Wow….there is an ocean out there!!!

On Tuesday, I needed to do a lot of accounting work and some house cleaning so I told Michael to keep the car for the day and I would just walk if I needed to go anywhere.

I got a lot accomplished, however every time I saw the sun, I grabbed my camera and headed out for a walk.  The first one came at about 11:00am!!  As I walked around the neighborhood I took photos of the tiled walls…..

….and tile decorations on the homes….

I passed a cemetery and walked in for a look around.  It was a newer facility and had a different (very crowded) look to it…..

There were new crypt areas being dug….

I saw this stack of boxes on the sidewalk and wondered what they were used for…..

My musings were interrupted by the strong smell of fish as I walked past so I am pretty sure that they previously held fish!!!

I continued looking at the imaginative doors that I found…..

We Americans simply don’t do doors this well!!  Of course it helps that I am walking directly past them and not trying to notice them from a wide street!!!

It had started to rain again so I  returned home for lunch and to do some more  work.  I looked up about 2:00 and it was once again sunny…..really sunny, so I grabbed my camera and headed out again.  

This time I started walking along the sea wall and suddenly realized that I could actually walk along the beach if I wanted!!!  It was great fun walking along and taking photos of the shoreline…..

….the sea spray…..

….and various findings along the beach.

However, while I was bent over studiously taking this photo…..

…..I heard an ominous lapping behind me as the surf rolled over my photo op and also my feet.!!!  I spent the rest of the walk looking like this…..

.].but at least I can say that I have been IN the Atlanta Ocean!!!

I came to one area where Backhoes were rebuilding the sea wall beside the road.   It was entertaining to watch them as they worked together to replace the rocks that were making their way toward the sea.  I was reminded of dance in the way that the moved and interacted…..

I  also was astounded to think that they were so very close to the surf.  You would think that a stray wave could start the sand eroding under the machine and cause all sorts of trouble.   It shows me that they know what they are doing!!!!

I had put the Google Translate App on my phone this morning and had been playing with exactly what it could do for me.   One of the coolest features is that you can point your phone toward written words and it will show on the screen in English.    I tested it on this sign…..

Here is the translation on my phone….that is if you can read it behind all of my fingerprints (I really need to clean my phone!!!!!)…..

It says…. “Zone Dangerous,  Machines in Movement, Forbidden, Stay in this Place”.

I could seriously sit and watch the ocean movement for hours at a time.   I am enamored with the way that the waves pile on top of one another or the way that one outgoing wave will suck the incoming one under.   Even watching the foam dissipate on the sand is entertaining…..

As I walked, I also pondered how long these rocks have been here, how deep down they go and how tall they were originally……

I found one quilt inspiration.   I have been playing around with English Paper Piecing Hexagons and Pentagons but they are all regular shaped and sized.  What if I used irregular patterns like in this wall……

The pieces would still have straight lines and would be SO much more interesting than everything being the same shape.   Of course, I will have to design the entire thing first and be sure to keep track of which piece goes where.    Oh great….another idea and no time to sew!!!!

I passed two men doing some surf fishing and appreciated the movement in this photo……

….and the serenity in this one……

I could see the storm clouds rolling in again……

….so I turned around and hot-footed it back to the apartment, but diverted to our local Cafe to have a cup of tea with Christina, arriving just as the rain started!!

Michael called about 6:00 to say that he was on his way home so I got organized to cook our dinner.  The only problem was that I couldn’t figure out how to turn the stove on!!!

It had a touch control and although I ran my finger over the ON button again and again, I could not get it to work.   I called Michael and told him that I was having trouble and while I was talking, I rested my hand on top of the controls for a few seconds and, lo and behold, it turned on!!!!   Obviously, I was moving my hand away too quickly for it to turn on!!!

We had a nice dinner of pasta with melted cheese and bottled Pesto sauce…..

 

Afterwards, we decided to enjoy the nice weather and go out again for a walk.  I love this photo of him but it looks like he is standing in front of a Blue Screen…..

I promise….we really are in Portugal!!!

As we headed back home for the evening it was enjoyable to watch the sun setting behind the storm clouds…..