.

Rafayel's & Visiting Blogger Enila's favorite photo of the chicken coop. This is the view from a South window of our summer rental on Phillips Road, Sagamore Beach. The ocean is visible in the distance, though not in these photos.

There really are chickens in that coop next door!

Chicken Coop next door with Cape Cod Canal and Cape Cod on the Horizon.

And for breakfast,  homemade Juicy Juice popsicles followed by homemade French toast!

 And home made chocolate milk (with moustaches) for dessert!

Between the tide pool and the deep blue sea!

Just checking into the office?  Do we forget that quickly?

The Fun Afternoon

Visiting Blogger Enila writes:  Yesterday we went to the beach at low tide.  (The picture you see is high tide.)  We swam, jumped in the waves. There were a bunch of tiny fish -- a centimeter long -- following us around in the warm water.  We didn't even get sunburned because the weather was perfect. We tried to convince my grandfather to come in to the water, but he pretended he didn't hear us.  Maybe he doesn't know how to swim.

After that, we took a shower and played "Mother, may I?"  It was so, so much fun.  I kept forgetting to ask, "Mother, may I?" and had to go back to the beginning. When we were halfway to the "mother", there was a watermelon stop.  You could take a piece of watermelon, and that meant that you were close to the "mother", unless, of course, you had to go back!

 We played on the deck, while we looked at the ocean.That was such a fun afternoon.


Photos by Enila