Shellbelle's Tiki Hut

Bing Crosby - Mele Kalikimaka (Hawaiian Christmas Song)

2011-12-24T08:13:00.000-05:00

I wanted to drop in and wish every single one of you and your families a very Merry Christmas! Since the weather here in Florida has been in the 80s for over a week I decided I would share my favorite tropical Christmas song, recorded by Bing Crosby and the Andrew Sisters wayyyyy back in 1950…

They're coming home!

2011-12-13T08:42:00.000-05:00

The last 6,000 American troops are to be out of Iraq by December 31.

Have you come across this ad on YouTube?

That's my nephew and his family in the picture!

Earlier this month, my family marked the 1st anniversary of my nephew coming home from Iraq. While David was deployed there was a documentary made called Operation: Family Connect. The collection of films told the stories of three military families and what they experienced while they were apart. My nephew and his family were one of the families.

David was deployed just after his son Ian's birth, so not only was he looking forward to seeing his beautiful wife, Ariana, but he was also excited about spending time with her and his son as a family.

At this time of year, my heart turns to other military families who will not be able to be with their loved ones for the holidays. For almost 4,500 troops this day will never come, they made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and for us.

Today I would like to share The Rathburn Reunion video with you to give you a glimpse of what our military families go through as they wait for their soldier to return to them and the moment they spot each other across a field. This is putting a face on what so many have or will experience.

To our troops who are still deployed in Afghanistan and other parts of the world, I wish you a speedy and safe return to your loved ones. Thank you for your service and your sacrifice.

My nephew, David Rathburn, has been home for a year now. As a family they just celebrated their son's second birthday. I am so proud of them and wish them a very Merry Christmas from the bottom of my heart.

Please take some time this busy season to thank our troops in any way you see fit, it will make your heart sing and show them how much we care.

You can watch more stories from Operation: Family Connect on YouTube.

Here Comes the Sun

2011-12-04T12:25:00.001-05:00

Here Comes the Sun

Hi Everyone!!!!!! I've missed you all so much and I'm sorry I've stayed away for so long. The last four months have been very difficult dealing with my sister's passing. I want to thank all you for your continued support, your comments, your emails, your phone calls and most of all your friendships. Thank you for understanding that I could not respond to each of you, but knowing you were out there thinking of me meant more than words can possibly express.

I do not want to write about this personal loss, but I am ready to get back to our blogging world and see what all of you have been up to!

I will tell you that, as of late, a few old tunes have been running through my mind when I think of you and the whole situation. Funny, because I was never a HUGE Beatles fan, but it is their words that have helped bring me back to blogging.

First up are these that are so apropos:

"And now my life has changed in oh so many ways,
My independence seems to vanish in the haze.
But every now and then I feel so insecure,
I know that I just need you like I've never done before.

Help me if you can, I'm feeling down
And I do appreciate you being round.
Help me, get my feet back on the ground,
Won't you please, please help me."

Next are these:

"What do I do when my ~~love~~ sis is away
(Does it worry you to be alone)
How do you feel by the end of the day
(Are you sad because you're on your own)

No, I get by with a little help from my friends
Mmm, I get high with a little help from my friends
Mmm, Gonna try with a little help from my friends."

Lately these words express how I'm beginning to feel:

"Little darling, it's been a long ~~cold~~ hot lonely ~~winter~~ summer
Little darling, it feels like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right.

Little darling, the smiles returning to the faces
Little darling, it seems like years since it's been here
Here comes the sun
Here comes the sun, and I say
It's all right.

Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes
Sun, sun, sun, here it comes."

In the last month I have started getting out and the first time had to be to the beach, of course! I went down to visit my friend Karen of The Essential Beachcomber. She always knows my soul and she kept me busy shelling, shopping, and eating. You may have seen this pic she put on her blog…

Well, here we are enjoying a day doing what we do best — shelling (me) and shark's tooth hunting (Karen). Don't you love that mermaid in front of Margaret Albritton's gallery? (Loui, she made me think of you!!!)

Karen even lent me her kayak for a solo ride. Boy, it felt good to be on the sea…

The following week I took off with my gal pal Deb to Ribfest 2011 at Vinoy Park in St. Pete. The only thing better than the fallin' off the bone ribs, was the entertainment. The last time I saw these guys in concert was 1978!!!!!!

I have to include this short video of Tommy, just to show you he is as HOT as ever…

This is not to exclude Lawrence, who still makes my heart go pitter patter…sigh and James, you ROCK. I love these guys and it was great to see Chuck performing with them. The "new" guys Todd Sucherman and Ricky Phillips were fab and if you see STYX coming to your town, get down and get tickets!!!!!

Then to just make November even better, I went to my friends Jane's of Artfully Graced for another Art at Home Show. I haven't made anything new, but I took what I had and went to spend the day with friends. Between Jane's paintings, Becky's quilting and Catherine's cupcakes and just being with good friends, you couldn't ask for a more wonderful day!

So that's it, that's what's been going on around The Hut. I miss you terribly and I don't know how often I will be posting, but bet your bottom dollar I'll be out seein' what's new with you!

Oh, I have one last Beatle tune for you before I go:

Shebelle loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
Shebelle loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah
Shebelle loves you, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah!

Gone From My Sight, Not From My Heart

2011-08-08T16:07:00.000-04:00

Sandra Kay Rathburn (1954–2011)

How do you say goodbye to a sister?

You pick up the phone to call,

even though you know she will not answer.

You just want to hear her voice again,

even though you know it will be for the last time.

She says, "Sorry I missed your call."

You weep.

You try again.

You weep again.

She says, "Bye."

You say, "No, wait, I have more to say."

There is just silence on the other end.

–Rhonda Renée

Sisters

This has been the toughest week of my life. I lost my sister on Tuesday, August 2, 2011. She moved on to world free of pain and sorrow, but left me behind with the same. I woke each day knowing that I had to stay strong for the rest of the family. I am the matriarch, I had to keep to task. Notify her children, notify other family members and friends. Arrangements had to be made, t's had to be crossed, do this, do that. Clean the house, cook some food, figure out who would sleep where. The house is full, but someone is missing. How could the family gather together and my sister not be here? I see her children, one of her grandsons and my own daughter who loved her so dearly.

I want to run, I want to get away. If they are all here and she is not, then something is wrong, very wrong.

Go through the motions. Let's see what do I have in the house? A pot of black-eyed peas goes on the stove, but all I have are those ham hocks from Sweet Bay that have no meat. They will have to do. Oh, and potato salad, they all love potato salad. Throw a cornbread together. What else, what else?

With my baby sister in 1955

Sweep the floor, make the beds, pull out extra blankets. Run to the store, make a gallon of tea. What do they like? I can't remember, I can't think. This will all have to do. My hands go through the motions, but my brain is not working. Busy work.

Why do I have to do this? I just want to crawl back in bed and cry. No, can't do that, they will all be here soon.

Did the Red Cross get their military leaves taken care of? What time do flights arrive?

I have so much to do, but I don't know where to start. I don't know where it will end. Say goodbye to my sister? I don't know how to do that. I don't have time to break down. There is much to be done. Why me? Someone else come take care of this, I just want to run away. Away to a place where my sister is still alive. I don't know how to say goodbye to my sister.

Family and friends gathered on Saturday to celebrate the life of

Sandra Kay Rathburn

September 29, 1954 – August 2, 2011

The following is adapted from a poem, The Ship by Bishop Brent (1862–1926), I would like to dedicate this in memory to my sister.

Gone From My Sight, Not From My Heart

I am standing upon the seashore.

A little ship at my side spreads her white

sails to the morning breeze and starts

for the blue ocean.

She is an object of beauty and strength.

I stand and watch her until at length

she hangs like a speck of white cloud

just where the sea and sky come

to mingle with each other.

Then, someone at my side says;

"There, she is gone!"

"Gone where?"

Gone from my sight. That is all.

She is just as large in mast and hull

and spar as she was when she left my side

and she is just as able to bear her

load of living freight to her destined port.

Her diminished size is in me, not in her.

I stood watching as the little ship sailed out to sea.

The setting sun tinted her white sails with a golden light,

and as she disappeared from sight a voice at my side whispered again,

“She is gone”.

On the farther shore a little band of family and friends had gathered to watch and wait.

Suddenly they caught sight of the tiny sail and,

at the very moment when my companion had whispered,

“She is gone” a glad shout went up in joyous welcome,

“Here she comes! Here she comes!”

