“Sea Quote Saturday” #3

“When anxious, uneasy and bad thoughts come, I go to the sea,

and the sea drowns them out with its great wide sounds,

cleanses me with its noise, and imposes a rhythm upon

everything in me that is bewildered and confused.”

Rainer Maria Rilke

I’m still feeling somewhat anxious and uneasy about things – not sure why – so tomorrow I’m “going to the sea.”  Not Hammonasset this time, though – I’m driving down to St. Edmund’s Enders Island, off the coast of Mystic, Connecticut.  The most peaceful place in the world (to me, anyway) . . .

Great Quote

I just saw this on someone’s Flickr profile page, and it captures my feelings about photography and the sea perfectly:

“At its best, being outdoors with my camera is a type of meditation.  Concerns of the day are forgotten while I relax and concentrate simply on what is right in front of me.”

Hammonasset, January 7, 2012, Part 2

I created this blog as a form of stress-relief, but instead of relieving stress, it became just one more thing to worry about.  However . . .

I spent a good part of today worrying, about my job (big changes coming, and I’m not sure how they will affect me) and my daughter (saw something she posted on Facebook, lol).  Couldn’t seem to snap out of it until I picked up “Eat Pray Love” and read this:  “I will not harbor unhealthy thoughts anymore.”  That was Elizabeth Gilbert’s resolution, and I’ve decided to make it mine, too.  Getting rid of unhealthy thoughts is easier said than done, though . . . I was having a lot of trouble “letting go” . . . then I figured I’d edit a few photos from my trip to Hammonasset a couple of weeks ago.  And it worked!  Focusing on the editing process kept me from obsessing about my “troubles,” and seeing the photos reminded me of the peace I find when I’m at the shore.

I know I’ve got long way to go before I learn to let go all the time . . . but maybe this blog wasn’t such a bad idea after all!  Here are some of the photos I worked on tonight:

That day, after looking at the cabins, we walked down the Moraine Trail . . .

Came across some rock art . . .

Saw someone relaxing in the sun . . .

And flying a kite . . .

We’d hoped to see some seals at the end of the trail, but because of duck hunters, they’d all fled.  We did see some other hikers enjoying the view . . .

Some people . . . fishing?

On our way back, we some some more rock art . . .

And then we hung around the beach, waiting for the sun to set.

More pictures to be uploaded some time soon.  In the meantime, if you’d like to see others, check out my photostream on Flickr.

“Sea Quote Saturday” #2

Okay, so keeping up with this blog is a little harder than I thought . . .

So many things to do, and sometimes I’m so tired when I get home from work.  I’ll keep trying, though!

Today’s quote:

“The voice of the sea speaks to the soul.”

Kate Chopin (The Awakening)

“Sea Quote Saturday” #1

Already the peace and joy I felt after last Saturday’s trip to Hammonasset has started to fade . . .

How can I keep that feeling going when I’m not there?  I came up with a couple of ideas – looking at old photos I’ve taken is one.  Another involves words, not pictures.  I started collecting quotes about the sea awhile back, and have found about 20 so far.  The plan is to share one a week, and see if I can find enough to last the whole year.

Here’s today’s, one of my favorites:

“The Sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.”

Jacques Cousteau

So true!

What’s it all about?

A bit about why I created this blog, and what I want to do with it . . .

As I said in my “About” section, I worry . . . a lot!  Worry leads to anxiety, and chronic anxiety has caused some stress-related health issues for me.  I’ve been trying different things to help me better cope (meditation seems to be working), and noticed late last year that trips to the ocean are very relaxing and soothing.  I decided that I want (need?) to spend more time down by the shore, and since Hammonasset is the closest and quickest-to-get-to beach, that’s where I usually go.

I also mentioned that I love to learn and create, and I’ve discovered learning and creating things also helps reduce my stress levels.  Shortly after a trip to Hammonasset on New Year’s Day, I started thinking . . .  I love photography (I’d taken over 300 photos that day!), and took a class in Photojournalism a couple of years ago – why don’t I work on a photo documentary about Hammonasset?  I have so much fun taking photos there anyway, and it would be interesting to learn more about such a great place.  One thing led to another, and I came up with the idea for this blog, so I can document everything I learn and creatively display all the photos I take.

So here I am!

Since then I’ve been to Hammonasset again (see previous blog entry) and made plans to drive down there with my husband on the 21^st for a “seal search.”  I tried to book a stay for my husband and myself for Labor Day weekend in “Cabin B,” but unfortunately there’s a seven-day minimum, and neither cabin is available the week we’d already picked for our summer vacation.  Maybe next year . . .

After doing some quick internet searches I’ve already learned a lot more about Hammonasset, too.  A few helpful resources were the “Friends of Hammonasset” website as well as their Facebook page, and a blog on the Madison Patch website written by a woman named Michelle Poulin Kiley, “Friend of Hammonasset.”

It will be interesting to see if this “project” I’ve come up with for myself does help me learn to relax and stop worrying so much.  I wonder if my life will have changed at all for the better by this time next year.  Maybe not – but hopefully it will have, at least a little!

Hammonasset, January 7, 2012, Part 1

After a visit to Hammonasset on New Year’s Day, I was struck with the urge to go camping there this summer.  My husband and I had talked about going in the past, but had never gotten around to doing so.  It had been years since we’d gone camping, and Bruce (my husband), wasn’t sure if our tent was still in good enough shape to use, but I decided to check out the campsite details anyway, and discovered there are two “primitive” cabins available to rent.  It was supposed to be sunny and (relatively) warm on Saturday (50′s), so I convinced Bruce we should drive down for the afternoon to check out those cabins . . .

They looked wonderful!  Definitely pretty primitive – electricity, but no water or bathroom – but there were beds in there, so no having to deal with air mattresses!  Lovely Chases Pond is right next to the cabin area:

After deciding we liked cabin “B” the best . . .

. . . we decided to walk to West Beach . . .

. . . and the closer we got, the more excited I got . . . and then, there it was – the ocean!

It’s hard to describe exactly how I felt when I saw the ocean – the only word that comes to mind now is pure joy.  I’d practically danced up that boardwalk towards it, saying, “Look honey, it’s the ocean!” like a little kid.  But that’s how I felt – like a kid again.  As corny as this sounds, I felt like an oceanic virgin – “touched for the very first time” by the sight of it, almost as if I was seeing the ocean for the very first time.

We walked around a bit, I took some pictures . . .

We saw some gulls . . .

And some women beachcombing . . .

Walked along the boardwalk . . .

And then headed back to the campground to pick up our car and drive over to Meig’s Point, where we hoped to see some seals . . .