The Essential Beachcomber

  Happy almost-New Year to all my Shell Sistahs, Brothas and beach combing friends.  After you have written down all your resolutions for the New Year make sure you determine to have some fun in 2013 and get to at least one shell show this year.  It's so much fun to be in a bustling room filled with kindred spirits where the air is filled with excited chatter about the shells we love punctuated with "Look at this", "Did you see that?" & "I could make that".   May your New Year be filled with salt, sand, & shells.  I hope you get to dive with wild abandon into the surf with your clothes on after the treasure you've been searching for.  May you experience the bliss of the sea-sprayed wind blowing against your face and the luminous sunset blinding your eyes with it's beauty. I wish for you in 2013 that all your beachy dreams come true. Jan. 12 - 13, 2013 SPACE COAST SEASHELL ...

2012 Has been an awesome beach combing year.  To follow my shelling jaunts click on any map marker > then click on marker description to see my trip to that location.  I hope you find yourself at one of these spectacular beaches yourself one day soon.

The shopping is done, the presents are wrapped, the strudel & rum cakes are baked - it's all over but the returning.  I love the holidays but Christmas is always a challenge when you are, as I am the caretaker for other people.  The parties, shopping, cooking, baking, wrapping, $$ can all come crashing in on me if I don't watch out.  I've learned to keep it simple and to pick my snowball fights carefully.   Tonight, we'll head to church for our Christmas Eve candlelight service.  Christmas Day will start out with coffee & the Christmas Parade from Disney World.  My alma mater high school band was picked to ma r ch in it this year. Go Dunedin Highlanders!   But sometime on Christmas Day I will make my way to the beach.  Not just to have some bragging material during those Christmas calls from relatives in frosty Ohio and Pennsylvania but to breath in the salt air and walk and reflect.  Maybe I'll find a shell or two.  Mo...

(Credit:  Pandadumpster @ Flickr) This picture looks exactly like the sky we were viewing.   It's the most wonderful time of the year - for viewing the Geminid meteor showers .  In years past the showers have coincided with a bright full moon.  This December the annual event peaks on the new moon insuring a dark background of a sky for optimum observing with the naked eye.  After a few shout-outs on social media I had myself a little Geminid party heading for the beach - the darkest place in our area to observe the cosmic fireworks show.   I suggested any stargazers bundle up because our Florida temperature had taken a serious dip in the mercury. Shortly after sundown we arrived on the beach armed with blankets, pillows, & thermoses of hot chocolate.  We settled in on the cold damp sand with our eyes scoping out the darkening horizon for meteors.  With the help of our smart phones and various sky watching apps, we were able...

A Prayer Tribute to the Victims of The Newtown School Shooting from sharethemessage on GodTube .  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort,  who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.    2 Corinthians 1:3-4  (NIV) 

I was so happy to see at Hobby Lobby that the need for animal print Christmas items had been filled.  Keeping with my previous post on a low-stress Christmas - I am not freaking out over my technical challenges at home. My Internet & land line have decided to be uncooperative. My techno-geek hubby has done his best but now the big guns are coming out. Hope everyone is enjoying the process of the holidays - shopping, watching Elf & A Christmas Story repeatedly, & totally ignoring the looming end to the Mayan calendar & the fiscal cliff. Like Buddy the Elf says "The best way to spread Christmas cheer is to sing loud for all to hear!" or my version "I'm too blessed to be stressed!".  Sent from my iPhone.