Standing on the bandstand that our daddy built
with the Sea Bees at Heritage Park in Florida

Shellbelle's Tiki Hut will be taking an extended break, so that I can be there for those who loved her and so that I can take care of myself.

It's my party and I'll cry if I want to…

2011-07-25T07:50:00.001-04:00

Today is July 25th. Why is this significant you ask? Well, I'm sitting here this morning and I'm having mixed feelings. Looking back at this month on my blog I see I've only posted once. I knew this, it comes as no surprise, but it has me filled with anxiety. I love blogging — I love posting and visiting — and I miss it desperately. You've all become such an important part of my life and not knowing what's going on in Blogland is like being alone on a deserted island with no one to talk to. Think Tom Hanks in Cast Away. No, I haven't grown a beard, but I do feel as though I've crash landed somewhere far, far away from my normal life and I'm trying to figure out how to survive and get back to some normalcy.

Like Tom Hanks, I did find someone to talk to…

I call her BeeBee (for beach ball, duh). She's a decent companion, but really doesn't have too much to say, however, she is a good listener. I've been telling her all the things I've been wanting to tell you.

Then I came up with what I thought was a brilliant idea. I know you can upload posts to Blogger via alternative methods, so I thought this might work…

Photo courtesy of I am Kat.

So far I don't think any have reached the powers that be on the worldwide web shore. If you find one in your travels, could you let me know?

Anywho, I'm still washed ashore on the Island of New Job and my friends, it has been quite an experience. On Saturday I get a call from my gal pal Karen of The Essential Beachcomber and she says, "What do you think of Loui's post?"

I replied, "Honey, I haven't had time to visit ANYONE all month!"

Karen then says, "Well, if you do nothing else, stop by the Mountain Mermaid."

Well, I did and let me tell you, I cried like a baby. There is something else that is significant about today and that is that I'm turning…

and my dear, darling friend, my Sister of the Sea is throwing me an

Online Surprise Birthday Party!

What Loui wrote touched me so deeply, she has become such an important part of my life, I just don't have the words to describe how much her friendship has meant to me, but I love her! We share so much in common, we are mersisters in every respect. I know a lot of you met her last month during the World Oceans Day Celebration, but if you haven't been to her blog, stop by and say hello.

I woke up this morning, turned on the computer, poured my coffee and came back to find my inbox full of birthday wishes. Then I open my blog and I'm looking at my blogroll and I see the title of some of today's posts from my friends and I start crying all over again! So to all of you, thank you from the bottom of my heart for every bit of joy you've brought to my life, I am humbled to have found you and been embraced by you. I truly love you all!

To my Sister of the Sea, you make me proud to call you friend. I am so touched by your thoughtfulness, my heart is full. Girl, I just love you from the bottom of the sea to shore of distant islands. Thank you.

In case you missed the invite, you can read it here. And then yesterday, she added this. OMG, I am so excited and can't wait to read what my Sister of the Sea puts up today!

So, before the phone starts ringing or I get called away from my computer for one errand or another, I'm off to visit and thank you each "in person." I swear, this is like sitting with all of you and opening presents!

P.S. Just to let you all know, I am doing really fine! Things are good, just really different and REALLY busy. As soon as I can catch a breadth, I'll tell you all about it. In the meantime — Happy Birthday to Me! And dear, darlings, you have all made it that way!!!!! XOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOXOX

World Oceans Day Winners and Vintage Beach Camping

2011-07-06T11:34:00.000-04:00

Between all the changes and losses in my life as of late, I've been feeling rather discombobulated. This morning as I was looking back over my blog and trying to figure out what I would like to write about to get back into the swing of things, I realized that I had never announced who the winners of my World Oceans Day Beach Party were!

Envelope please,

Maya of Completely Coastal

and

Diane of Lavender Dreams

Congratulations ladies! Please send me your addresses and I will get your goodie boxes out to you. Thanks to everyone for participating in the 1st Annual World Oceans Day Party here at The Hut. I can't wait for next year!

Since life has been so unpredictable lately, I decided that today I would do a repost from my early days of blogging. You know, that time when you didn't have any followers and comments were about as frequent as a Blue Moon. In one of my first posts I wrote briefly about my family's camping trips to the beach. We bought a travel trailer when I was quite young and our favorite trips were, of course, to the beach! This picture was taken in the dining area of our first trailer in June 1956, shortly before my fifth birthday.

That's me half hidden behind my baby sister

One of our favorite places for years was Hobson Park in Ventura County, California. Located about eight miles north of the city of Ventura, Hobson is a very small campground with about thirty campsites. There is no room for it to grow, but there are now homes located to the north. Most everything I remember as a child is hard to recognize now, but Hobson does not fall into this category. Sure, the road is now paved and I understand they have RV hook-ups, but the size and charm is still present.

This is Hobson as it looks today…

And this is an aerial shot…

We knew everyone who camped there and became one big family. Those friendships carried on for many years and the memories are among my favorites. You can see from the pictures above that Hobson had a very rocky coastline. We scrambled over those rocks with no fear and when the tide was low we were rewarded with amazing tide pools! We'd find baby octopuses and let them slither on our arms, we'd stick our toes in anemones and scream when their tentacles wrapped around us. We found starfish and crabs, and tried in vain to catch the little fish that would dart in and out of the rocks. We cut our feet on barnacles and slipped on algae, but this didn't slow us down and we never grew bored with exploring our hidden treasures.

Back at camp, the adults relaxed, worked on their tans and planned the next party…

One of the annual favorites was the Hard Times Party. They dressed in old clothes — reminiscent of the Depression Era, so on the left in this picture from 1963 we have what must have been a flapper style dress worn by the older women of that generation and on the right we have a classic hobo look. In the middle is my mom wearing a potato sack dress! Now Hawaii did not become a state until 1959, but my mom went for the tropical look to dress up her sack, adding leis around her ankle and leg, shell jewelry, a light pink wig, and flip flops to complete her ensemble. Don't ask me why — this is my mom's interpretation of hard times. She was a hoot and everyone loved her.

Here are the ladies in color. My mom is wearing her favorite outfit here — a bathing suit, but then mom had the figure for it along with great legs!

The parties at Hobson always included a pot luck dinner. While the women cooked, the men put all the tables together end-to-end, started the campfire for the fish, clams and mussels, and the feast ensued. We ate, we danced, we laughed, we sang and we enjoyed the camaraderie of good friends.

I still love camping at the beach, but I have gone from a trailer back to a tent. Keep your trailers and RV's, I love tent camping! Here is a pic of my campsite at McGrath Beach in Ventura taken in 1995. I don't rough it by any stretch of the imagination! I have a three room tent and an expresso maker for the fire pit. I camp where there are showers and I don't do hot dogs and hamburgers! Food tastes better cooked over a campfire after a day at the beach and I'm all about the food! In the future I'll share with you my recipe and technique for a clambake, it is what I always serve the first night after setting up camp.

So, there you have a brief look at forty years of beach camping for me from 1956–1995. The last time I was at McGrath was 1999, now I live in Florida and the camping is different here. I've camped at Fort DeSoto, but there are still lots of beaches to explore.

My Roots Run Deep in South Georgia

2011-06-30T11:46:00.000-04:00

First, let me thank all of you for your kind words on the death of my cousin, Herbert. I was again saddened a week later when my cousin Reggie also passed away. Although they knew each other well, Herbert and Reggie were not related. Herbert came from my paternal grandfather's side of the family and Reggie from my paternal grandmother's. They both led long lives and they both made an impact on mine.

While reading your thoughtful condolences, I noticed a number of you referred to Herbert as my uncle. This is probably because in my post I explained that Herbert's mother was sister to my grandfather. If you haven't delved into genealogy, this is a common mistake. I didn't understand the whole relationship thing until I started working on my family tree a number of years ago.

Ah, genealogy, the hobby that ties you to your roots. The thing that can make other family members run when they see you coming. It can also be the tie that binds you together with family members you either haven't seen for many years or those you never knew existed.

Herbert and Reggie were my first cousins, once removed. Simply put, this means they were my daddy's cousins, the once removed means that they are also my first cousins with a difference of one generation between us. To my children they were first cousins, twice removed, because there are two generations between them.

Herbert and Reggie's children are my second cousins. Have I lost you yet? I know it can be so confusing, don't you think? This explanation from Genealogy.com might help clear this up a bit:

Cousin (a.k.a "first cousin")
Your first cousins are the people in your family who have two of the same grandparents as you. In other words, they are the children of your aunts and uncles.

