The Essential Beachcomber

If you have been following my blog for any length of time  you know that besides showing you my adventures at the local beaches, awesome shells and sharks teeth - I also from time to time  share the escapades of my family. After my father passed 10 years ago we invited my mother to sell her huge house & move in with us. My mom or GeeGee as she is called by her grandchildren downsized her life and moved from the town she grew up in, married in, raised her children in & buried her husband of 40 years in and moved 100 miles south to live with us.  We have a great time living  together and have learned to enjoy our new-style nuclear family which also includes 24 yo niece Pookie. GeeGee had not been feeling well for some time.  After some tests and a heart  catheterization  they took her immediately to the hospital for emergency open-heart surgery. So 5 bypasses, a new aortic valve and 2 years later she is doing pretty well. But now there are...

I really don't know what all the fuss is about. Word leaked out at my work that I motor down to Venice Beach and spend my lunch hour shelling. It's possible my wet shoes & trail of beach sand by my work locker gave me away too. The jokes & snickering from my co-workers is getting a little annoying. Funny, most of these people would go to a Bucc's football game and sit in the rain or cold and not give it a second thought. But the idea of hitting the beach in 40 degree temperatures to look for seashells - well the point eludes them.  I just love shelling. I love everything about it.   When the NW winds, low tides, & moon phase all co-operate it can be magic on the beach. I'll go shelling night or day - hot or cold if all those factors line up. Come on - I'm the person who shelled Blind Pass on Sanibel during Tropical Depression #5 this summer for crying out loud.  So lunch time on the beach again today but a little farther south. Becky of Beachsnaps  wa...

I hate it when work interrupts my beach combing. It seriously hurts me to miss a good low tide or to hear about the shells rolling up on the new Redfish Pass sand bar and dang it...I have to go make a living. But I have my ways to circumvent the circumstances. It requires timing, mental toughness, & a St. Arbuck's Caramel Brulee Latte.  As I lay in bed Sunday night listening to the wind howl all I could think about was -It's blowing NW. I'm checking my tide app and it is looking good for an early low tide. I was due to work at 8am...ratz! Not enough time to hit the beach before work. My work is 2 miles from Venice Beach - just over a bridge really - sooooo..... I skip eating lunch &  skeedaddle out to Venice Beach to take a peek at what the winds blew in. Venice Beach Monday afternoon A line of shells streched about 100 yards See the Lion's Paw up front - it's my first So many nice tulips Scotch Bonnet, Lion's Paw, & ABC Cone I ...

A girl's gotta get her holiday bling going on How are your holidays going so far?  With 12 shopping/baking/wrapping/decorating days left till Christmas most people especially women are starting to feel the crunch. Most of us don't have time in our schedule to fit one more party or shopping outing into our calender. I Know! That's why I am going to take you on a virtual road trip. Even though this is sunny Florida grab your coat & scarf because it is in the low 40's with wind & fog. We are going to the Placida Saturday Arts & Crafts Market located off of Gasparilla Rd (CR 771) just a tad south of the entrance to Boca Grande Causeway.  The market is located at the Historic Fishing Village of Placida . This is an array of little houses relocated from the local area and nestled right on the edge of Gasparilla Sound creating a wonderful place to experience old Southwest  Florida.  The village is the home of  Margaret Albritton Gallery  & T...

The holiday season is in full force throughout the blogging world. I have seen lots of traditional trees, coastal Christmas, vintage decorations, country tablescapes but I have seen nothing even remotely  close to my friend Roseanne's house.  You might say Roseanne's personal style  is "more is more". She loves anything bling bling, sparkly,  black, & animal print especially zebra...oh yeah and it must be on sale.  Roseanne is a professional when it comes to bargain hunting. You can find her at  Bealls on Monday's &  Ross on Tuesday's  when they have the best discounts for woman of a certain age. She loves to go to the auction on Thursday. Friday & Saturday are for garage sale-ing. The birthday girl Roseanne is also the biggest giver you will ever meet. Most of her shopping and bargain hunting is not for herself but for others. Roseanne is one of those rare people that still sends cards via snail mail. She remembers the birthday...