The Essential Beachcomber

The Hubbs was installing speakers in the living room for a surround sound so I figured  it would be a good time to make myself busy (quickly) before I got appointed the designated Gofer.  You know - Honey, can you go fer the speaker wire I forgot?  Honey, can you go fer a special screw diver I need from Home Depot?  Honey, can you go fer a Band-Aid? All the sudden despite poor tides & cool winds, it is looking like a really good shelling day.   I started the day on Bonita Springs & ended it with the sunset on Sanibel - Blind Pass to be exact.  The sand bar is back on the Captiva side with lots of shells.  There was also a nice shell pile on the jetty.  I got hit straight-away with a huge wave which soaked the better part of my levis & sweatshirt (I saved the camera & iPhone though) Oh well.  I'm not going home till I know that speaker project is finished. Little Hickory 10-spot Blind Pass on the Captiva Side ...

(Credit:  www.flickr.com/photos/getthebubbles/with/73962916) The turkey is eaten, the leaves have fallen, & baby, it's starting to get cold outside.  Don't pack up that bathing suit so fast.  If it's 5 o'clock somewhere then it's summer somewhere as well.  That somewhere would be on the opposite side of the globe from the US in the continent of  Australia.  As we here in the US start bundling up for winter the Aussies are heading to the beach.  I have always loved everything about Australia. Their sports teams play like warriors, the people have an authenticity about them, & their accent is really cool.  The diversity of the terrain & climate range from tropical regions in the north through the arid expanse of the interior to the temperate regions of the south. Australia is surrounded by water & has 1,600 miles of coastline. For a beachcomber such as myself that many possible miles of beaches could keep me occupied for a long l...

OMGoodness....is it the holidays already?  I still have a bag of Christmas wrapping paper in my closet that I was going to take to my storage closet from last year & never did.  Sometimes I watch Martha Stewart in all her holiday perfection, making homemade felt mice candy cane holders & recycled snowflake garland & I just want to punch her.  Really.  Seriously.  Who has the time or the extra money for this stuff? So, I'm off to the grocery store for my 2nd Thanksgiving shopping trip to buy all the stuff I forgot the 1st trip. The Salvation Army has gotten a jump on things & is already stationed at both doors ring ring ring ringing away. I got a text from someone who saw a line of people camped out in front of Best Buy for Black Friday.  Have we all just lost our minds?   I head back to the meat department to buy my turkey before my mother gets back from out-of-town where she is visiting friends.  If I buy it before she ge...

Please forgive me for bragging but I had a hot date on Friday night.  Well, at least at my age & being married and all.... it is what I consider a hot date.  There was no fancy restaurant or movie tickets involved.  I did dress up in my best Columbia long-sleeved tee.  My dates (yes dates plural.  I told you I was bragging) showed up dressed casual as well but they brought along a cast net, 2 long-handled bait nets, & a couple of fishing poles.  These fellas know how to show a girl a good time. This is Indian Mound Park on Lemon Bay in Englewood,  FL.  Mostly used for launching boats it's not a fancy county park but it's location on the bay is perfect for beachcombers & future marine biologists who love to walk the sea grass with their nets to see what they can find. In the early 1900's Lemon Bay was a prime spot for fishing, mainly mullet.  The stories go that the mullet were so thick your boat would be full by the time yo...

It all started one windy, rainy, freezing night on the beach.  Lion's paws are an unusual find on SWFL beaches.  I just had a feeling that the storm that had been blowing for a few days last winter had stirred up the Gulf of Mexico enough to wash some goodies ashore.  I ran out to the beach after work with my flashlight and low & behold I was right.  There was a line of deep water shells all the way down the beach.  Since I was the only person crazy enough to brave the cold & go on the beach after dark I had the whole wrack line to myself. I scored some nice lion's paw fragments and  1 lion's paw that was intact.  After looking at them & cleaning them up I could just see they would make a great mermaid tail if I was to mosaic them. I started picking up orange scallops for the scales & worm shells for her hair.  All my junonia fragments would come in handy as well.  I mentioned my idea of doing a mermaid mosaic off & ...

It appears chili & cornbread are an amazing creative catalyst.  For those of you who have grown weary of my constant whining for the last year over my mermaid mosaic ....the glueing has commenced.

There are flea markets, farmer's markets, and now the Englewood area can boast of an art market in the truest sense of the word.  It seems that every week-end in Florida there is an outdoor art festival somewhere.  There are juried shows featuring fine art, sculpture, & photography. Other festivals feature a more casual arts & crafts of all kind from the stay-at-home mommy who scrapbooks to the hobbyist who makes jewelry to de-stress after work. The Placida Saturday Arts & Crafts Market draws from every level of artist, the professional to the week-end warrior.  The Market charges no vendor fee so the variety of art for sale is enormous. The Market is located on the grounds of The Historic Placida Fishing Village .  The property plays host to all kinds of wonderful outside events throughout the year.  With it's park-like grounds shaded by big Gumbo Limbo trees & the sea breeze blowing in from Gasparilla Sound it is possibly the most perfect ve...

Just Kidding.  Shellbelle is not missing - she's just been misplaced for a while.  She is taking a break from blogging to direct her energies in other directions for a spell.  She sends her love and wants everyone to know that she appreciates all of your thoughts, prayers, & encouraging emails.  If the prescribed therapy of shelling, art shows, garage sailing, & general meandering about with me doesn't do the trick, we are ordering IVs of sweet tea. It's been a long year but Shell is getting on the other side.  I know you'll be hearing from her soon.

(Credit:  Chris Andruskiewicz) Falling Leaves Golden Sun  ~ Hay Rides ~  Pumpkins Harvest  ~ Scarecrow ~  Family Apple Cider ~ Autumn  Pies  Leaf Piles ~ Fuzzy Sweaters Pumpkin Spice Latte  ~ Beautiful Colors ~ Moon Beams Blessings ~ Give Thanks