Second Cousin
Your second cousins are the people in your family who have the same great-grandparents as you, but not the same grandparents.

Third, Fourth, and Fifth Cousins
Your third cousins have the same great-great-grandparents, fourth cousins have the same great-great-great-grandparents, and so on.

Removed
When the word "removed" is used to describe a relationship, it indicates that the two people are from different generations.

So, there you have it, a little genealogy tip from me to all of you. If you've never researched you family roots, I encourage you to do so. The stories, photos, memories, family events and love that have been shared are so precious to me, so if you've ever thought about researching your family, I encourage you to do so.

Rest In Peace Loved One

2011-06-17T23:04:00.001-04:00

Herbert Batten

October 31, 1926 – June 16, 2011

My cousin Herbert was born in Douglas, Georgia and remained there his entire life. As a young man he took his bride to live on the land where his mother Eunice had been born. Eunice was sister to my grandfather and they had both been born there in a little log cabin on the land their daddy had turned into a farm in the 1880s. That cabin, though a bit shaky, still stands on that land and across the road is the family cemetery where my great-grandparents and my grandfather are buried. It is here where Herbert will be laid to rest, amongst other family members who have passed over the years.

Herbert with his wife and two daughters. He also had a son and five grandchildren.

Here I am a few years ago with Herbert and Doris

The Cook House. Herbert built this many years ago and it is where close to 100 family members gather at Thanksgiving.

Herbert never threw anything away and in the Cook House you'll find his collection of Ball jars and cooking implements, along with all kinds of other goodies.

Can you see those two racks of cast iron skillets on the back wall?

Goodbye Herbert, I will miss you so much. Thanks for all the family stories you shared, including the one of my grandfather when he fell out of the second story window right after the family moved from the log cabin into the "Big House" when he was just about four-years-old. I also want to thank you for the love you showed and for opening up your home when I came to visit.

Rest in Peace

Please excuse me while I take some time to mourn this loss. I will be leaving for Georgia in the morning to be with family.

Thank you from the ocean to the shore — we did it!

2011-06-14T08:14:00.002-04:00

WOWZA! I can't thank you enough for making my World Oceans Day Online Beach Party a HUGE success last week! I was blown away by all the wonderful bloggers who linked up such thoughtful, beautiful posts to share their love of the sea and passion for ocean conservancy.

To tell you the truth, after all the problems we were having with Blogger, I was afraid the turn out would be disappointing. Just in time, it seems the powers that be in Blogland, got most of our blogs up and running.

I also want to thank my friend Cris of Here and There and Everywhere for hosting the 3rd Annual Oceanic-Blog-a-thon in honor of World Oceans Day.

Most of all, I want to thank our readers for taking the time to read so many fabulous posts. I hope each of you learned something new, I know I certainly did. That's what is so incredible about blogging — the sharing of knowledge. I love those "aha" moments, when a lightbulb goes off in your head and suddenly something becomes clear and you gain insight into a subject; in this case the importance of protecting our oceans from harm.

I'm going to be announcing the winners of my WOD giveaway soon, between the Blogger issues and the party itself, I am a bit behind on my life. Oh, and something else really through me for a loop…

I Got A Job!

After basically being out of work for most of this year, I finally found a position that I think is going to work out quite well. The fact that it came just a few days before World Oceans Day was quite a surprise. I'm not complaining, don't get me wrong, but after carefully planning my WOD beach party since January, it was definitely a bit distracting to start a new job, especially when it meant I also had to…

MOVE!

Yeah, throw a party, start a new job and move all in the space of a couple of days — I can do that…

NOT!

Luckily, I only had to move thirty minutes away and my daughter actually moved with me. This left my granddaughter in the duplex. I told her that typically when a child gets their first apartment, they are the ones that move, not the parent. She's thrilled and helped us with our move. Things went smoothy and quickly. As I look around my new space, I see mounds of hastily packed boxes and lots of work to get to. I had to take a breadth and let all of you know what's going on. I still work at home, which is a good thing, but I now have a bedroom, an office and a studio all to myself. Yes, I think this is going to work out just fine. Keep your fingers crossed for me — I know I am!

World Ocean's Day Online Beach Party!

2011-06-08T00:01:00.265-04:00

Happy World Oceans Day 2011!

Today, people around the globe are gathering together to celebrate World Oceans Day. There will be coastal clean-ups, educational trips to aquariums and zoos, lectures, interactive displays, nature walks, sustainable seafood festivals, and the list goes on.

Scientists will be at events worldwide, speaking on the vital role ocean research plays in the lives of each of us.

Concerned citizens will be making commitments to lifestyle changes that will have positive effects on our shared ocean. You can join them by taking The Seven Cs Pledge to Protect our Ocean. While there you will learn how you can make a difference in your lifestyle choices.

Then there's folks like us, who belong to a HUGE online community through our blogs!

I want to personally thank each and everyone of you for coming by today to celebrate our mutual love of the ocean. Some of you have been waiting for this day and have prepared posts that you can link up at the bottom. I can't wait to see what you've shared with us! I know there will be stories, facts and photos around our community today that will show us your love of the sea and shore. Others have come by to read and learn from us. Together we can make a difference and I am humbled by your commitment to this cause.

In January of this year, I wrote three back-to-back posts on a grand piano that a 16-year-old boy dumped onto a sandbar in Biscayne Bay here in Florida, saying that he thought it was, "Cool and artistic." I ranted about how destructive this was to our environment, but it got me to thinking — here was this one story that was making headlines around the world and while it did bring attention to the importance of ocean conservancy, it wasn't showing how art and the environment can come together in perfect harmony.

I started researching artists who have made positive, environmental impacts and believe me, there are MANY! Then I came across one artist who brought a whole new meaning to art as an environmental tool and it is his work I want to share with you today. I've been holding onto this research until now, because I believe what he does epitomizes what celebrating World Oceans Day signifies to many of us. The organizers of World Oceans Day say that it is about "making lasting change and it's up to people like us to rise up and be the voice for the ocean all year long." For me there is a voice I've now heard and I am deeply moved by his commitment to protect our ocean.

Without further adieu, I am honored to introduce you to the work of

Jason deCaires Taylor, Sculptor

You can click on this image to see amazing detail!

What Taylor created, sea life has continued to build upon.

The work evolves and will for generations to come!

Let me back up and show you an overview of this incredible work of art soon after its installation…

Underwater Sculpture Art of Jason deCaires Taylor, Vicissitudes, Grenada, West Indies.

From Taylor's website I learned that "in 2009 a monumental underwater museum called MUSA (Museo Subacuático de Arte) was formed in the waters surrounding Cancun, Isla Mujeres and Punta Nizuc."

"To date the underwater museum comprises of 4 installations; La Jardinera de la Esperanza, Coleccionista de los Sueños, Hombre en Llamas and The Silent Evolution all created by Jason deCaires Taylor. The Silent Evolution, his most ambitious work to date, is a collection of over 400 life-size figurative works, forming a vast gathering of people aiming to define a new era of living in a symbiotic relationship with nature."

By now you're probably shaking your head and asking yourself why I would be so excited about someone ~~dumping~~ installing something in our ocean, even it is "artistic and cool."

Let me explain, these are not ordinary statues. In the words of the artist, "The sculptures are designed to become artificial reef units. The cement used is a special type of marine-grade cement that's engineered to attract corals; corals adhere to it, they grow, they make different formations, that in turn encourages fish and other marine life."

“Coral reefs attract an array of marine life (such as colourful fish, turtles, sea urchins, sponges, and sharks) and also provide enclosed spaces for sea creatures to breed or take refuge… One of the greatest benefits of artificial reefs is that they have lifted the pressure off natural reefs which, over the past few decades, have been over-fished and over-visited. By diverting attention to artificial reefs, natural reefs have now been given a greater chance to repair and to regenerate.”

Just a few months after the more than 400 statues were installed, they were already attracting schools of fish, lobsters and algae.

"With scientists predicting a permanent demise of 80% of our natural coral reefs by 2050, The Silent Evolution illustrates a potential symbiotic relationship between man and the life-systems of the underwater world; one that is critical if our grandchildren are to have the opportunity to see these beautiful habitats for themselves."

The statues themselves are life-size casts of actual people,

the oldest being a 70-year-old nun…

and the youngest, a sweet-faced girl of three…

This next one is of Charlie and in the image on the right you can see

the transformation after six months underwater…

This next image is of The Silent Evolution as it looked on land…

during the installation…

and finally underwater…

The fish seem to be happy with the results…

very happy…

As do many others critters…

including the tourists…

I did tell you that this is an underwater museum, didn't I?

