A new form of OCD

aerial view Cedar Key - very watery! see below

January has seen a strange start to the year with the weather fluctuating between Spring, Autumn and fog!

In early January three old tires arrived on our beach lined up in a row after a storm. Each was barnacled and full of sand, and sliced in two (so they don't float when dumped in the sea apparently) with only a small bit of rubber holding them together - very heavy! Perhaps they were triplets; I assume they were dock or boat bumpers of some sort and had been cast adrift - purposefully given the slicing. Doing our good deed after church, we moved them up above the high tide line to prevent them from returning to their watery grave awaiting City pick-up on the morning beach patrol. Perhaps they will be turned into deck chairs or the recycled soles of shoes - at worst they will be fuel in the Pinellas County solid waste incinerator -- who knows!!

beach wheelchair

I am glad to see everyone can use the beach -- and this is a welcome sight given all the politics in our small beach community - seems it is a mirror image of our USA national turmoil!

downtown Cedar Key

We had a small trip driving across northern Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas; I cannot say it is a riveting adventure, but if you stay off the interstates, then you will see rural America, including a working cotton gin on Route 3. And some farms that could have been at Beamish!

one way to do it!!

spot of fun at Beach Front Motel

We did make a diversion to Cedar Key, as I had read a book set in the town.  It is a watery wonderland including a quilt shop much to my surprise!  I even got a yard of fabric

The Salty Needle Quilt Shop

printed with the owner's husband's picture of clams, and Cedar Key is the home of the farmed clam in the USA. They put them in mesh bags and leave in the Gulf of Mexico to grow - delicious - stop by Tony's for the best clam chowder! Fortunately they no longer [legally] harvest sea turtles for soup - but they did until the 1970s!

Further into Georgia we stopped in Vidalia and toured The Onion Museum. Sweet vidalia onions are grown in a small area, planted and harvested by hand (!) and the name protected like champagne.

Now back at home, I have learnt a new term OCD = Obsessive Crafting Disorder! (ocd-obessivecraftingdisorder.blogspot.com; nothing posted since July 2015 so not sure what's happened on this website, but I love the acronym . . .)

painted by Sharon

wood craft by Tom

But crafting begets crafting so we have some new acquisitions. Dolphins and friend's painting. Both make me smile!

I've made a few birthday gifts (cannot reveal them yet) and a wedge pillow case with 'night owl' printed fabric for my dad.

We are back to our volunteering and to shuffleboard - originally an English table game of 'shovelboard' as shown on Rick Steve's show. The Earl of Wemyss in the Cotswolds has a table dating from 1625 and is 23 feet long - so his country house is big enough to accommodate it!

Rick and the Earl at Stanway House; open to the public

This morning we had two beach rakers raking out 'excess sand' months after Sept Hurricane Hermine deposited it here. Some of it was dumped over our fence from that deposited in the garage, but most just from the high tide.. Notice the rakers two different styles - one a bit' messier' than the other!