The Essential Beachcomber

One of my favorite places to go shelling on the planet is Tigertail Beach on Marco Island in South Florida.  Tigertail is not for the casual beachcomber.  There is a 50 yard wide, 3 foot deep lagoon to be crossed to get to the beach.  The good shells are at the north end of the beach which is another 2 mile walk out & 2 miles back.  No concession stands, no potties, no kidding.  My shelling buddy last year was my niece Schweckie.  We had an amazing time &  would have liked to have gone again with Schweckie this year but she's been a little busy being a new mommy. I'm re-posting my visit from last year & am hoping I will have new pictures soon if I can get the tides & the temperature to cooperate. (Originally posted January 19, 2011) The shells stretch for miles on Tigertail Beach As an avid sheller I have a bucket list of places I would like to visit. Some of my shelling dreams like Costa Rica or Belize will require some p...

My last post showed pictures of a before-sunrise beach walk on Boca Grande. This is the other half of my beach walk on the southern tip of  Gasparilla State Park which is located on the island of Boca Grande.  Known for it's pristine beaches, historic resorts, & the world's biggest Tarpon tournament, I'm fortunate to have this paradise 15 minutes from where I live.  When I can't drive the 2 hours south to Sanibel Island, Boca Grande is the next best thing. The Lighthouse is home to a collection of Boca Grande history .  The building to the right is where the park ranger lives - lucky guy! The port of Boca Grande was established in the 1880's to support the local phosphate industry.  The remains of the port make a great sea bird sanctuary. I'd live there if I was a bird.  The old phosphate dock  serves a useful re-purpose for the local bird population. Looking south across the channel is where all the big Tarpon tournaments take pl...

Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could.   Some blunders and absurdities no doubt have crept in;  Forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day;  begin it well and serenely and with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This day is all that is good and fair. It is too dear, with it's hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on yesterdays. - Ralph Waldo Emerson

(Credit: TMac Ohio from Flickr.com) There's even a name for the bent over posture of the people who you see walking on the beach looking for treasures:   The Sanibel Stoop. You might have noticed the new button I added on the sidebar promoting Shellabration 2012 happening on Sanibel Island February 26 - March 4.  The height of the Sanibel social shelling season is the Sanibel Shell Show & Fair which will be held March 1st - 3rd this year.  The Shellabration is week long celebration of all things invertebrate & mollusky. There will be special events from one end of the island to the other.  But one special event is seeking to immortalize the iconic stance of bending over on the beach to inspect the shells more closely and pick them up - THE SANIBEL STOOP. On February 17  at 10 am on Bowman's Beach will be the gathering place for 208 plus shellabrators looking to set a Guinness Book of World Records for the most people doing the Sanibel Stoop in on...

The Sunshine Skyway Bridge spans across Florida's Tampa Bay, with a cable-stayed main span and a length of 29,040 feet; exactly 5.5 miles. Its part of I-275 and US 19, which connects  St. Petersburg  in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, and passes through Hillsborough County waters.  We all have highways & by-ways that we travel on a consistant basis.  No need for maps or GPS.  All the landmarks and exits are all too familiar from years of back & forth.  That's how I am with I-75 & I-275 in Florida.  I have navigated them for so many years that I can put myself on auto-pilot and end up wherever I am heading north or south.  These days I travel north to St. Petersburg to the Bay Pines VA Hospital where the Hubbs has all his doctor appointments.  I know exactly how long it will take us to get there at any given time of day barring any unforeseeable circumstances.  Crossing the Sunshine Skywa...

I keep a tub full of old sheets & clothespins to protect our plants from any threats of hard frost. BOO! Are those ghosts in my garden?  No.  This is our normal protocol in SWFL when the  mercury drops below 40 degrees.  I know that  sympathy comments for my plight will not be pouring in.  It will be more like weather poker - I'll see your 37 degrees and raise you 3 feet of snow & 5 below with the wind chill factor.  That's how it goes in paradise.  Last week I was on the beach in shorts.  Today I wore a heavy fleece jacket to walk on the beach & see what the NW winds had blown in.   One good thing about the colder NW winds blowing   - these are the kind of goodies they blow in.

Oh, the places I've been in 2011.  Places in my work life. Places in my marriage, family, & friends. Places logistically. Places in my head & in my heart. "Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to Great Places! You're off and away!  " I traveled more than I ever have reconnecting with family & old friends.  "You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights! You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights." 2011 was a fun year for shelling. "You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead. Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever you go, you will top all the rest." With Family & Blogger Friends i Love Shelling Snug Harbor Bay Capt. Brian's Observations on the Water Shedding the Wolf (Credit:  www. AbbeyStyle . blogspot .com) Abbey Styl...