Eager to Get Out!

The winter chill is still hanging on for dear life, but I was able to get out on a sunny, wind-less day for some beach combing at Scusset at low tide.  I wore shorts but a jacket was definitely required.

As soon as I saw all this seaweed I knew I wasn't going to find any glass.  I certainly wasn't going to look under it.  

I do like going out on the sand bars though.  If it had been warmer, I would've taken off my shoes.

This shell bit would have been used to make beads or as currency by the Native Americans that lived here.  It's called wampum.  You can read about it HERE.   

This was the only decent piece of glass I found.  I got about 4 tiny chips, one a bit bigger than the chips and this one.  

While I was there, I watched this tug tow that barge from way out in the Bay.  They were obviously going to go through the Canal.

It was a nice day for a walk, even if I didn't score much in the way of glass.

On the way back to the parking lot, I spied this really cool little house someone built out of the hollow twiggy things that were washed up on the beach above the tide line.  I've never known what they were called but they are some kind of reed....probably grows in the marshes.  You see them all over our beaches from time to time.

It was very clever and took a lot of work.

One last look at the barge coming in.

It was only 9:45 and I just didn't want to go home yet and waste the sunny day inside.  Since I was near the bridge, I decided to check out something on my Local Bucket List....

What Has Happened To My Town?

I moved here just about 5 years ago and I used to love walking downtown and taking pictures on Main Street, and browsing the shops.  Maybe grab a slice of pizza.  It was so quaint.

Sadly, over the last 2 years, that end of Main Street has fallen into major disrepair, with condemned buildings and tenants just not being able to make a go of it.  This one kind of kicks off the sad part of town.  It's really huge and condemned.

But no one has torn it down yet.  So there it sits, rotting away.

Was gutted when my bank branch closed down in January.  My options were downtown Wareham, or crossing the bridge to Pocasset or Sandwich.  None of those are realistic options, so I had to move to a new bank.  Now this one's for sale.

This was an antique shop for a few years.  They renovated in late 2012 and early 2013 and opened that spring.  She had a lot of great stuff too.  But unfortunately, the business owner was locked in a major dispute with the guy that supposedly sold them the building but then allegedly reneged on the deal.  She was forced to close and move out of town.

Now we get into the derelict buildings.  Both of these were occupied by small thrift shops a year or so ago.  Can you see the reflection of the RR bridge in the window?  These buildings are across the street from our lovely park, the train station and access to the Canal's service road for walking, biking, fishing, etc.

Next to those sits this one.

There's one business between the above and below.  This one is also condemned.

Next to that is the now-defunct Jake's Pizza.  He started out a couple of years ago and his pizza was great.  Sadly, the quality of the food took a nose dive (I actually got very sick after eating an Italian sub sandwich from them).  I heard he was offered a great job as a chef so he closed.

Next to Jake's was Canal Creamery Ice Cream.  They opened in approximately 2014, in the spring.  I heard he couldn't afford a rent increase and was forced to close.  There wasn't any business in the winter to justify staying open.

Next to that is what used to be Rust Ed's Antiques.  They had some cool stuff too.  Heard they closed because the owner got very sick.

Another closed business next to Rust Ed.

Cape Cod Burgers & Fries was doing well until the building next door, vacant and condemned, had its floor cave in over the winter.  That rendered the floor in this one too unstable and they were forced to close too.  The town has already agreed to have the top 'BBay Nat'l Bank' part removed and placed in the park across the street.

The big ugly pit where the one was torn down (next to Cape Cod Burgers).

No one ever thought the Port O'Call bar would close.  It had a reputation as being a big rough and tumble.  

There are a few businesses at the very end of the street that are open...Lisa Laine Gifts and Deb's Dog House (the groomer I use).  This Yoga place looks like it's going to open....I hope they can make a go of it.

Whatchamacallit Shop, which has managed to stick it out despite the building next door being torn down, is one of the only things left.

This looks so awful.  A real blight on the town.

The problems with these buildings are many.  They are too run down to be safe.  The ones that are habitable are unaffordable.  Canal Creamery's rent went up and forced them out.  There is a very wealthy person in Bourne who lives in luxury and owns some of these buildings.  I don't know if he is responsible to tear them down or the town is, but either way, no one seems to have the money.  And if they were razed it would be prohibitively expensive to rebuild.  They are in such bad shape that they can't be saved with renovation either.

It breaks my heart because I love BBay and the area has so much potential, but it looks like a run down slum now with no hope for the future.  Small wonder I hardly ever walk downtown anymore. It's safe and all, but these empty buildings just creep me out.

I May Have a Problem, Part 2

Cross stitch.  I'm addicted.  That's all I wanted to do last year and it's all I want to do this year.  I've already featured some projects I got completed this year, with the baby announcement being the largest.  I do, however, take solace in the fact that I'm not as addicted as some of the people in the Stitch Maynia Facebook group I belong to.  They amaze me with the Heaven And Earth Designs that they tackle.  They are beautiful but sooooo detailed and using hundreds of colours.  I'm very intimidated by HAEDs so I don't see myself ordering one.  They have a beautiful Ravenclaw-themed one but it has 88 colours, all in blue, bronze & grey.  I'll just have to admire that on the internet cause I'm not ordering it.  

This is my longest work in progress (WIP).  It's so old that my dad was still alive when my parents bought it for me for Christmas in 2002.  I worked on it all that following spring but the frustration level with all the colour changes forced me to put it down by May 2003.  I picked it up again in 2005 and stitched the whole sky, then I did the bottom border so that at least I could see how much left I had to do.  I'd really like to finish it though.  Now that I don't live in Washington anymore, I'd like to have a reminder of the mountain I so desperately miss.

I just started this one for my friend Fernanda.  I made the other Hummel design for her last summer and she asked me if I would do this one for her.  

I haven't made much progress on the dragon because I've messed up the count so bad that I got frustrated and put it away about 3 years ago.  I'm not even sure where I messed up anymore. 

Just started this one too and I've messed this one up somehow, where the thread is trailing from.  I put it away to start the baby announcement before I figured out where I miscounted.

Four beaded cross stitch kits to do.  One Halloween themed and 2 winter themed.  These shouldn't take too long to do.

The hippie pattern won't take long either.  I want to make one for me and one for my friend Miki.  I am also eager to start the orcas.  I have all the floss for it but I need a larger piece of Aida cloth than any I have in my stash.

I can't remember where or how I scored the Butchart Gardens pattern but there is more than just that inside that little booklet.  There are at least 3 Victoria designs and I want to do them all.  I also couldn't resist that nature pattern on the right.

Two more Victoria BC pattern books with 3-4 inside each one.

And of course I had to buy patterns of all the states I've lived in (Maine was for my first two years of college).

I want to do all four pretty much as they are laid out in the two pictures, but it's going to require some math calculations that I'm not sure I can do without a lot of mulling, a calculator, pencil and paper.

Here's another one I bought about 10 years ago and forgot about.  I was surprised to see it surface in my needlework box as I dug for Mt. Rainier.  

These are embroidery patterns.  I got the small one in a thrift shop.  It was started and has all the yarn in it but I'd like to finish it.  Marsha found the bottom runner (it's longer than shown) in her mom's stuff and asked if I wanted it.  I'd need to get all the yarn but I bet it will be pretty.

So many kits, so little time!