A Cloudy Day at the Beach, Hunting Island, SC

Last week Severo and I flew East to visit my mom on Fripp Island in South Carolina.
Despite my clumsy falling-and-spraining-my-knee episode, we had a great time.
[I think I have eaten my fill of shrimp for a few months!]

Here is our visit to Hunting Island, the next Island north of Fripp (which is a gated, private resort).
Hunting Island is one of the few South Carolina State Parks with beach access and camping.
It was hard hit by Hurricane Matthew in 2016, and the park was closed for a long time, much to the consternation of all who like to visit. There are still a lot of fallen trees and riff-raff on the beach and throughout the island. Slowly, the state is getting it cleaned up, and rebuilding demolished structures.

Severo, me, Mom

Mom and Severo survey the beach.

Beach vista. The "foam" on the sand is soap suds. I don't know why.

Beach feet.

How to dress in an uncoordinated manner, plus cane.
A non-fashion comfort statement!

Driving around to the lagoon, rustic road!

At the lagoon, with tilting palms -- result of the hurricane.

Waterlogue (digital watercolor) of the lagoon.

The Hunting Island lighthouse, as seen through one of the display shed's windows.

The lighthouse, which one can climb for a $2 admission fee. We didn't.

Unintentional selfie outtake, as one does when everyone is 60+.
The tilted horizon adds to the whole effect.

Linking up with
Patti's Visible Monday
Catherine's #iwillwearwhatilike
Shelbee's Spread the Kindness
Judith's (April) Hat Attack

#tbt Reminiscing on Reminiscence

It's more family-portraits-for-the-Christmas-card outtakes, circa early 1980s:

Today, we put our focus on my legs! the 3/4 sleeve boatneck top, which I wore WAY tighter than this mannequin:

[I can't believe it still exists! Thank you Google! Source: Reminiscence] 

I had at least a dozen.

Reminiscence is a boutique in NYC that became well known for inexpensive garment-dyed and retro-inspired sportswear and quirky accessories and gifts. Aline Smithson first introduced me to the shop in 1978, when we both still lived on the upper west side. After I moved to Providence, and started a costume jewelry line, they bought my glass bead earrings and necklaces (I'm now slowly adding old inventory to Poshmark. You may have to sign in to see the link).

In Providence, my main form of employment was Patucci and Mark's store The Front Porch. They resold many items from Reminiscence, and I purchased a lot of their tops, jeans (the balloon leg jean! Yeah!), and shorts. Fun times. HOW did we ever make a living? I have no idea.

Did you have a favorite tee that defined a stage in your life?
Add to the Fashion Rosebud linkup!

#tbt Suede Mini Skirt, 8th Grade

Somewhere in the house (or garage) are my school yearbooks from 5th-8th grades.
My 8th grade school portrait comprised of this look:
[insert photo when I find it] 

These photos, shot by my mom, will have to do as a stand in -- I don't have time right now to find the yearbook to take a photo of the portrait.

That's our summer house behind us. In the 90s, Mom built an all-year house on the same piece of property, closer to the highway. These were shot for a potential Christmas card image. That's why we're all dressed up and posing with the dog. I can't remember if that's Honey or Ginger -- I grew up with Golden Retrievers.

What makes this outfit so special?

I got the suede mini and leather wrap belt in Poughkeepsie (which was "the big city" for me then) at a hep boutique.
The tee with many buttons? Can't remember. Sears? Can't see and can't remember the shoes, so I made them up. 

I felt comfortable in my skin.
I was full of badass girl power!

Funny, it's not how my 8th grade instructors saw me.
While at my mom's last week, I came across a pile of paperwork set aside for me that included all my elementary through high school report cards. Apparently in eighth grade I was a distracted student, not doing my work, a bored malcontent. Ha! Maybe I was! I was ready for bigger horizons!

The suede mini (all 15 x 30 inches of it) is my Fashion Rosebud for the week.
Is there a story lurking in your closet? Link and tell!

The Providence Map Sketchbook That Wasn't -- Benefit Street

CREATED/ PURCHASED/ GIFTED

I think it was winter of 77, before I moved to NYC, that I stayed with Wendy at her apartment on Benefit Street. I'm fairly sure she lived over Geoff's. In her junior year at RISD, she was heavily into stained glass. I was at loose ends. 

My family, 2/77  MacDuffie School, Springfield, MA

I still have that scarf (I wove it in high school and my mom has a mate to it) and the puffer jacket (studio garb for those rare winter art residencies).

the jacket label

This is the first spread of a sketchbook project that I never got going on. My concept just wasn't doing it for me. The general Sketchbook Project theme was Mysterious Maps [more info]. I intended to draw maps of every place that I lived (or hung out) in Providence, RI with an outfit from the same time frame. It was supposed to be completed and postmarked yesterday. Last Saturday, I got stuck on the third entry -- I couldn't remember what I wore in the late winter of 79 when I lived on Trenton Street. And I was unable to find any photos of me from that particular time.

There is procrastination and having the creative juice to push and get a project finished. Then there are those road blocks that are often indicating the idea is not worth pursuing or that the format isn't quite right yet. I like the idea of mapping where I've lived. But what I'm remembering more strongly is the art I made and the music I listened to. I'll give this idea more time to jell and see what transpires. I'm not giving up, I just haven't figured out the best way to present my memories. Maybe revisit the "Letter to a Place I Lived", which I did for my NYC apartment. That might work -- a scrapbook of letters would be cool, AND FUN TO DO!

We interrupt this post to bring you this bulletin from RoadTrippers:
This Memorial Day weekend, jump into a jalopy and plant your foot on the gas. Wherever you are and whoever you're with. Go somewhere new, go somewhere you love, heck, go where you always go, just experience the freedom of the road, and have fun!
There is nothing to lose on this one, folks. You see, I am really, really terrible with money, and I love road trips so much that I literally want to pay for yours! All you have to do is create your Memorial Day trip on roadtrippers.com and share it on the internets for all to see and marvel at.
So click here and see my virtual Remembering RI Road Trip map.
The more clicks, I might get a prize -- woohoo!

This may be the catalyst to get this project jump started!