30 Aug 2023

Summer Snapshots – July 2023

by | posted in: Family and Friends, Southern New England Sailing | 1

July arrived with much of the same – humid and hot days interspersed with rain and flooding. I am chagrined to report that we never left Fishers Island Sound for yet another month. 

We had promised the grandchildren a “cousins sleepover” at the house to make stepping stones. What does one do with all of the beach combing treasures collected over decades? It was a really fun activity for all of us and a wonderful way to use some of “collections” in our basement.

First step was to design the stepping stones, laying out the selections on paper first.
Mixing the concrete with Papa. Messy, but fun!
Creating in progress!
Ta
TaDa! Now to wait for the concrete to dry.

Another visit to Napatree in July.

We love to watch the Wednesday evening races when anchored at Napatree.
Evening sun
Watch Hill looks so lovely with its party lights shining.
That’s a calm morning!
Kayaking with Mary Jo and Dean
A trip to walk on the beach with a glance back at Kindred Spirit.

The severe flooding this summer brought numerous logs and debris into the rivers and even Long Island Sound. We kept an eye out for floating logs whenever we were underway, but there were a couple of unique ones on Napatree beach.

Not just a big log, but a trunk and roots!
Look at the roots end! You could crawl inside and hide.
Where’ Al?
Not as impressive as the tree above, but a very interesting log. If it washed ashore, how did it end up vertical? Human assitance?
These engravings and plaques were attached to this curious log. A close inspection of the words and dates:
“Secret to Life”   4-9-20__?
The heart – “More Forever”   2-9-21?
Carving – “LINDA ST__?” 2-9-17

Time for another family visit before July ended. Our Milford crew came to Shennecossett for a boating day.

The crew and received their new official Kindred Spirit crew shirts.
Caleb found a new place for snacking, a combination perch and table.
Ceci gets a kayak lesson from Papa.
Mother-Daughter kayaking. I think Mom needs a grown-up kayak.

The favorite part of the day was the dinghy, of course.

Just hanging out in the dinghy while it is tied to the boat can be fun……..

But learning to drive the dinghy has become the most requested boating activity. Papa has limitless patience as he spends hours in the dinghy with the them.

Caleb is definitely improving his dinghy skills since year. He even started the engine by himself!
This was Ceci’s first time driving. She advocated for herself by asking not if she “was old enough now”, but saying “I think I am old enough now to learn.” 👏
A great day!

The day after their visit we finally left Fishers Island Sound to spend a few days in Coecles Harbor on Long Island, a very quiet place, good for just relaxing. A blog post last summer included a lot about Coecles so there is no need for it this time.

Familiar sights – the Block Island ferry, Ledge Light and the New London Harbor Light, all in one photo.
A very fine sunset.
Another visit to the Smith-Taylor Cabin on Taylor Island in Coecles Harbor. (more photos and details are in last summer’s blog post.)
Of course we had to dinghy into the mooring field to see if Osprey Rest, a Morgan 43 sailboat similar to our sailing Kindred Spirit was still there. It is and with an osprey nest atop its mast. So now we know that the boat’s name can be taken literally.

The moon was beautiful and full that night. It would have been a perfect time for an overnight trip.

The moon rising above the trees and mast light trying to say hello to a fellow light.

For our last day of this little excursion, we hopped back to West Harbor to meet up with Dan and Marcia on Cutting Class.

West Harbor has some of the best sunset views.

Addie won’t get to visit Kindred Spirit again this summer because they have a new addition to their family – Winston, an adorable miniature Schnauzer.

Picking up Winston in New Jersey.
😍

July slipped into August and our 29th wedding anniversary. We decided to eat at our one of our favorite places, Ford’s Lobsters in Noank, a completely outdoor spot right on the Mystic River. It was an hour wait but I had a yearning for their delicious mussels and didn’t mind. Sadly, when we were seated, they were out of them! We have never had a bad meal at Ford’s so…..

It’s hard to understand how a kitchen under a tent like this can turn out such delicious foods.
Happy Anniversary to us!

  1. Ellen Seltzer
    | Reply

    what wonderful pictures…it felt like i was there too! thanks so much for sharing and happy anniversary!

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