Well, what's an grand opening without a ribbon cutting ceremony…

According to the museum, the third stage of the museum commencing in 2011, will involve commissioning local and international artists to contribute further sculptural installations and host special underwater cultural events celebrating the Arts and Science.

The installation won't ever really be finished, since the marine life will keep adding touches for centuries to come.

MUSA can be viewed either by scuba diving, free diving, snorkeling or from a glass-bottom boat.

Taylor is currently founder and Artistic Director of the Museo Subacuático de Arte (MUSA) in Cancun, Mexico.

I could go on and on (and on) about Taylor's art, but there's a party going on and I don't want to take up all your time. I will encourage you to visit Jason deCaires Taylor's website at a later date to learn more about his work and see more photos. I suggest you start here and click through all ten pages if you'd like to learn more about the subjects of his work. Trust me you don't want to miss reading about The Archive of Lost Dreams, where a male registrar collects bottles containing messages from all over the world. Oh yeah, he's a statue and the bottles are REAL.

A special thanks to Jason deCaires Taylor for not only creating magnificent art, but for using your incredible talent to help protect our oceans. Thank you for bringing people around the world and other artists together and showing the rest of us that man and our environment can live in harmony in a mutually beneficial manner. You are amazing!

You can "Like" Jason deCaires Taylor on Facebook to see more photos

and keep up with the latest news.

The sculptures we've seen today are beautiful and we've learned that they do provide a service to our oceans by creating artificial reefs that are benefitting sea life, but the question you may be asking yourself is,

"Why should I care about coral reefs?"

Often, many people only become involved in a cause when they see how it directly impacts their lives. I'm here to tell you that you'd be hard-pressed to find someone whose life is not impacted in some way by coral reefs and the overall health of our ocean.

Because of their structure, coral reefs provide shoreline wave protection from tropical storms and hurricanes.

Much like wetlands on land, coral reefs act as a nursery for the sea, providing space for fish and other marine life to spawn, hide and feed.

More than 70 percent of the world’s oxygen supply comes from phytoplankton in the ocean. Every two or three breaths, remember to thank the ocean. –Earth Gauge

Oceans provide us with food, cycle our water, generate most of the oxygen we breathe, balance our climate, supply us with medicines and much more.

One thing I've learned over the years is that when you introduce critters to folks, they are apt to become more invested in saving them. For that reason I just had to share this photo with you…

This pygmy sea horse is no bigger than a little fingernail.

Kapalai, Sabah, Malaysia. ©Scubazoo

Now don't you want to Save Our Seas for this little guy?

Thank you again for coming to my party and remember, everyone who links up their ocean-related post between now and midnight on Sunday will be entered into a drawing to win a special box of goodies from Shellbelle's Tiki Hut. It's not too late to write a post or even link one that you've posted recently, it just needs to share your love of the ocean with the rest of us. The Linky tool will be open until Midnight Sunday EST. I will be placing a permalink to this post in my sidebar for future reference. I hope you all get a chance to visit everyone who has participated and no, you don't have to do it all today, we'll all be here waiting to show you why we love the ocean so much and why we feel it is so important to protect her.

You can also join my friend Cris in Spain for the 3rd Oceanic Blog-A-Thon. This will be the third year Cris and I have blogged together to share our love of the ocean. The first year I wrote about the importance of Mangrove Trees and last year I did the same for Oysters. I LOVE celebrating our world ocean!

Todays Ocean Fact: Although they cover only two-tenths of one percent of the ocean floor, these complex tropical ecosystems rival the rainforests in terms of biodiversity, supporting nearly a quarter of all marine species. They provide food and income to millions of people worldwide, and they protect our coastal communities from damaging storms and tsunamis. Constructed by living organisms, coral reefs are home to some of the most fascinating plants and animals in the world. –Coral Reef Alliance

To add your post, click on the blue Inlinkz button below, add the permalink to your blog post (that's the link that goes directly to your post, not just your blog), and follow the instructions to select a photo. If you have problems adding your post, just email me your permalink or a link to your blog and I'll add it for you. Thanks for posting for the ocean!

What kind of birds are in your yard?

2011-06-03T12:01:00.003-04:00

Most of you know that last weekend I apartment-sat for my sister while she and her Red Hat group went to St. Augustine for Memorial Day Weekend. I showed you a photo of the little manmade lake that is in the middle of their courtyard that she had on her computer. I thought I'd show you a bit of a better photo today…

The lake is just about 15 steps from her front door.

The view from her front window

When this is in "your" yard and because there are no children around to frighten them away, many of our native birds also call this home. They are so well-treated by the residents, that they are comfortable with you walking amongst them. If my darn ankle wasn't still giving me problems, I could have really gotten some great shots, but I will share what I did take.

Anhinga

Anhinga posing

I've got all my gulls in a row

Bath time

Black Skimmer

Cattle Egret

Common Moorhen

Great Blue Heron

Great White Egret

The Heron getting his morning sun and the Egret stopped by for a visit.

Laughing Gull

Mr. and Mrs. Mallard

Mallard Ducks

Muscovy Ducks

Thought a bird was flying overhead for a minute, lol.

Roseate Spoonbill

White Ibis

They would walk right along with me and were very polite.

Whose coming over to say hello?

A Wood Stork - the only breeding stork in America.

Now you're probably all thinking I was feeding these birds to get them to come up to me, but you'd be wrong. While there are a few residents who do feed them, I am against feeding any kind of wildlife unless you are providing them something that is a natural part of their diet. I've yet to see a bird feeder that holds fish, insects or the aquatic vegetation that is the diet of most of these birds. The lake provides them with their needs, after-all, that's why they moved here in the first place. Besides, the Muscovies are known for eating mosquitoes and that's just what we want them to do!

The birds also get along very well with other wildlife that have set up housekeeping here…

Luckily, the squirrel population here is very limited. They are cute and fun to watch, but too many squirrels and they just become annoying. I know all of you with bird feeders in your yard will attest to this.

There's also another species who is quite comfortable here…

Slider turtles are very shy and will quickly swim away when approached, but this little guy poked his head up to check out what I was doing; maybe he knows I love turtles.

In Florida we have Yellow-bellied Sliders, which are native and Red-eared Sliders, which are not. Red-eared Sliders are the ones you see most often in pet stores and are not supposed to sold here except for educational purposes. Unfortunately, the powers that be don't follow through on this law and you see them sold everywhere, not only in pet stores, but also at flea markets and on street corners. People buy them because they are so cute and if they manage to survive, they grow too big and are let loose in our ponds and lakes. You can read more about each species on Wikipedia by clicking on the above links, if you're interested.

When I was talking on the phone with my sister before going to her home, she told me that one night a turtle came up and dug a hole in the little garden area she has by her front door. She said she kept looking out her window and then said it was crazy, because the turtle dug the hole and then filled it back in and left. I explained to her that what had happened was the turtle dug the hole and then laid her eggs. My sister said she couldn't believe that the turtle even put the mulch back in place. Here's a photo I took of where the eggs were laid…

Now would you have ever guessed there are turtle eggs buried in between those two garden statues? If Sis hadn't seen it with her own two eyes, we would never have known they were there. We'll keep an eye on the nest and try to save the babies when they emerge, with so many birds around they don't have much of a chance without our help. My sister was not able to identify what kind of turtle was in her garden, but she did say it was about 2-feet long, which would indicate it was not one of the sliders. She also said it had a pointed nose. This means it could have been a Florida Soft-shell Turtle, which are common and are natives. Only time will tell, so I may have an update in about three months.

Florida Soft-shell Turtle - Image via Wikipedia

Update (Friday Night): I just got off the phone with my sis to tell her I had posted these pics and we got to talking about the turtle. She said she had posted a pic of it in the water on FB. Went, checked it out and "shore 'nuf" it is a Florida Soft-shell Turtle…

It makes me very happy when our Florida natives are thriving, so we'll be keeping an extra eye out for these hatchings.

My time at my sister's was nice and relaxing, I enjoyed the birds, other wildlife and the sky…

So, the question of the day is what kind of birds are in your yard?

Reminder: It's only 5 more days until my

World Oceans Day Party!

I hope you'll be joining us and linking up your ocean post!

My friend Diane of Lavender Dreams put up a post today of the sea life her and her hubby came across on the Cape Canaveral National Seashore earlier this week. You never know what you'll see here Florida, check out her post here.

