Perfect Place for a Game of Croquet

Another view of the white picket fence and red Rugosa roses. common along the shoreline. They're grown for their long flowering season and their almost indestructible roots, providing much-needed erosion control to landscapes buffeted by frequent offshore breezes. Their simple elegance is a plus! This sideyard is perfectly square, and almost as smooth as the nearby golf course's greens. The strong concrete retaining wall holds off the Sound, which is only 6-8 steps down from this yard. I could play Croquet here everyday! 

Notice the granite reefs on the left, very common along the Connecticut shore, and the simply-moored boats just offshore. It's not uncommon to see 50-100 pairs of seagulls and cormorants huddled together on those small granite "islands" during the breeding season. We have the very occasional harbor seal or two that visits, and believe it or not, last week a very friendly, somewhat lost Manatee was photographed in the harbor of the town next to mine. 

This summer home also has a perfect lawn for Croquet. This house is a mere ten feet from its cement retaining wall and steps down to the water. The recently sided cedar shingles will eventually mellow to a nice grayish brown, if allowed to. Many homeowners don't seem to appreciate the warmth and elegance of a slightly weathered beach house, and frequently re-shingle to keep their places looking 'new and fresh.' Many of these homes are only used on the weekends, and only in the summer. 

B O N U S   P H O T O  : )

The now-identified dinner plate-sized Hibiscus (thank you PX!) growing a few houses a way from the scene above, seen with the sun behind it. Look at how thin and translucent the huge petals appear! We've had a lot of rain from the remnants of Hurricane Earl, now only a Tropical Storm as it races towards Cape Cod and Nantucket, and I'm pretty sure these huge flowers will be the worse for it. I'm glad I took all of these photos this week before the rains came.