The Essential Beachcomber

On the Englewood, Florida beaches we do the Sharks tooth squat not the Sanibel Stoop. (Credit: Fotobug) Living close to the beach requires a tremendous amount of discipline. The sun gives you that "Come Hither" look as you drive to work.  Doing laundry & cooking dinner can easily get kicked to the curb for a favorable low tide or blustery NW wind. (The way I see it  there's always take-out & wearing the same shorts twice right?) Last September I started a project that gave me a great excuse to head to the beach as often as possible - The Jar. The sharks teeth I was collecting needed a dedicated home.  On those occasions when I actually did the laundry the tell-tale ping ping ping would send me running to stop the spin cycle.  I would then pick all the wayward sharks teeth out of the bottom of the  washing machine.  I'm sure my Whirlpool warranty does not cover shells or the teeth of a big fish.  The big jar had been pushed back on a s...

My poor shell bucket has been empty.  Shelling on the SWFL coast has been sort of flat the last few months. Good shelling requires a combination of things.  Tides, winds, moon phase all play a part. The biggest factor is location, location, location.  Sanibel is the shelling epicenter on the west coast of Florida with the best seismic shelling waves extending to Cayo Costa on the north and  south to Bonita Beach, Naples, & Marco Island. The really sweet shelling spots can only be reached by boat.  That's why I practically jumped for joy when shelling guide Capt. Brian Holaway of Captiva/Sanibel Island  invited me out for a shelling excursion next week.  Heading out in the month of May (his favorite month).  Capt. Brian likes the warmer temps & the clearer waters.He says "the water seems more alive with stingrays & tarpons cruising by, the sea grass is floating on the surface of the water, & the days are longer." (Credit: Capt. ...

My favorite beaches are usually off the beaten path. My parking spot is with the beach crowd but I usually end up walking a distance to get to the sand less traveled. That's where the best shells & sharks teeth are and it is noticeably quieter.  The families with small kids & teenagers throwing Frisbees, balls, & each other tend to stay close to the facilities. I have often  looked at some of the little sandbars & mangrove islands  out in the bay & wondered if I could talk my water-challenged hubby into at least a small pontoon boat.  The last time he motored a rental boat the hubs backed it into the dock receiving a nasty look from the rental guy. The other time we lost a propeller on a rock which was an extra $40 bucks on top of the boat rental.  We are not boat people.   Lil Shorty has come to my rescue. My girlfriend Lil Shorty  has loaned me her sit-on  kayak.  She loves to kayak but her work schedule & proxi...

Youth: The Next Wave For Change is the theme of the World Ocean's Day 2011.  To some people trusting the future of our oceans in the hands of today's youth isn't such a hot idea.  It seems between reality tv shows & the news media most of what we hear about Generations Y & Z can be somewhat negative.  These are the kids that have cut their teeth on the world wide web.  Most of them carry the Internet in their pockets via smart phones & iPods. OMG dood! How could this GenZ possibly care about anything other than unlimited texting, facebook, & free wifi?  The first official club poster Happy Birthday Caitlyn! (in purple t-shirt)  Thanks for all you & Kids Creating Change do! (Credit: Kids Creating Change) One group of kids working to make their dot on the map a better place is called  Kids Creating Change .  Started by a 10 year old named Caitlyn Lovelace the organization's goal is to make their community of ...

When a person reaches their 50's a lot of water has flowed under the bridge of life. Who am I kidding.... for some of us that stream has been more like a tsunami.  The cycle of birth, marrying, & burying has been experienced in all it's pain and all it's glory. As the older family members start to pass one at a time and the family ranks start to thin out it seems I am standing closer and closer to the head of the line.  I really don't dwell on memories too much.  I'm a "present in the moment" kind of a gal.  There is one event that brings the memories flooding back to me. It's when my night blooming cereus blooms. It's a cutting from my grandmother's plant & I have been lugging it with me every where I have lived.    My grandmother on my mother's side was quite the renaissance woman. There was no area of life that she did not have some smattering of understanding.  Before it was trendy to go green she recycled everything.  All ...

Loaded up for a day @ the beach.  Who's gonna carry all this stuff? It is very common to overhear a conversation between vacationers on the beach discussing the fantasy of how awesome it would be to live on the beach one day.  We've all had those conversations.  Funny thing is, once you do live here weeks can pass without a day at the beach.  Work, family commitments, rainy weather & lack of leg shaving can all prevent that spontaneous quick trip to the beach.   I can always tell the newcomers from the beach old timers. The locals are the people who arrive at the beach loaded up like a pack mule.  They know how the tropical sunny conditions can turn on you quickly without the proper shade & hydration.  Choices have to be made as to what to bring with carrying it all on & off the beach in mind. My bare minimum list would be:   chair                         ...

The best view to end the day with - Blind Pass Beach - Englewood, Florida Who doesn't like getting presents?  The best gifts are those unexpected ones. It's not your birthday, it's not Christmas, hubby didn't screw up and is trying to get back into good graces. I love the gifts that have some thought behind them.  Here in Englewood the beach is just a hop, skip, & a jump away.  It's very tempting to blow off housework, grocery shopping, or even call in sick well to work and head to the beach.  Most of my circle of friends know that as the afternoon wanes & 5 o'clock rolls around, the family is fed, & the sun is getting ready to set;  there is a spot on Blind Pass Beach in Englewood that has become our gathering place. You don't have to text the where, just that you are there. So there we congregate in our circle of beach chairs talking about whatever and watching all our kids romp in the surf, pick up shells, & shark's teeth. A...