Today's Ocean Fact: Whether you live near the coast or further inland, rainwater washes litter from the street into storm drains, where it can flow into you local river and, eventually, the ocean. You can help at home by throwing trash in proper receptacles or organizing a trash cleanup in your community. –Earth Gauge

Blogger Commenting Help is on the way…

2011-06-01T10:33:00.000-04:00

I know these past three weeks have been very annoying for many of us. Yes, the problems started on May 11th and have steadily grown worse. I've been reading the help forums, your blogs and several other sources to try and find out just what the heck is going on. Service has been intermittent, our followers lists have disappeared and reappeared sporadically and the commenting issue has been widespread. Blogger has been very slow in keeping us informed and I know many of you don't even know where to check on their updates. In the last three weeks, they've only left three updates and yesterday's was the only one that really told us anything at all. You can read the full report here:

Blogger Status - Last Update Tuesday, May 31, 2011 Blogger Incident Report

Essentially it now boils down to this:
"We are committed to swiftly fixing the problems and using our lessons learned to try to make sure that this type of issue doesn't happen again."

There is one person who has a blog appropriately called, The Real Blogger Status. This blogger not only tried to let us know more of what was actually going on, whoever it is was actively trying to aid those in distress on the Help Forums. Bloggers absence on the boards was noticeably nonexistent. Guess they were trying to solve the problem, but good customer service would dictate — tell the people what's going on. I know this is a free service for us, but believe me they make money off our blogs, so a little head's up would have been nice.

Help is on the way! Well, hopefully. I can't promise this will work for you, but it did work for two of my blogging friends when I told them what to do. Even if you're not personally having problems leaving comments, you should still read the section on changing how your comment form is on your blog, this will help those who are still experiencing problems be able to leave comments for you. I'll highlight that section to make it easier for you to skip to that solution.

First, you want to "clear cache" and "remove cookies" on your computer.

For Mac Safari users:
To remove cookies:

Choose Safari > Preferences and click Security.

Click Show Cookies.

Select one or more cookies and click Remove, or click Remove All.

When you finish removing cookies, click Done.

To empty the cache:
Choose Safari > Empty Cache, and then click Empty.

For other browsers, go to Google and type in "clear cache and cookies in XXXXXXXXXX" substituting your browser's name for the XXXs. Your browser would be Internet Explorer, Firefox, Google Chrome or whichever one you have chosen to surf the net with. This will take you to a choice of websites that will explain how to perform these operations on your system. Don't be afraid, it is easy and painless.

Now we're going to change how people leave comments for you. You can change this back once Blogger is back running as it should, but for now this is the most low-tech way and will make it easier for others to leave you comments. Even if you're not having problems leaving comments, you should still do this to make it easier for those who are to leave comments for you.

First, click on "Design" in the upper righthand corner of your blog.

This will take you here:

Click on "Settings." This will take you here:

Click on "Comments" in the second bar. This will take you here:

Look down to Comment Form Placement and click on "Full Page"
Then scroll to the bottom of the page and click on "Save Settings"

Now go back up to the top and sign out of your blog. This will take you to this page:

Close your browser.
Open your browser back up.
Go back to your blog and sign back in, BUT before you do, uncheck the box that says "Stay signed in"

Now sign back in.
This should get you back up and running while Blogger finishes the needed repairs. I can't guarantee it will work for you, but it did work for two of my blogging friends when I told them to try this.

If you're having other issues with your blog, I'm sorry I can't help you, I'm not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. I just researched this commenting issue for the past few days to try and find a solution and this is the best I could find. If it doesn't work, I'm sorry, I tried my best. If it does work for you would you mind coming back here and letting us know?

Good luck, I hope to see everyone back to "normal" soon, I've missed you all. Thanks to those who were able to leave comments and thanks to those who sent me emails when you couldn't, it meant a lot to me.

In Memoriam

2011-05-30T08:53:00.007-04:00

James Alexander Inglis, Sr.

1946-1983

In honor of the father of my children

who bravely served in Vietnam,

receiving the Purple Heart

after being wounded in battle.

Jim returned home safely from war,

but passed at the young age of thirty-six

of lung cancer brought on by the

effects of Agent Orange.

Thank you for making the ultimate sacrifice for your country

and for giving me two beautiful children.

We love you and miss you everyday.

As the daughter of a WWII and Korean War veteran,

sister to a Vietnam veteran,

granddaughter to a WWI veteran,

great-granddaughter to all my

ancestor grandfathers who have

fought for our freedom

since they came to this country in 1607,

and aunt to a niece and nephew who

are currently serving

I want to thank all those who have

and all those who continue

to serve our country.

On this Memorial Day,

the day we have set aside to

honor those who made

the ultimate sacrifice

by giving their lives,

to each of them

and to their families.

I want to give a special thanks

for providing freedom and safety in our lives.

Rest In Peace

Tiki Hut's Rambling Thoughts

2011-05-27T12:16:00.004-04:00

Hi everyone, I hope you all have fabulously fun plans for Memorial Day, but I do hope you'll remember that this is a day in which we are meant to honor our veteran's who died defending our country and our values. What was started in 1868 has evolved over the years and often times we forget to look past the sales flyers and the plans we've made for the long weekend to reflect on the lives of those who gave so much to those of us who followed. I'm sure that every single soldier who gave his or her life in service to us would also want us to enjoy the freedom they provided, so let's be sure to honor their memory and take some time out of our day to pay tribute to them for their sacrafice. Look into your heart and you decide how to best honor our fallen soldiers.

I'm still nursing my ankle/foot injury, so I offered to apartment-sit for my sister while she's away with her Red Hat group in St. Augustine, Florida for the next four days. Yeah, sitting is something I've become an expert at the last two weeks, making me the perfect housesitter.

Sister's apartment is actually a nice getaway for me at this time though, the walls were starting to close in at home and I needed a different view and folks, I have a really nice view here. The apartments here are built in a large circle and each one has a view of a large manmade pond.

I found the above photo in Sister's picture folder to give you an idea of what I see when I'm sitting on her couch looking out the front window. What you can't see are the ducks, sea gulls, herons, egrets and other birds that call this pond Home Sweet Home. There are also turtles and squirrels to entertain me while I'm here. I'm going to share a neat turtle story with you next week when I'm back on my computer and have access to the photos I took.The pond is only about fifteen feet from her front door and the birds have been well-treated by the residents. Since all the apartments have only one bedroom, you seldom see children around, which translates into the birds not be chased away by an inquisitive kid or a stray football. The whole setting is very tranquil and I am pleased to be here.

Speaking of computers, I should tell you that I'm working on Sister's laptop and boy, is it different than working my Mac! Please, give me back my mouse, my keyboard, my files and MY photos! Could I just add a side note here and tell everyone out there to PLEASE turn off the date stamp on your digital cameras. Honestly, you can tell me when you took the pic and I promise to believe you, lol.

Since I am away from my computer, I have no access to my email. If you sent me an email in the last couple of days or if you're planning to in the next four days, I won't be able to read and respond to them until I get back home on Tuesday. The same is true for those who interact with me on Facebook. This is becasue I have NO idea what my passwords are; you have no idea what I went through so that I could sign into my blog to be able to post and leave comments on your blogs while I'm here.

I do, however, have something to share with you and it involves this cute tote bag:

For the second year in a row, Rita @ BeachHouseLiving is having a giveway in honor of World Oceans Day and believe me, you don't want to miss! I was the lucky recipient last year of her generous giveaway and when the box arrived I was AMAZED at everything that was inside the huge box that arrived at my door. If I were at home I'd show you a photo of what Rita sent and your eyes would pop out of your head, trust me!.To see what's included INSIDE this tote, just click on the word "giveaway" above and you'll be whisked away to her wonderful blog. You won't believe what lucious treats she has in store for this year's winner. Rita's giveaway will end at 11:59pm on June 8th, so don't delay, hurry on over and be sure to tell her aloha from me.

Speaking of World Oceans Day, it's getting closer and closer to the World Oceans Day Celebration here at The Hut, if you haven't heard about it, just cick on the button near the top of my sidebar and learn how to link up your beachy post from June 8th until June 12th. Let's Party!

That's it for now dear ones, I won't be posting until I get back home, but I will be stopping by to visit you, so put on the coffee and cut the cake - I'll be there soon!

Note: Pina coladas or strawberry daiquiris served with shrimp cocktails will work also.

