Category: Pt. Lookout

Sort of Wordless on Wednesday

Take a look at an amazing bird’s eye view of Long Island, NY’s Jones Beach. If you look closely you can see the turnaround at the water tower. Just before taking this photo I was able to see my favorite beach, Pt. Lookout and the Loop Parkway leading to it.

Jones Beach from the air
©2012 Dora Sislian Themelis

The days leading up to and following September 11 continue to be difficult. Ten years have passed and I am not completely sure that horrible feeling will ever go away. Every year I watch the memorial commemoration on television to hear the bell toll for each plane hitting the buildings, each tower falling, and to listen to the names of the lost. It’s sad and it’s meant to be sad. I hope the day never becomes a national holiday because people will make it a celebration, a BBQ, a vacation day, or eventually move it to make a three day weekend. No thank you.
So I’ve put off posting here because I wanted to avoid it, but obviously I can’t. 
Having the day to myself, I decided it was a beach day. I planned to paint, but I forgot to bring clean water. No problem, I took photos and sketched out my idea. I’ll paint it later, maybe.
When I was ready to leave two army helicopters flew very low over the beach. One was a regular helicopter, the other was a troop transport. I was too surprised to get the camera out for a close up, and man, was it close. They hugged the shore as they flew over. By the time they were far away I jumped for the camera. What was that all about?
I drove out of the parking lot and onto the exit when I noticed a long line of American flags lining a path through the dunes. In the distance on the beach were steel replicas of the twin towers. Then I remembered there was a memorial commemoration at Pt. Lookout on September 11. Some families and first responders came here rather than go to Ground Zero. It was beautiful and sad.

What a Day at The Beach!

Tuesday was a beautiful day. Gorgeous was with the Princess visiting a friend and I was going to go to the beach by myself. I don’t have a problem being alone at the beach. It’s family friendly, peaceful and there’s usually plenty of other lone people doing their own quiet thing.

I brought my travel watercolor set, fully intending to put it to good use. I also brought along a book to read before I felt like painting. I managed to remember to take a few photos before I settled into my inert position in my sand chair.

For a beautiful sunny day, this beach was practically empty. Fine with me. Empty beach almost all to myself is a wonderful thing. The few kids on the beach just had to play football right near me though. Of course I had to tell them to move down the beach and hit other people with their football. Geez!

I had my little lunch, read my book, and ate my peach when I realized I had planned to paint that peach with a few shards of sea shells. Oops! So I just kept reading and enjoying the scenery. I answered a call from my mom and while we’re talking I felt a weird movement as I sat in my chair. I thought it must be the wind pushing me funny. 
My mom said her desk was shaking and she felt dizzy. I told her Wait a minute, I feel the same thing! I noticed other people began to stand up on the beach and look around, and said such to Mom. It was almost 2PM and I decided I am done here. Wait, is this an earthquake?
Texts were flying into my phone from Gorgeous, my sister, Son#2, Mom. Some of my outgoing texts would not go through. I couldn’t access voice mail either. As I was leaving I asked some other women if their phones worked. They didn’t. Well, everyone started talking about what was happening.

New York had a 5.9 earthquake yesterday and I was at the beach when it happened. Now that I think about it, what a jerk I was. I should have ran out of there as soon as I realized what was going on. Did I want to be in the middle of a tsunami resulting from said earthquake? Uh, no thank you. 
What kind of New Yorker am I? I was lulled by the beauty and peace of the beach into thinking I was safe. 
Next time, run you idiot.

The Ocean and the View

What else do you do at the beach besides enjoy the great weather, the salty air and the cool ocean? Well, I’m sorry right up front if I offend anyone, but the beach is great for “people watching.” People do all manner of thing while at the beach and have no qualms about any of it.
I don’t know for sure, but it seems they think they are at home all alone. Are they oblivious to the fact that hundreds of eyes are looking up from beach chairs, blankets, towels, all in the general direction of the ocean? Yet these people stand up and do their “thing” in that vista. Maybe that’s the idea? Go figure.
Leave it to me to whip out my camera. These pics are not the racy part, these people were going at it for longer than necessary. Can’t they put on their own sun lotion? I mean, these are adults! Ok, do my back, but leave me to my own pretty private areas, thanks. No. These guys got lotion on parts that bordered on exhibitionism, standing no less. Oy.
Um can you get lotion in that spot under my bottom?

