The Essential Beachcomber

To all you nice bloggers that left comments &  kind words of encouragement - Thank you so much.  ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I spent part of last Sunday on the beach and it was a great day. As the sun went down the raindrops started falling and didn't stop until today. One friend told me her rain gauge measured 10 inches for one day.  Now we always need the rain. Florida is coming out of a long drought and our aquifer levels are still recovering but it's been raining for 4 days....come on. When I saw the  Sun peak out today around 10 am I grabbed my shell shovel and headed for the beach. It was a full moon last night and it was now low tide - grocery shopping would just have to wait. The sun is trying to peak out As I read all the beachy blogs out there most of the comments express the same theme...how they love to see all the pictures of the shells and the beaches but the longing of wanting to actually be there themselves. It stinks to have to wait for a once a year vacation to get to the beach.   I feel so blissfully blessed to have this beautiful Gulf of Mexico 5 minutes fro...

Tervis Tumbler Store @ 928 Tamiami Trail in Osprey, Florida Tervis tumblers are the coolest glasses ever! They are insulated so cold stays cold & doesn't sweat everywhere.Hot stays hot but the cup is insulated so it doesn't burn your hand.   They come in a myriad of different sizes and styles.I have a Gator Tervis, a "K" Tervis, a Tervis with 3 little beach cabanas on the front, 2 Gator Tervis coffee cups & a very cool shell Tervis that is missing at the moment.   Tervis gives you a lifetime warranty. Just bring/mail back to their headquarters in Osprey, Florida and they will replace it at no charge. They have replaced 2 for me thus far. One I dropped at work on the concrete floor and the inside thermal/insulated thingy popped out like a rocket. The other one cracked somehow. No one will fess up. Not to worry, both have been replaced with nice shiny new ones courtesy of their lifetime warranty. My niece Pookie & I went to a benefit garage sale ...

The sky is gorgeous to the west over the beach Turn head to the right - sky to the west - not so good. Should I stay or should I go...na na na na nana Stay of course. It sprinkled a little but no lightening or thunder. Check out Barney in the middle of the clouds.

  The only thing I like better than walking the beach for shells, shark's teeth, & whatever else happens to wash up is going to thrift stores. I like the consignment shops & discount stores but give me a little junky storefront crammed full of who-knows-what to dig through and I'm a happy camper. I like shelling especially when my head is in bad space. There is just something about focusing on the treasure hunt that makes me forget I just had a stressful day. Well, if I can't make it to the beach my thrift store route is the next best thing.And look what I found today sitting up on a top shelf. Isn't this napkin holder a beauty? Front side Cool Contact  Paper Someone took the time to make sure all the coquinas were the same size and all lined up. I can tell they chose the best of all there little mini's for the accents in the center. All that work to hold paper napkins.  The other side For me there are no good days and bad days....just good find...

Happy  National Pay It Forward Day!   What better way to start out the month of December than with a day filled with generosity towards others.  I am reposting "Pay it Forward Shark's Tooth-style" from back in August. I had just started blogging. This was one of my 1st posts.  For those of you experiencing some chilly weather consider this my gift of sunshine today. Lucas on Blind Pass Beach Yay ! I finally had a Sunday off. I don't mind working week-ends and I have for 30 years. When I do have a Sunday off I appreciate them that much more.  I did have to start my Sunday with a meeting at work after which I grabbed a Iced Cinnamon Dolce Latte and went to church. The afternoon was reading the paper & tuna fish sandwiches (so we didn't have to go to the store). Right around 5 pm it was cooling off from 99 degrees to about 93 degrees so we loaded up the truck & headed for Blind Pass to do one last shark's tooth outing for my sister who leaves ...

It seems that my beach combing talents extend past the sea & sand. The only thing I enjoy more than looking for shells & shark's teeth would be my pursuit of fine junque. Today I took my sister Kimmie who is visiting from Tennessee on my Sarasota thrift store route. The creme de la creme is The Woman's Exchange on Orange St. Oh my goodness! Every aisle is crammed full of glassware, knick-knacks, jewelry, artwork, furniture. What did I spy out of the corner of my eye but this shell flower arrangement.                                        www.womansexchange.com                      My great-aunt Anabelle lived on the harbor in Clearwater & was an artist. She sold her oils but shell craft was her real passion. As a little kid I remember her table set up with lots of stuff I wasn't allowed to touch. My mom would help...

I always get the feeling that people think I am exaggerating when I tell my famous Christmas Eve shell pile story. My friend Rhonda (aka Shellbelle ) came to Venice, Florida to spend the holiday with me & my family. We just popped out the the North Jetty in Nokomis for the view and to walk off some pre -Christmas day baking we had been testing out and there it was.....the most humongous pile of shells ever.  

The Essential Beachcomber will be taking the basket & the shovel but her outfit will probably be from Columbia Sportswear (great pockets) I feel like a little kid counting down the days before Christmas. In 2 more days I'll be heading south to Sanibel for a shelling day. I keep looking at the tide charts & google maps mentally scoping out the best plan of attack.  Shelling might be random for some and it is for me most of the time. A trip to Sanibel is way too precious to waste any time wandering aimlessly.  It is an hour south to Ft. Myers then another hour out to the island including my stop at the McDonald's on exit 170 for a large  $1.00 unsweetened tea with 5 Splendas & a lemon in the big foam cup that stays cold all day. I've already synchronized our alarm clocks and have a list for what will go in the back of the truck the night before. I hate it when work interrupts my beach combing :)