Today's Ocean Fact: The Pacific Ocean is the largest of the four main oceans. Although its' name means peaceful, if can be very rough! It is 64 million square miles. The Atlantic Ocean is the busiest. Many ships cross the Atlantic, carrying cargo between the Americas, Africa, and Europe. It is 32 million square miles.

Farewell

2011-05-25T10:35:00.000-04:00

As I'm sure most of you know, today is the last Oprah Winfrey Show. After 25 years of making us laugh and making us cry, the lovely O is leaving daytime television. While I'm sad for the rest of us, I am so happy for her. She, of course, will still be making a difference in the lives of many through the lessons she has taught us that will be passed on for generations and through her new network OWN.

Today I just wanted to pay a little tribute to the woman who has impacted my life and that of so many others. Since this would take a book to accomplish, and I mean a really BIG book, I've decided to just post a few pics from some of my favorite shows. While most of these photos are with just some of the many famous people she's hosted, the most meaningful shows were those with ordinary folks who faced extraordinary odds and accomplished extraordinary things. To all those who appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show and shared their stories so that we might learn from them — thank you!

Oprah in her Chicago office in 1985 before her show went into syndication.

On yesterday's show, Jada Pinkett Smith said to Oprah, "You may not have children of your own, but you've mothered millions."

Just a few of the facts that were shared:

Oprah has enabled 64,688 children to have an education
415 young men have graduated from Morehouse College on an Oprah Winfrey Scholarship
30 million books have been purchased by Oprah Winfrey's Book Club members

Show moments that I will never forget:

The Wildest Dreams Tour with Tina Turner — 1996
Oprah dancing with Tina Turner in Las Vegas — 2005
Legends Weekend (Middle Photo) — 2005
The Mary Tyler Moore surprise visit with the "ugly cry"
Every single show with Maya Angelou
Oprah and Gayle's Big Adventure (road trip)
Every single moment with Mattie Stepanek

There are many, many more moments, but when I sat down to write out a list, these are the ones that instantly popped into my head. Well, these and the scoop on poop that we learned from Dr. Oz, but I didn't want to post a photo of that "aha" moment. With the exceptions of those shows with Maya and Mattie, the moments listed above are not those that provided me with a life lesson, but they are ones that made me want to hang out with Oprah as a girlfriend.

Oh, and the Legends Weekend, that falls in both categories — life lessons and friendships. Of that weekend Oprah said, "I started thinking about all the women who'd come before me, many of whom have now passed on—women whose steps created a journey of no boundaries for my generation. I wanted to thank them, celebrate them, and rejoice in their spirit."

That weekend symbolized so much of what I love about Oprah — celebrate life and honor those who not only influenced you, but made your life possible. Women supporting women is a theme I embrace in my life and one we so often see here in Blogland. I am thankful for the women in my life, including Oprah and all of you!

I know, of course, that this is only a farewell from The Oprah Winfrey Show and that you'll still be making a difference through your new network and through the type of life you've chosen to lead. That's why I know this is only goodbye, until we meet again.

Today's Ocean Fact: Because of their structure, coral reefs provide shoreline wave protection from tropical storms and hurricanes. Coral reefs also provide habitat for over 4,000 species of fish and about 25 percent of marine life. –Earth Gauge

You Gotta See This!!!!

2011-05-23T10:40:00.001-04:00

Hi everyone, I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

Today I want to share a photo with you that my son took recently. Can you figure out how he did this? If not, I'll tell you his secret at the end of this post. You can click to make this image larger.

Have you signed up for Tracy's giveaway @ Ms. Bake-it? She's giving away a $40 gift code to my Etsy shop and another to Becky's (Junk to Joy) Etsy shop. Entries will be accepted until Wednesday, May 25th. Click on the image below to be whisked away to her giveaway post! Good luck to everyone!!!!

Just want to remind you that my World Oceans Day Beach Party is only 16 days away! Have you started planning what you'll post on June 8th? I hope you'll all attend and help us celebrate!

You can join the fun in a number of different ways:

Attend an event in your area and write a post about your experience
Write a post about a subject or issue on the ocean that you would like to share
Share a personal story of how the ocean has influenced your life
Share a personal story of a trip you took to the beach
Share photos of your favorite beach
Share photos of you and your family at your favorite beach (old or new!)
Write or share a poem or a song about the sea
Prepare a recipe using sustainable seafood. You can find recipes here.
Lay out an ocean-themed tablescape
What ever your beach-loving heart desires!

Everyone who participates by linking up their post will be entered into a drawing to receive a special package of goodies from The Hut. The Linky tool will be available June 8th–June 12th.

You may have noticed that I added a new tab on my blog. This new Save Our Seas page contains information from the Save Our Seas Foundation that I believe is reader-friendly. They provide so much valuable information in an easy to understand format on how to protect our oceans. I hope you'll take the time to explore and learn. You may even find something you'd like to write about for our party!

Now, let's get back to my son's photo. Did you figure out how he did it?

Reflections Out of My Vancouver Hotel Room Window

"I was standing in my hotel window sill and lined the reflection of my legs up with the building next door. The striped pattern is the wallpaper print in the window sill. It is one shot. No retouching, just a little color adjust." –Jim

Isn't this just WAY cool? See, you don't always need Photoshop to get an incredible image, just a camera and a creative soul.

That's it for today folks, my foot is getting better, but it looks like I'll be homebound for a few more weeks. That's okay, it gives me plenty of time to get out and visit all of you!!!!!! Thank you SO much for all your sweet comments on My Other Self post, you made me laugh and smile for days and I feel so loved, you're the BEST!!!!!

Today's Ocean Facts:

More than half of all Americans live within 50 miles (80 kilometers) of the coast. –National Geographic The Ocean

About half the world’s population lives within 124 miles (200 kilometers) of a coastline. –Population Reference Bureau

My Other Self

2011-05-18T14:07:00.001-04:00

Still lives at the beach, but in this…

and this would be my "other" front yard…

I would get around the beach on this…

For traveling, my other self would still own my Scion,

but I would paint the passenger doors like this…

so it would match the custom vintage trailer my other self would have…

built for many road trips to go and visit with you!

My other self would have this camera…

Nikon Coolpix P500

for taking lots of photos and videos to share with you of my travels.

My other self would live six months in California and six months in Florida…

My "other" wardrobe would look like this…

(after I loose a "few" pounds that is)

and in the bottom of my "other" closet you would find this…

Of course, I would only bring them out on those days when I absolutely have to wear shoes.

Otherwise, this is the only thing you'd see on my "other" feet…

Just down the beach you'd find these…

so that all of you could visit whenever your heart desires!

While you're here we'd find lots to do, but most of all I'd say…

Of course, my other self would have the appropriate attire for all of you to wear…

This would be my "other" kitchen…

I would prepare dishes like this for all of you…

and this one would be especially for my seasister Louie @ Mountain Mermaid…

because she sent me the recipe last week!

For my vegetarian friends, or those allergic to shellfish, I would make this…

Pineapple Fried Rice

Everything would be made with locally grown, organic produce

and all the seafood would only be purchased from sustainable fisheries, of course!

My other self would serve you drinks like this…

with or without alcohol :)

while you sit at my tiki bar watching the sunset…

My other self will also have one of those life-size cutouts for photos

like this one of me and Brad Pitt…

Sorry Angelina, I promise I'll send him back soon.

Oh, we'll have lots of fun in my "other" life and remember…

My other self will still have to work, of course, so I'll still be doing this…

and I'll still be making these…

BUT best of all, my other self,

would live in a world

where our oceans are healthy and clean…

Paradise Found by artist David Miller

Note: For more My Other Self posts, visit my friend Karen @ This Old House 2. Thanks Karen, this was so much fun!!!!!

Now what about all of you?

What would YOUR other self look like?

Update: Thank you for all of your well wishes, my chest cold is just about gone and I'm now able to hobble around with the use of a cane. My foot is still a bit swollen and is lovely shades of black & blue, but my office chair/makeshift wheelchair is back where it belongs. I still have to keep it elevated most of the day, but I'm getting on the computer throughout the day and trying to catch up with all of you! Hugs!

Today's Ocean Fact: Deep below the ocean’s surface is a mysterious world that takes up 95 percent of Earth’s living space. It is so deep that it could hide 20 Washington Monuments stacked on top of each other. But it remains largely unexplored. –Smithsonian Ocean Portal

Ouch!!!

2011-05-16T13:18:00.001-04:00

Karen, over at This Old House 2 did a really fun post before all the Blogger issues started and challenged everyone to do a similar one. The title of the post is My Other Self and in it she gave a glimpse of what her "other" life would look like. It reminded me of those bumper stickers you see around town…

My other car is a bicycle

My other child is an honor student

Get the picture? I knew you would!

