The Essential Beachcomber

I was out on the beach at 7:30 am Sunday to see what Irene had left behind Hurricane Irene finally blew past the coast of  Wilmington, NC early Saturday morning.  I laid in my bed with the blinds wide open watching the pine trees bend & sway back & forth. I was following the storm on the local news channel's Twitter feed till the Internet succumbed to the storm. The following morning brought lots of wind & rain from the backside of the storm.  The power was still out so I spent the morning drinking Diet Dr. Pepper for some caffeine (note to self - buy Starbuck's for the next hurricane) & listening to my bil & my nephew play gin rummy at the kitchen table.  I was very tempted to head to the beach but I suspected the bridge was probably closed so I kept my self entertained with the impromptu casino in the kitchen, playing Words With Friends with my sil till my phone battery went to 18%, and eating all the Popsicles that were starting to thaw ...

Relocating to a new area, either by moving, visiting, or vacation, requires alot of research for most of us. Where am I going to work, live, shop, kid's school, ......blah blah.  When I am in a new area I want to know one thing -  Where are all the seashells? What's the best shelling beach? How's the access? How much $$ is a trespassing ticket?  This is simplified by the fact that most my kinfolk - in-laws & out-laws live on an ocean or the Gulf of Mexico so when I am on the road visiting family the ocean is usually just a short drive away. Even my land-locked sister in the heart of Tennessee  managed to find a junonia at a garage sale. So how do you find the best places to shell?  Here's some things I do. Find the local shell club. First I google'd the local shell club and read what their members had to say about the area.  Since the Outer Banks  are a few hours away I looked for local info which pointed me to the south end of Wrightsville B...

Mobile Blogging - Day #7  the weather in Wilmington, NC is cooler than I am used to. I sat outside most of the day & listened to the birds and the sound of the wind blowing through the pines. I'm a human being not a human doing. I am loving the down time.

Welcome to Wilmington! Yes, my timing is impeccable as usual.

Mobile Blogging - Day # 3, 4, & 5 No shells in Satellite Beach but lots of water. The Atlantic was very rough & the surfers were loving it. Down time with family has been relaxing & wonderful. Heading north to NC in the morning.

Sunrise @ 7am - Low Tide @ 10am.  Lil Shawty heads out before dawn. I Heart Sandbars Shelling to the sounds of the beach waking up

Shelled 3 beaches on Sanibel braving thunderstorms, stinging seaweed, & caintseeum's.Blind Pass at 7am Ran into Sanibel Shell Ambassadors Pam & Clark of iLoveShelling.com

Edward Cole : I envy people who have faith, I just can't get my head around it. Carter Chambers : Maybe because your head's in the way. (from the movie - The Bucket List) I'm going on a road trip and I'm taking you with me! The heart attack my hubby had a few months back has  turned out to be a clarion call to travel and see his family. He & I are loading up the SUV & taking the cardiac recovery show on the road. The hubbs has an itinerary planned & printed out. I'm sure a map quest route is in my future as well. I'm the driver because I am prone to carsickness when I sit in the passenger seat.  There are rumours that I might have some control issues.  Whatever.  We'll be starting out on the east coast of Florida to visit family then heading north to North Carolina to see some more kinfolk in the Wilmington area. We'll come back home for 10 days then fly to the Philadelphia area for a week.Looking his mortality in the face has giv...

Testing out my mobile blogger. Taking TEB on the road in a few days. Stump Pass State Park @ low tide. Have a blessed day!

 Englewood shop owner Carrie Greus sells seashells by the seashore (or Lemon Bay to be exact). She also sells lovely jewelry, home decor, & handmade clothing inspired by her love for all things vintage and beachy. The  sign on top of her downtown shop on Historic Dearborn Street says Abundant Treasures but her shop window that is decorated with the flair of a NYC Macy's window designer further declares  Coastal Shabby Chic . Carrie loves to arrange a new display in her shop window every few weeks to showcase the treasures she sells in her store for the shoppers & lookie loo's to enjoy as they meander by. Nose prints on her front window are not a nuisance but a compliment to her. Carrie had been working as an event planner for a large county club.  She loves putting her special touch on parties, weddings, & any celebration but she had always dreamed of having her own business.  An unexpected injury brought Carrie's life to a screeching hal...

All I wanted was a nice quiet beach vacation.  When I booked this room the reviews on TripAdvisor  said August was the quiet off season. Everyone else must have had the same idea. And now I've slept in and  all the pool chairs are gone I wish I had shopped longer - everyone else has on the same bathing suit as me! Next time I'm going to avoid the Florida resident specials & book the gulf-front room. ******************************** August 9, 2011 OMGosh!  I just realized today is my Blogabirthday.  I'm 1 year old today. I  hit post #102 a few days back.  I never doubted that I had something to say - I just wasn't sure I could make the journey from my head to the keyboard. So I'm sending out a whole lot of blogger love to all my followers.  Thank you for sharing your love of the beach & all that that implies with me.  The Lord bless you & keep you today & every day. Blog post #...

The parking lot was recently  landscaped with washed shell fill Y'all know I'm just crazy about shelling.  I describe myself as being coastal but some folks might describe my behavior as being a little postal. I go shelling in the rain, at night, in the freezing cold, & during tropical storms. But I never wanted to be "that woman".....you know, the woman doing the Sanibel Stoop in the newly landscaped parking lot islands at Target.  Shell fill is an excellent choice of material for landscape beds. It's inexpensive & doesn't float away during the rain like a cypress mulch.  This washed shell fill comes from quarries & shell pits where it is dug up, washed, & sorted to DOT standards.  Shell fill is used  very commonly in Florida for driveways, walk ways, roads, & ground cover. It is also loaded with fossil shells. Due to our litigation-happy society most quarry owners have closed their properties to the public. Fear of being sued ha...