beach | Apothecary Shed

Hot Summer Doldrums at the Stick

August 27, 2023

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Sometimes the doldrums strike even at the Stick. Intensely hot. No wind. The Stick is usually a place of respite with crosswinds blowing through the house, but we up and left when it was just too hot. This is likely to be more common as climate change unfolds. That is, until the Stick is eaten by the Atlantic ocean.

We flew the usual flags.

In any case, we dragged a bunch of stuff down from the cabin. So that was accomplished.

Which also means we got to get rid of some stuff. UHaul at the dump!

All gone.

The dogs had fun when they were not completely overheated. Maybe loves the beach.

Check out the baby puppy Maybeline in the water!

Life is but a bowl of dog food.

Oh yeah, there were cocktails too! Served up on the new bar.

Dark and Stormy

Gin and Tonic

Colt’s Neck

Of course, more dogs in the ocean. Which sometimes means the baby has to be dried off.

One of my very favorite views. We will, of course, be back. Two visits slated for the Fall.

Dogs at Play: Ocean Isle

June 17, 2023

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The Stick with two dogs! Including the new puppy Maybeline and Moonshine (who has already been to the beach this year).

Digging in the morning!

The sand and the ocean sans leash.

April Glaggett: Gangster of Art

October 30, 2021

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What happens when two art school colleagues unite in one studio space?

Love.

We visited April’s beautiful new studio in New Hampshire on August 16th. Here is some of what we saw.

These new works look kinda familiar. Oh boy oh boy!

Can’t wait to see these pieces completed.

Just look at this gorgeous light.

Want to support excellent work like this? Buy some.

The Stick (Fall 2021)

October 29, 2021

gem animals, dogs, ocean beach, home improvement, mr skaggs, ocean isle beach, OIB, photography, romey, the stick Leave a comment

Sunset and Moonshine (by Romey)

Who knew that installing a new washer/dryer combo thing could be so fun? That’s the nature of the Stick, I suppose. Now that I properly own it again, the time has come to spruce it up (a constant battle in the elements provided by the nearby Atlantic). We also fixed the ridiculously installed electricity, added some lights in the kitchen and over the bar, and installed a beautiful shelf in the bathroom.

Special thanks to Mr Skaggs for the help, as always above and beyond the call of duty. Anyway, here’s how all that unfolded over two visits

Moonshine and Rosie demonstrate how it feels to arrive at the Stick.

Mike learned about pickapeppa on cream cheese. A serious YUM.

The ocean is great when you are under one

Look at that professional grade piping!

The new shelf

Kitchen lighting. Now there is no excuse for not properly cleaning the kitchen.

The bar lights

Claudio and his family are going to do some major work next year. But first they need to see what they are getting into.

A second trip down with the Shepardsons and Romey was required to install the W/D (on order for several weeks).

Installing this thing required taking the entire closet apart, cleaning out 25 year worth of dryer lint, and putting it all back together (without improving the design one tad…LOL). Gotta say that drying sheets and towels is a thing.

How you feel after several days of partying at the Stick

Moonshine demonstrates what it feels like to leave the Stick.

Green Turtle Cay: Turtles, Sharks and Pristine Beaches

August 24, 2018

gem animals, nature, photography abaco, bahamas, bananaquit, beach, breakfast at the liquor store, brendal's dive shop, diving, green turtle cay, nurse sharks, sting rays, turtles Leave a comment

Our previous visit to Green Turtle Cay in Abaco, Bahamas was 28 years ago as honeymoon phase 2. Arriving in Green Turtle Cay after spending two weeks in the Ecuadorian rain forest with the Cofan Indians was interesting to say the least.

The island looks and feels pretty much the same as it did in 1990 with the exception of more fancy houses (one of which we rented) and a paved main road. Before 2016, the main road was still a packed sand and concrete filled holes one laner. Now it is a wide, freshly-paved expanse. Also, the New Plymouth Inn is no longer. Ah progress.

Our house was called Bannanaquit, which everyone on the island has a slightly different opinion about how to pronounce. The consensus seems to average out around “quit” versus “keet.” Great house with a beautiful pool situated smack dab in the middle of the two island nexuses.

Here are some pictures and videos from our trip.

Amy’s socks, specially designed for flying

Some unsolicited travel advice: avoid Silver Airways if you can. Their ops and maintenance needs serious work. We flew into Marsh Harbor and got an (expensive) cab up to the ferry. The ferry is super quick.

The ferry

Arrival means beach. Bita bay is great. Clear water, good snorkeling, and its own small coral barrier.

We built a bar. It was good.

The Bananquit home bar

When on Green Turtle, the best place for breakfast (bar none) is the liquor store. Really. We went twice.

Liquor store for breakfast?

Liquor store for breakfast

Breakfast at the liquor store pic.twitter.com/XizzwXRby8

— noplasticshower (@noplasticshower) August 14, 2018

Go diving with Brendal. The diving off Green Turtle is pretty good, but the fish that Brendal has trained are remarkable. Ever seen a pet grouper? How about a school of fish waiting patiently for you to turn over rocks exposing worms. Brendal is a fun guy and an expert diver. (Thanks to Bebe Jacque for sharing bits from her gopro.)

Charter a boat

We chartered a boat one day, did some fishing then had one of the best wildlife experiences in our lives swimming with the turtles, nurse sharks, and sting rays. About 15 years ago, an enterprising boat captain started conditioning the wildlife inhabiting one of the bays to like humans. The result makes a great experience.