Anyway, after being sick in bed with a chest cold, I was finally back on the computer catching up with all of you, leaving those comments that have now all disappeared, when I ran across Karen's post. I thought it sounded like a fun post to write, so while blogger was down I decided to answer her question, "What does your other self look like?"

Things were going well, my cold was still hanging on, but I was able to "sit up and take nourishment" as my daddy used to say. I had been sitting at the computer for several hours working on "my other self" when the gate outside the front door started banging. This is an ongoing frustration I have here at my daughter's home. When someone goes out the gate, the latch doesn't latch properly and every little breeze causes it to bang shut. When the breeze is strong it really BANGS shut and startles me, causing me to jump. One of those things that is so minuscule in the grand scope of things, but annoying just the same.

Anyway, like I said I was working on the aforementioned post when the darn gate started banging away. Frustrated, I jumped up to close the darn thing, and when I say jumped, I mean JUMPED! This would have been all fine and well, except for the fact that my foot had gone to sleep. Now, I know all of you at some time or other have stood up and found your sleeping foot won't support you, so you sit back down and move it around until it starts working again. Oh yeah, those pins and needles are such fun, aren't they?

Remember I said I JUMPED up, so needless to say, my ankle just crumpled. This is one of those moments I would like to have on film, I know it would be a YouTube sensation! Everyone would be laughing at the old lady who somehow managed to grab the wheeled office chair, spin around in a perfect 180° and land about three feet away, with one butt cheek clinging to the edge of the (thankfully) armless sofa, all the while screaming her head off. I know I had to have really hollered, because I scared the dogs so bad they didn't come anywhere close to me for the rest of the day.

Did I mention I was home alone when all this took place?

The pain was excruciating! I didn't know if it was broken or sprained, but trust me when I tell you, I thought I had crushed every bone in my foot. I couldn't move and all I could think about as I looked helplessly across the room at the telephone, was that old commercial, "Help, I've fallen and I can't get up." I was laughing when that came out, now, not so much.

Took me close to an hour to get both cheeks onto the couch, reach for my office chair (which luckily I had brought with me in all the falling and wild flailing of arms), pull it to me, get myself into the chair and slowly wheel myself to the phone. By this time, despite the pain, I became convinced that I had severely sprained my ankle, not broken it, and there was no need to call my daughter home from work. It's part of that, "I hate to be a burden" thing.

Picture this — I wheeled myself to the kitchen on my makeshift wheelchair, formerly known as my office chair, and managed to put an ice bag together. Then I wheeled myself back and scooted back onto the couch that had broken my fall. Considering we have tile floors, the couch was positioned in just the right place to prevent me from what probably would have been further injuries. I proceeded to do the RICE regimen, you know — Rest, Ice, Compression, Elevation. Well, actually, I didn't do the compression bandage, I didn't have an Ace bandage nearby, so I guess I just did the RIE regimen until my daughter came home about five hours later. I called her when I thought she would be on her way home, told her what happened and ask her to bring me more ibuprofen and ice. Being the dutiful and thoughtful daughter she is, she came in the door with one of those ice bags that work better than a plastic baggie, a gel pad, an ankle brace wrap thingy and more ibuprofen. She waited on my hand and foot all weekend, even making me pancakes and turkey sausage for breakfast on Saturday. We watched TV, I finally read Water For Elephants and I slept a lot. Basically, I did just what you're supposed to do, I stayed off my feet all weekend, except for the bathroom runs. Between my daughter, my office chair and a cane, I managed that little chore just fine.

My foot is still swollen, but the pain is MUCH better and while I can stand and put a little weight on my foot, I'm not walking. I can't sit at the computer for very long or the swelling starts to increase, but I am slowly starting to move my foot around a bit while in a prone position.

As for the My Other Self post, I'm still going to post it later this week, but I will tell you right now…

my other self will not be such a klutz!

If you think this sounds like fun — the My Other Self post, not the ankle sprain thing — go read Karen's post and do one for your other self. I look forward to reading them.

Right now, I'm going to RICE some more and will be back later to see if your weekend was more fun than mine.

Note: It was fun to be waited on hand and foot though!

Today's Ocean Fact: Great White Sharks migrate long distances. Some make journeys from South Africa to Australia – a round trip of 20,000 miles. It’s the longest recorded migration of any fish. –Smithsonian Ocean Portal

A bird, some bricks and a giveaway!

2011-05-12T09:28:00.000-04:00

Last Saturday I took my friend Tracy of Ms. Bake-it to my secret beach to do a little driftwood hunting. Tracy is going to make a driftwood mirror for her home and she needed to start collecting because it's going to be a BIG one.

Now according to the tide charts it was supposed to be a low tide, but the forces that be, like rain the day before and a little wind we've been having, interfered with the tide and the water level was so high we couldn't walk out to where I always find a nice selection of wood.

Photo Courtesy of Tracy

We walked around to the other side of the island and Tracy did manage to find a few nice pieces. We also ran across this guy…

one of our local fishermen out for the day's catch.

Monday morning I woke up with a ton of brick's on my chest. Yep, the first chest cold of the year hit me hard and I've spent the last three days in bed. This morning there are signs that I'm starting to feel a bit better, so I had to jump on the computer to tell you about the GIVEAWAY Tracy is having on her blog.

Tracy is giving away a $40 gift code to my Etsy Shop and another $40 gift code to our friend Becky of Junk to Joy's Etsy Shop.

How cool is that? Like I always say, "Blog Friends are the Best!" This giveaway runs through May 25th 12:00am.

Click on the button below for your chance to enter…

Good Luck!

Update: You can read all about our driftwood day on Tracy's blog here, she captured some great photos!

Today's Ocean Fact: Most seamounts (underwater mountains) are volcanoes that erupted out of the seafloor. Deep-water corals on Davidson Seamount, off the Big Sur coast, may grow to ten feet tall and live for several hundred years. –Monterey Bay Aquarium

Happy Mother's Day!

2011-05-07T06:08:00.001-04:00

When the Red, Red Robin Comes Bob, Bob, Bobbin' Along…

Last week my blogging friend @ MerrilyMaryLee's posted a link to this video and after viewing it about a dozen times, I decided that I just had to share it with you in honor of Mother's Day! Like she said in her post, "You're in for a treat!"

Robins - 4 Eggs, 4 Weeks from Fred Margulies on Vimeo

So, did you watch the whole thing? No? Whattamean, no? Click that play button!

I can't tell you how much I love this video; this momma bird just reminds me of what all of us have gone through as mothers ourselves. We built our nests, we "hatched" our young, we nurtured them come rain or shine, we kept them from harm, we raised them to be fine upstanding citizens, and then one day we turned around and they were gone and they just left us standing there (luckily without a worm in our beaks). They flew the nest, they went out into the big world and built their own nests.

Now I know some of you still have your fledglings at home and haven't experienced this emptynest syndrome yet. For you I say, enjoy every minute…well, at least cherish every moment — the good and the not so good. One day you'll be like the rest of us — sharing those memories with your adult children. You'll laugh over the antics that at one time drove you crazy and shed ~~a few~~ more than a few happy tears over their accomplishments.

The other thing you'll be doing for sure is waiting for that phone to ring on a day like this and hearing those four little words…

I love you mom…

To all of you, I wish you a Happy Mother's Day, today and everyday.

To my kids, thank you for being my little birdies, I love you both so much!

To my mom, I miss you so much, thanks for being my mom!

In loving memory
Rhoda Mae Merritt Grantham
May 25, 1929 – October 20, 2001

Animal or plant?

2011-05-06T09:33:00.000-04:00

Photo: University of South Florida

Today I'd like to give a shout out to one of our amazing sea critters and also to a local professor from the University of South Florida, here in Tampa, both are aces in my book!

I was on the USF website last night looking for a map of the campus, I'm attending an art show reception there this evening that includes my talented friend, Sharon Norwood, and I needed to find the best parking for the Fine Arts Building. While there I ran across an article in the USF News Report that caught my attention. Here's an excerpt:

TAMPA, Fla. (April 27, 2011) – "A graceful, green sea slug which turns sunlight into energy brought USF biology professor Sidney (Skip) Pierce worldwide attention last year… Encyclopedia Britannica recently named Pierce’s research among seven significant discoveries in 2010 in the life sciences section of its iconic Book of the Year for 2011.

