Like billions of other earth dwellers, well maybe not billions, but millions at the very least, I collect seashells whenever I go to a beach. I don’t exactly know what the draw is to walk up and down a sandy shore for hours on end picking up dirty, sometimes slimy little objects that have floated to the shoreline. If I didn’t have my glasses on, I’ve actually even picked up things that were not shells. I’ll admit that I once thought I was picking up a fabulous piece of petrified wood only to realize that I was holding a piece of dog poop. I suppose it is a game to see how many shells I can discover of different shapes and sizes. Much of the time I find that I have wandered much further down a beach than I had originally planned. The ocean and its shorelines are excellent places to alter your state of mind. It’s a natural high, so to speak. (Ahem)
I love warm weather, but have found that with the neurological condition that I’m wrestling with, too many hours of bright sun and busy beaches are no longer my friends. I am beginning to appreciate areas that are a bit more mild, say 65-80 degrees, fewer footprints, and a good mix of sand, rocky areas and my husband holding my hand. (ha, ha that rhymed) This collection of shells is just a small sampling of the shells that I have actually picked up from beaches throughout the years. I would have had countless more if customs agents or baggage handlers had not stolen or removed a bunch from my baggage:( In Grand Cayman, I even found an entire area where Conch shells had washed ashore, but alas, I wasn’t going to risk having those beauties all broken up in my baggage on the trip home. I found these shells on many different beaches including: miscellaneous shores along the Oregon, California and Washington coastlines, various beaches in Mexico, several island beaches in Hawaii, all along the Atlantic coastline of Florida, down the Keys and all over Sanibel Island, Florida (holy cow, Sanibel….a person can’t even walk on your island without crunch, crunch, crunching seashells. No barefoot walking there!)
I also collect a few interesting beach rocks every now and then. I’ll even paint them for no particular reason. One afternoon, I decided to shape some clay into seashells and bake them. I think they turned out pretty nice. Fake seashells. Ha! Because I love the beach, I sometimes paint pictures of palm trees and hammocks. Don’t judge me. I only recently began painting pictures and other trinkets and haven’t had any lessons, yet:)
I just looked out the window. Looks like it’s starting to rain. I wish it was raining seashells.