Why don’t I stand up so everyone can see my tattoos too.
How many pics could I take? It was getting really hard to look out to the waves with these people here. And the tatoos! And the belly rings! And the piercings! Yes, a lot to see out there on the beach.
After a long hard day of watching all the going’s-on we headed back home. But before we did we decided to have dinner at the town of Pt. Lookout Clam Bar. Very casual, order at the window and they call your number for you to pick up. 

Pt. Lookout Clam Bar order window line

The seating area and the beautiful blue sky
The place was busy with beach goers as well as residents. Cars cannot park on the streets near the restaurant areas so there is valet parking which was hopping, but we easily found a nice table and got our dinners quickly. 

Steamers, fish and icy beer
See how casual this place is? Paper plates, plastic forks, you go get your own tartar sauces and such, but every bite was delicious and fresh. I shared the fisherman’s platter with my mom, Son#2 had steamers, and The Mr. went for grilled monkfish. And the beers were icy cold. What else can you ask for?
On the way home we hit traffic. What else is new in New York? It was stop and go, creep along traffic. So a guy from the car next to us jumps out of it and runs to the grassy, reed filled shoulder. Everyone in their own car is watching where he is going. He was a passenger, not a driver thank goodness. What does he do? He was using the shoulder as a men’s room! In plain sight! He didn’t even hide in the reeds! 
He had to be drunk, who does that? Well I leaned over and started beeping the horn, others are throwing their hands up in astonishment, the whole traffic is watching him and looking at the other cars, he’s laughing like it’s nothing. In all this hoohah I forgot I had a camera. Well, maybe it was better off I didn’t take this dopey guy’s picture.

The bay view on the road back to Long Island

Big Yellow Umbrella at the Beach

Today was an amazing beach day at Pt. Lookout, N.Y. At home it seemed as if the weather would not cooperate, cloudy and overcast with a hint of a sprinkle. There was no way I wasn’t going to the beach. No way. I packed myself up and left. Total drive time to the beach was fifteen minutes without traffic. I arrived at just past noon.
Other people must have thought it wouldn’t be a good day, but it turned out beautiful. Like I always say: Heaven is an empty beach. After relaxing in my chair for a while and having lunch, I got out my trusty travel watercolor set and pad and set to work painting the big yellow umbrella right in front of me. 

Big Yellow Umbrella (c)2011 Dora Sislian Themelis
7×11 Watercolor on Canson paper 

Twenty minutes and I was finished with this painting. I don’t know if it’s the paper that dries so quickly or the beach weather. It was a pleasure to sketch with the paint and forgo the pencil for most of this work. I did draw just a little to get some proportions correct, but overall I just went with paint. And it was good.

At Pt. Lookout Beach

I finally made it to the beach this Sunday. Pt. Lookout was beautiful on a warm sunny day. Traffic going there was light, not many people hogging up the sand, the water was warm, as was my company of family. I never got to take a photo of the beach itself because I didn’t want to enjoy the whole day through the camera lens. It was a perfect day in every sense.
But I must be really tired because I just posted this to the wrong blog! I thought my banner looked a little different after I pressed the button that says Publish Post! Yikes! My apologies to the 100 Paintings Challenge if anyone was over there and up popped my beach pics! Hahahaha! My bad.

I Need a Sunny Day

What do you do when the weather outside is not perfect?  I get Artist A.D.D when it’s rainy.  Yeah, I’ll just call this “Artist” A.D.D. because I don’t want to say how really blah and unfocused I feel in weather that’s not my opinion of good.

Last week I was somewhere and was asked what do you need to feel good?  The thought that immediately popped into my mind was that I need a sunny day.  Is that dumb or what?  No one can change the weather.  You get what you’re going to get in that department.  Sun, rain, snow, it’s out of my hands.  But I can imagine it, right?  So that’s what I try to do.  When things get crazy I try to remember to go to the beach on a hot sunny day, in my mind.  Sometimes it works.

Today is a cloudy, rainy, but warm day.  Not my favorite, but I can live with warm.  I’d rather have hot and humid.  People don’t understand it.  I don’t care, I need it.  I could get myself down for the day if I think about how the winter is creeping up on us, but don’t tell me to move because that’s not happening.  No matter that I live in the New York suburbs on Long Island, I need to be in close proximity of the city of Manhattan. I may not be going there often, but nearby is good enough.  I know it’s weird, don’t ask questions!

Last week was great hot and sunny weather for September.  You bet I took myself to the beach for some R&R.  Yup.  I packed the essentials, (food and iced coffee) and drove out there.  In fifteen minutes I was sitting in my chair in the hot sand with very few people on the beach.  I remembered my watercolor set and found some broken shell pieces for when I was ready to paint.  But first I breathed a nice long sign of relief that I had arrived!  Yes!

