#beach-combing

[johnschneiderblog]

Dead or alive ...?

Souvenir, or living creature? That’s the question Sharon and I pondered as she retrieved this sand dollar form the beach and held it in her hand.

Although it looked dried out and lifeless, she decided not to take any chances; she gently put it back where she found it,

Later, I did a little research and found that color is a key factor in determining the viability of a sand dollar. Living specimens are dark brown, reddish or purple; dead ones are lighter colored - grey, white or beige, bleached by the sun.

Also, a living sand dollar will feel velvety and display tiny moving spines on its surface.

[johnschneiderblog]

The simplest of pleasures

A note: It occurred to me, after I wrote this blog, that it could aptly be called “Retirees in summer.”

We haven’t found any notable pudding stones lately; the lake is at its annual high level, keeping many of the rocks below water which, at 60 degrees, is still a little too cool for wading.

But that’s not to say our daily beach-combing hasn’t been productive. Sharon has found some gnarly petrified roots to hang here and there and, just yesterday, I scored a gracefully understated pen-holder.

The hole in this rock is completely natural and goes all the way through the stone. But it’s tapered just enough to keep the pen from marking up the table. Sorry - it’s not for sale.

And, yes, I do actually use a pen; It’s useful in my daily quest for “genius” status in the New York Times’ “Spelling Bee” puzzle. And, yes, I could simply lay my pen on the table I use for a desk. But how inelegant would that be ...?

[johnschneiderblog]

Collectibles

Puddingstones and sea glass aren’t the only treasures we bring home from our beach walks.

There are, for example, the chunks of driftwood that, with the application of a little imagination, resemble the profiles of fish, or birds, or wooly mammoths  ...

Then there are the objets d’art - the items that defy description. Items that are desirable for their own sake.

And i no longer ask, “What do want that for?” I just help carry it home.

[maddyathome]

Beachcombing on Sunday

Washed up while beach-combing on Sunday this week

When we stroll along a beach for our Sunday Beach-combing, there is always the chance that we might find beautiful or fascinating things, like driftwood, or a message in a bottle, that have been washed up in the surf, or items left behind by sun worshipers. But many a time what we find might be useless rubbish, interesting only because we are…

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[maddyathome]

beach-combing on Sunday

Washed up while beach-combing on Sunday this week

When we stroll along a beach for our Sunday Beach-combing, there is always the chance that we might find beautiful or fascinating things, like driftwood, or a message in a bottle, that have been washed up in the surf, or items left behind by sun worshipers. But many a time what we find might be useless rubbish, interesting only because we are…

View On WordPress

[maddyathome]

Beach-combing on Sunday

Washed up while beach-combing on Sunday this week

When we stroll along a beach for our Sunday Beach-combing, there is always the chance that we might find beautiful or fascinating things, like driftwood, or a message in a bottle, that have been washed up in the surf, or items left behind by sun worshipers. But many a time what we find might be useless rubbish, interesting only because we are…

View On WordPress

[maddyathome]

Sunday Beach-combing - surfing the net

Sunday Beach-combing – surfing the net

Sunday beach-combing – washed up while surfing the net this week . . .

When we stroll along a beach for our Sunday Beach-combing, there is always the chance that we might find beautiful or fascinating things, like driftwood, or a message in a bottle, that have been washed up in the surf, or items left behind by sun worshipers. But many a time what we find might be useless rubbish, interesting…

View On WordPress

[maddyathome]

Beach-combing on Sunday

Washed up while beach-combing on Sunday this week

When we stroll along a beach for our Sunday Beach-combing, there is always the chance that we might find beautiful or fascinating things, like driftwood, or a message in a bottle, that have been washed up in the surf, or items left behind by sun worshipers. But many a time what we find might be useless rubbish, interesting only because we are…

View On WordPress