Seaside ~ My Spot of Sand & Sea Air

Tupelo Pavilion, Seaside



The view does not get any better than this...


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Shortly after I moved to Georgia, got married, and was pregnant out to here, my husband's family beach retreat on the Coast of Georgia was swiped out from under my swollen feet and sold. I cried for a week and I know it was not just hormones. Growing up on the coast of California, I now was land-locked in Georgia with not a drop of salt water or fresh sea air near by. I said that wanted an annulment ~ I thought the beach house was part of the deal ~ to love, honor, cherish and keep the house at Sea Island. Obviously, I did not get an annulment...instead I went on a mission and found a new shore that we could call our own.



Or does it?








This is the perfect way to begin our day.




But first a tall glass of cool organic lemonade from Raw & Juicy for me...



This Airstream cafe and bistro just moved in on the sidewalk along 30A with several other retro rest stops.


Of course, my husband grabbed a few of the $2 specials to put in the cooler for later on.



The Raw & Juicy bicycle...and I thought my bicycle was all fluffed up!







And the little one in the family had to have shaved ice to cool off, every day from Frost Bites. We tried a different rainbow of flavors each time. They were all so good and cold. I tell ya, that is the business to be in at the beach. They were selling shaved ice snow cones for $4 each. You should have seen the lines when they opened ~ a gold mine!






What is salted caramel anyway? Sounds interesting.


This Queen Bee Cupcake Airstream dessert stop tempted me all week long...I took the photographs with me instead of indulging. Even with all the bike riding, walking, and swimming I saved the calories for other good stuff...






Like these Russian style raw oysters with caviar.


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There is something about Seaside that stirs me inside. In a way it reminds me of the small town in which I grew up in California, a seaside community on the coast south of San Francisco and north of Carmel. The design of the cottages and the vernacular architecture is so different, the climate is tropical, not cool and foggy in the summers, and the sugar white sand so sparkling clean with no seaweed or driftwood that your feet squeak when the sand flows between your toes. It is simply a feeling of tranquility it gives me.




The shopping is in an open air market place bazaar along side the beach,



where we can pick up a retro vintage tropical tote,



kiss a mermaid for good luck,




or collect some sea stars and shells that are not to be found on the shores below.



Enough of that...now it is time to put on more suntan lotion and sunscreen and head back down to the water.



Odessa Pavilion awaits us,


and so do the gentle crashing waves.



We got busy right away working on sand castles and fortresses.






Until it was time to go back to our cottage.




This was not our shack...ours was called Duet, or as my son used to say a couple of years ago when we were here, "Do It!" But I thought this sign was cute ~ I am sure that someone is having fun here.



We cooled off and rinsed off the sand with the outdoor shower...






Then I went for a ride on my bike along the brick pathways, past colourful cottages, and...



parking my bike in front of my "Precious Pink Cottage" wondered why it was not occupied this week and why not.


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Seaside is quaint with charming architecture, picket fences, gorgeous vistas of the emerald ocean and crystal clean beaches, meandering sandy footpaths, live oak canopies overhead ~ a classic all American beach town.






After a week of respite in Seaside it has taken me another week to get back into the groove of my routine at home ~ purchasing school supplies for the first time for my little guy (so much fun!), continuing projects that I put on hold, and getting these photographs edited so I may share them with you.




I feel like I should still be sitting on one of these porches with a frosty beverage in my hand, a good book in my lap, and the Gulf breeze cooling me off.







Even the pups have cute cottages in which to relax. I want this and we do not even have a dog yet!


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Before I finish, you've got to hear this ~ the other day I was going through my drawer of pretty stationery, old letters, and favorite notecards looking for something I needed for some notes I was mailing. In my drawer I came across a faded card that I had at one time framed. (When I was in college I would purchase notecards and frame them for my apartment ~ this was a way that I could have art on my walls at a reasonable cost.) I have since removed this particular card from the frame and because I loved the image so much, kept the card. Not even remembering that I had kept it, I found it as I was searching through all this paper, stopped and realized that it looked so familiar. Turning over the card, I saw that the location of the photograph was Seaside, Florida. The copyright date was 1984!








Perhaps this spot of sand and sea air was a place where I had always wanted to be ~ even before I knew that it existed. At the time, this was just a beautiful image. Now it is the place where my family and I renew ourselves as often as we can.

I hope you enjoyed this retreat vicariously...I could have gone on and on as you probably know. I am refreshed.





Another favorite card of mine, by Italian artist Aldo Andreolo. I purchased his prints when I was in Italy one year.
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Ciao amici. Enjoy the rest of your summer,

Suzanne

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