Friday morning sunrise on Bowman's Beach.
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Let the Shellabration begin!!
The truck is gassed up, my gear is packed, & all I'm waiting on is for my shell sistah Shellbelle to arrive. We are headed south to Sanibel to be a part of the group of Sanibel Stoopers going after a new world record for the most shellers on a beach doing the Sanibel Stoop at one time. I'm going to attempt to do some mobile blogging throughout the day for those of you that won't be with us :( You'll be missed but be assured Shellbelle & I are committed to the cause - Making the Planet a Better Place One Shell At A Time! Cute cartoon that only beach combers understand from the Boca Grande Beacon newspaper.
Night, the beloved. Night, when words fade and things come alive. When the destructive analysis of day is done, and all that is truly important becomes whole and sound again. When man reassembles his fragmentary self and grows with the calm of a tree. ~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry
(Credit: www.flickr.com/photos/asimgoheer/468025798) I love the sounds of the night. My best thinking, mulling over, & creative processing is done at night. Over the years I have tried & tried to adjust my body clock to being a morning person. Truthfully, there just isn't enough coffee on the planet to make it happen. My most recent job required me to be at work at 6am which meant I had to get up at 4am to ensure I was showered & ready for work. It was a painful experience. (the job & the getting up early) I'm just one of those people that comes alive after dark. I discovered night time shelling out of necessity. I worked all day & by the time I finished my domestic duties at home - well it was dark. One night there was an especially low tide at 10pm. I hadn't been shelling in forever because my daylight hours were being dedicated to earning a living & wifely chores. The hubby had already ...
“I have the world's largest collection of seashells. I keep it on all the beaches of the world... perhaps you've seen it.” Stephen Wright
Are you ready for some shell shows! There are times when I am shelling on the beach that I have actually gotten dizzy. The waves going in & out, birds buzzing overhead, and bending up & down to inspect the wrack line can all contribute to a spinning of the senses that warrant a quick sit down on the sand. But that pales in comparison to the sensory overload you will experience at a shell show. Usually sponsored by the local shell club, a shell show is a gathering of shell enthusiasts of all kinds - the artists, the serious scientific collector, & the aficionado. There are shell flowers, shell mirrors, shells for sale, t-shirts with shells printed on them, shell exhibits, shell collections, & the nobility of the shell craft - the sailor's valentine. From the moment you enter the venue your senses are assailed with color of the shells everywhere, the movement of the crowds, the loud din of voices calling to one anothe...
2 bits - 4 bits - 6 bits - a dollar. All for Shelling stand up & holler! (again)
I am re-posting from last year's Superbowl Sunday. I still have no interest in the game but I am pretty excited about the food being cooked & the commercials. Hope you have a great Sunday. (originally posted February 7, 2011) Usually Superbowl is a big deal around our house. The Hubbs is a real football fanatic but mainly for his college team - the Florida Gators. Our first real date was 31 years ago on Superbowl Sunday. My dad was a football coach so I know my way around the football field. My date was impressed or probably relieved that he could watch a football game with a female and not have to explain everything that was going on. The rest is history. I can't really get too excited abut the Superbowl this year. I have no vested interest in either team. At least that was my excuse for ditching the pre-game festivities and heading to Sanibel early this morning. Actually football and shelling have some similarities. The horse conch I found w...
Stump Pass Beach's Bluster of Black Skimmers
A sandbar, or shoal, is essentially a sand dune that is partially or completely submerged under water. Because of the current of the water, sediment, sand and soil builds up into the mounds that form sandbars. They are a wonderful place to land a kayak & go exploring. A few years back a friend offered to lend me her kayak that she was unable to use. It was just sitting in her yard gathering moss & being covered by pine needles. Of course I had seen many people kayaking on the bay as I drove out to the beach. It looked easy enough & the gear required was minimal (& all included with the loan) I watched a few YouTube videos on paddling techniques & what to do if I flip upside down. The kayak is a sit-on-top so the flipping wasn't going to be an issue. I would be ejected into the deep dark ocean before I was trapped underneath. I skipped the video tutorials on dealing with sharks. I didn't need those images bouncing ...