It’s winter here at the beach, but spring is in the air. Punxsutawney Phil, the Pennsylvania groundhog from the town of the same name, predicts when spring will arrive based on whether or not he sees his shadow on Groundhog Day, February 2.
Phil predicted an early spring for 2020, and I believe him. My daffodils and crocus are already out of the ground.
Thanks, Phil!
Photo copyright Adele Downs 2020
It’s winter at the beach. I live in the southernmost part of Delaware, where the weather is generally milder than neighboring states to the north, but not as warm as those in the US Deep South. It’s 46 degrees here, and dreary, and though the ocean and our beaches are ever present, they seem just out of reach. The best we can do is walk along the shoreline and breathe its briny scent while we wait for spring sunshine and the heat of summer.
Photo copyright Adele Downs 2020
I took these pictures of Santa’s House on the Rehoboth, Delaware boardwalk, where children visit Santa every weekend from Thanksgiving to Christmas. My four-year old grandson has enthusiastically embraced the concept of Santa Claus, especially the part about him bringing toys to good children, and his excitement has filled me with Christmas spirit. There’s nothing like having a small child around to better appreciate the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
Photos copyright Adele Downs 2018
Sunset over the bay, Fall 2018, Delaware.
Except for my signature, these photos are unaltered. Nature doesn’t need artificial colors.
Photos copyright Adele Downs 2018.
Flamingos in Maryland? Yes, at the Salisbury Zoo. I had no idea these creatures were so noisy! They sounded like a flock of honking geese.
The colors in this photograph are unaltered and exactly as they appeared through my camera lens.
Photo copyright Adele Downs 2018.
I took these pictures of Santa’s House on the Rehoboth, Delaware boardwalk, where children visit Santa every weekend from Thanksgiving ’til Christmas. My three-year old grandson is just beginning to grasp the concept of Santa Claus, especially the part about him bringing toys to good children, and his excitement has filled me with Christmas spirit. There’s nothing like having a small child around to better appreciate the holidays.
Merry Christmas!
This circa 1700 Colonial era log house, still preserved today in Downingtown, Pennsylvania by the Historical Commission, is open to visitors on July Fourth each year during the Good Neighbor Day holiday celebration.
Photo copyright Adele Downs 2016-17
On Veterans Day, I’m thinking of those who have served our country, and sending my heartfelt thanks for their sacrifice. Almost all of the men in my family have served in either the Navy or the Marines and I appreciate each one of them for keeping our nation safe.
In honor of Veteran’s Day, I thought I’d share some of my photos of vintage military aircraft from the American Helicopter Museum in West Chester, Pennsylvania. I highly recommend a visit to this wonderful museum if you visit southeastern Pennsylvania. It’s located about a mile from QVC headquarters and worth the trip.
Thank you for your service.
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Photos copyright Adele Downs
Visit Adele’s website and check out her books at http://adeledowns.com
One of Downingtown, Pennsylvania’s most enduring and endearing claims to fame is its location for the 1958 horror film The Blob starring Steve McQueen in his first leading role. McQueen went on to become one of Hollywood’s biggest stars of the 1960’s and 70’s and an icon of popular culture. Though he died at an early age, he left in indelible mark on my home state of Pennsylvania.
Downingtown is the oldest town in Chester County, and looks little in 2016 like the village filmed in 1958. The Downingtown Diner, which was featured in the movie, is a local landmark that still serves customers 24 hours a day in a 1950’s style setting.
Although the diner has changed ownership over the past 58 years, Downingtown’s affection for the “Home of The Blob” has never changed.
THE BLOB 1958 Trailer on You Tube:
Life near the water stimulates creativity, and though I didn’t take selfies while working on a new book, editing my upcoming release Luxury Model Wife, or painting rooms in my beach house for my “How I Spent My Summer” collage (below), I got lots of writing done. Two books are finished and submitted to a publisher and a novella is almost complete. As soon as I have news of a new publishing contract, I’ll post it here.
Enjoy these photo snips of the Delaware coast and the last of the sunny summer days!
Photos copyright Adele Downs 2016
The unofficial end of summer has come and gone with Labor Day and the Delaware beaches’ narrow escape from the wrath of Hurricane Hermine. Now that the kids have gone back to school, and the tourist season has ended, lazy days and warm sun on the September sand offers beach living at its best.
The ideal time to beachcomb is during the first low tide after a storm. When Hurricane Hermine churned the ocean off the Delaware shore and littered the coastline with pebbles and shells, I put my writing aside and went on the hunt. Beachcombing is a great way to exercise and enjoy the sunshine, and for shell collectors like me, a fun way to spend a few hours. I haven’t found gold from a pirate’s chest or the remains of a sunken ship yet, but I have gathered beautiful natural treasures for my home.
Here are some of the shells I collected after Hurricane Hermine. When wet, the black and red scalloped shells look especially vibrant. Once dry, they tend to look gray or brown. The prize of the bunch is the tiny slice of very hard to find purple beach glass.
Since the ocean is still churning from the storm system, I plan to go back to the beach at low tide to hunt more treasures. Maybe I’ll find something rare or exotic. Wish me luck!
Photos copyright Adele Downs 2016
The irony that broken glass is rightly avoided as dangerous trash, but that shards smoothed by the ocean and hunted by beach combers is highly collectible, wasn’t lost on me as I waited in line to enter the Sea Glass Festival in Lewes, Delaware. (Officially called the 2016 Mid-Atlantic Sea Glass & Coastal Arts Festival, sponsored by The Lewes Historical Society.)
When I’m not writing romance novels, I’m exploring and taking pictures. The sea glass displays pictured here were made available for educational purposes. However, there were lots of beautiful nautical crafts and natural wonders offered for sale at the event.
Gorgeous examples of sea glass in hard to find colors.
More treasures from the sea.
In order to beat the inevitable traffic jam the event created, I arrived half an hour before the gate opened and was one of the first to step inside this exciting maritime festival, held on the Lewes-Cape May Ferry Terminal grounds, overlooking the lovely Delaware Bay.
A fun conversation piece—a sea glass dress.
The vendors selling driftwood or crafts made with sea glass were especially busy. I bought a combination sea glass/stained glass window ornament for my beach house, shards of sea glass from the Chesapeake Bay to accent my bowl of shells, and a pair of miniature sea glass earrings.
For more information about the festival: http://www.leweschamber.com/event/community-events/2016-mid-atlantic-sea-glass-coastal-arts-festival
Updated & Expanded Edition! Winner of the HOLT Medallion.
Love Is Like A Box Of Chocolates - Sweet Romance Anthology. "Catch Me" by Adele Downs included in the collection of 16 stories. Print or Digital
SANTA TO THE RESCUE Reader's Choice Award Winner. From Entangled Publishing.
BLUE COLLAR: Boys Behaving Badly multi-author anthology. Includes UPSIDE DOWN LOVE by Adele Downs.
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Adele Downs 