I fished around in my bag for my camera so I could take a couple of pictures.  It wasn’t in one pocket, not the other, not in the bottom of the bag.  Well, OK, I’ll get the phone out and shoot a few pics, I thought.  I couldn’t find that either.  So I was without a camera or any device of communication.  Let me tell you that was kind of scary!  What did we do before cell phones?  We were free.  But in the 21st century, being free is not an option.  After a little bit of panic and anxiety I decided I better get it together, paint and go home.

Thank goodness I found those bits of shells otherwise I didn’t have a good subject.  This beach is so long there’s just ocean and sky, no little bay or curve of dune to be interesting.  I hadn’t eaten the apple I brought so I arranged it with the shells in the sand at my feet.  There’s just something magical about painting things in the bright sunlight with the reflection off the sand.  The shadows are sharp and the bright light evens out mid tones so there’s no need to squint.

It’s a good feeling to work with color and form, to be able to forget where and who I am.  Some people have the ability to be out of their body at will, their mind off in another world.  For me, it’s this moment that I’m gone.  Nothing exists but the brush moving against the paper.  I don’t have to speak.  I have no thoughts in my head, no worries, no concerns, nothing but an empty brain.  I might not even be me.  I almost don’t exist.  It’s great.

I sketched out the apple and shell bits in watercolor paint only.  Blending in straight color, making the shapes take form and moving quickly enough to get it done, I finished and was able to lay back in my chair to let it dry.  Breathe in and breathe out, and sigh.  I was there, I painted and I was done.

Broken Shells (c)2010 DST 5×7 Watercolor

Progress, Process and the Beach

Monday scene

All of the angst over the computer issues has worn me down so I’ve been at the beach.  Let me say how much that beach helped my brain relax.  Sun and ocean does wonders for the psyche, my psyche anyway.

Sunday was a beautiful day at Pt. Lookout Beach.  My sister, my mom and I went and met up with Son #1 and Gorgeous DIL (daughter-in-law).  The sun was out, there was a nice breeze, we talked, laughed, and generally had a nice day.  Monday, Labor Day, I visited the beach again with just my sister.  People must have been on vacation or away for the day because it was pretty empty beach for a holiday.  We chose a nice spot with good space all around us and plopped ourselves down.

Have you seen the stuff people have been bringing to the beach lately?  I want to know where they stash all of that during the winter?  And what’s with those carts?  Gorgeous pointed them out to me and we were counting them.  I don’t know about you, but I used to take my kids to the beach with an umbrella and a bag with my stuff.  My kids held their beach toy or a pail and shovel.  Done!  There must have  been a sale at Costco and everyone bought that Wheelie cart thing.

After sitting in our choice spot on the beach for a little while, a couple of people show up in front of us and assess the space.  My sister and I looked at each other thinking the same thing:  Of all the space on the beach, are these people really going to sit right here in front of us practically touching our toes?  Very nice.  They don’t even look at us.  After the first two people came a band of ten people! All thinking this is a very nice spot to park themselves, two inches from our feet!  I said we need to move.  My sister said let them sit on our feet and she’ll show them who’s boss!  Look, I’m not interested in trouble, I just want to spend a nice day at the beach.  At my urging she grudgingly got up and we move away from that crowd of annoying, no conscience people.  I thought about it too late, but I should have taken their picture for my post!  Rats!

Okay, we settled down again and try to relax.  I just can’t help but ogle all manner of tattoos and belly rings on people.  Sorry, but I can’t stop looking if it’s all out there.

Then a swoop of seagulls came and dive bombed all the people in our new spot.  Some guy had thrown his kid’s french fries on the beach, full of ketchup, so the gulls could eat them.  Not a nice move mister.  People were annoyed, kids were crying.  My sister heard the guy tell his kid, “Now we made the seagulls very happy”.  Well what about the human people?  Nobody around this guy was very happy that the seagulls were happy!  Give me a break.

Tuesday scene

Tuesday I sneaked off to the beach by myself.  It was the first day of school and NOBODY was there, except a few people scattered around.  Just me, myself, and I.  I brought lunch and my watercolors, my chair and a drink.  What else did I need?  After enough relaxing I felt like painting something, but there were no shells or rocks.  I was too shy to ask some little kids and their mothers if I could borrow the horse-shoe crab they found, so I decided to paint my sandal in the sand instead.  Progress, process, artist’s date, and I’m back in business.