The sea slug — Elysia chlorotica, which lives in waters on the east coast of the U.S. and Canada — has been described as part animal and part plant because it produces its own chlorophyll and can carry out photosynthesis, turning sunlight into energy. Pierce worked with postdoctoral researcher Nicholas Curtis and Ph.D. candidate Julie Schwartz and used radioactive tracing techniques to determine the vibrant green creatures are able to manufacture chlorophyll themselves, the first animal ever discovered to be able to this.

Pierce’s study demonstrated that a symbiotic relationship between these animals and chloroplasts from their algal food have resulted in the movement of functional genes, called gene transfer, between the two species. The transferred genes are transmitted to the next generation, so they have become part of the slug’s DNA.

When the discovery was announced last year at a scientific conference in Seattle and then published in the journal Symbiosis, it caused a worldwide sensation."

Pretty cool, don't you think? I also think this slug is pretty cool…

Photographer: Patrick Krug

Doesn't it look like a leaf?

Elysia chlorotica, also called emerald green sea slug, is a species of sea slug known for its ability to photosynthesize food. It is the only known member of the animal kingdom capable of producing chlorophyll, a pigment found in nearly all photosynthetic plants that use solar energy to transform carbon dioxide into carbohydrates. Members of this species appear as wide, rippling, green leaves with snail-like heads. They inhabit the shallow salt marshes and inlets of North America’s Atlantic coast from Florida to Nova Scotia. Over their 9–10-month life span, they can grow to a length 0.4–2.4 inches. –Encyclopedia Britannica

I don't know about you, but I LOVE learning about critters that live in the ocean and since this year's theme for World Oceans Day is Youth: The Next Wave for Change, I thought those of you with small children might like this book from Cat in the Hat's Learning Library — Wish for a Fish: All About Sea Creatures.

Remember, my World Oceans Day Beach Party is only 33 days away! I hope all of you are planning to attend and are thinking about what you're going to post that day in honor of our oceans. You can click on the link above or on the button near the top of my sidebar to learn more.

Today's Ocean Fact: Scientists estimate that there are at least a million new species to be discovered in the deep oceans. –C.O.O.L. Classroom

Three Flew Over (to) The Magpie's Nest

2011-05-03T16:47:00.002-04:00

You all know that I love meeting my blogging friends in "real" life and have had the pleasure to do so on numerous occasions. This past Saturday, Jane of Artfully Graced, Tracy of Ms. Bake-it and myself had plans to attend a vintage flea market in central Florida. The three of us have met on several occasions and they've both become dear friends. Another blogging friend, Becky of Junk to Joy was coming over from the east coast to meet up with us. The good thing about Florida is that it's a skinny state and getting from one coast to another is do-able in one day. So, the Gulf Coast Gals were meeting up with Becky and then we were all flying over to see Sheila from The Quintessential Magpie. Well, actually we took my car, but when I was trying to come up with a name for this post Three Flew Over (to) The Magpie's Nest just seemed appropriate. It was going to be my first time meeting Becky, but most of you know that Sheila and I have become very close friends. We've lunched and shopped and partied together for close to a year now and talk on the phone several times a week. Our ancestors were neighbors in the 1600s, so our connection goes back a loooooooong way.

The plan was for Jane, Tracy, Becky and myself to visit the flea market, have lunch and then drive over to Sheila's for dessert. Everything went beautifully, except that Tracy ended up having to work at the last minute. Knowing how much she loves thrifting, this was a true tragedy and we were all disappointed Ms. Bake-it couldn't Make-it.

Jane and I drove together and Becky, coming from the opposite direction, met us there. Let me tell you this flea market was a FEAST for the eyes! So many fabulous goodies from antiques to repurposed, repainted furniture, handmade baskets, hand-sewn purses, dresses, signs, soaps, candles, paintings………I could go on and on, but the jest is that everything was made, painted or repurposed by a group of incredibly talented and delightful women! There were no tube socks at this flea market!

The Fancy Flea happens in Lakeland, Florida twice a year, once in the Spring and again in the Fall. We ran into other bloggers and many of those displaying their wares have Etsy shops. I've been to many arts and craft shows and often run into people who don't want you to take photos, they don't care if you have a blog and getting two words out of them can be a challenge. Not true here! They "get" the whole blogging thing and by the time we moved on, my jaw was sore from talking so much!

I should probably tell you that the morning started out nice and cool, but the temperature rose to 94°F by early afternoon. The good news is that there was a nice, cool breeze and the street was lined with shade trees. It was a lovely day, spent it with lovely women!

Look at some of the cool stuff we saw:

One Eighty Designs

Loved everything here! Then I found out they have their goodies in a shop just a few miles from where I live. Summer House is located at 3517 S. Manhattan Ave. Tampa, Florida. Several other women I met have goods there also.

from Lori, Founder of The Fancy Flea

Loved this table and Lori was just as nice as good be! All the painted furniture I saw at the flea market and in Blogland has inspired me. When I get moved later this year to Neptune Beach, I'm going to paint all my furniture! Gone with the stained wood, I'm going all out in beachy colors — bright and tropical!

Now this next lady has created such fun pieces, don't you think?

Only One Originals by Joann

This next one was my favorite from from Joann, a piano table, very cool!

I don't know who to credit this Little Piggy with, but I just had to show you this cute, whimsical piece…

The little Piggy was AT the market

I thought of so many of you when I saw this…

Infinite Caboodles

Her collage work is so gorgeous and unique. I love this one for dog lovers…

Infinite Kaboodles

The photo slips out so you can add one of your own.

AND she has an Etsy Shop called Infinite Caboodles.

Victoria's Whimsy products from Used To Bees

Lovely soaps, bath salts and more from Used to Bees, a mother and daughter run operation. They have a storefront for their home decor and repurposed items located at 104 West Reynolds Street in Plant City, Florida, they do events in Florida and they have an Etsy Shop featuring their Victoria's Whimsy product line pictured above.

Next up is Vintage Soul Linens…

Pillows from Vintage Soul Linens

Pins and hair bows from Vintage Soul Linens

I'm so glad you can't see me sitting here drooling by my computer. I fell in love with these pillows from Vintage Soul, but do you want to know my favorite item of the day? These…

Bags from Vintage Soul Linens

Oh my gosh, shut the front door! I love, love, LOVE these bags!

They are light as a feather and oh, so girly! I swear my heart stopped when I saw these lovelies. I'm on a very strict budget, but if I was able to buy one thing that day, it would have been one of these!!!!!!!

Debbie of Vintage Soul has a shop located at 1020 New York Avenue in St. Cloud, Florida. Her shop is full of shabby chic furniture, accessories and more. You can see more of her fabulous goodies on her blog. Yep, Debbie is one of us out there in Blogland.

Of course, there were lots of flowers for sale…

fun, whimsical art…

I'm telling you,

The Fancy Flea

was made

for you and me!!!!!

I met so many wonderful, creative women and I can't leave without showing you the talent of Three Sisters Basketry. Look at these handmade baskets…

Three Sisters Basketry

Know you know I fell in love with the one shaped like a pineapple, but I'd love to have the wine and glass basket to take to the beach for a picnic or to watch the sunset. They were the sweetest ladies and although they don't have a blog, I did encourage them to open an Etsy Shop. Please, please, PLEASE!

Birds of Hope

I was so impressed with these two young girls! They sell little cloth birds and t-shirts to raise money to buy bio-sand filters for the people of Zambia, Africa. I spoke with the youngest of the two and folks, let me tell you she was a wealth of information on the water crisis in Zambia and the only thing brighter than her smile was her passion for this cause. You can learn more about their mission to change lives at Birds of Hope.

I just spoke on the phone with Debbie of Vintage Soul and she shared with me yet another blogger who was there. Kim, is a professional photographer and writer whose work appears in magazines such as Cottage Style, Romantic Country, Somerset Life and Artful Blogging. Not only will you LOVE her blog, Dear Daisy Cottage, she really captured the Fancy Flea experience beautifully, do stop by and see much more of what was available. Trust me, it will make you hop on a plane or jump in the car in November when the next event will be held! The Fancy Flea is blogger's paradise! Oh, and Jane and I are planning on being vendors there ourselves!

Meeting Becky of Junk to Joy for the first time was such a treat. What a darling, talented woman she is and a fellow Floridian. Look what she has in her Etsy Shop…

There was so much to see, but we had another destination that day. The lovely Mrs. Magpie had invited us to her home for dessert, so we dragged ourselves away from The Fancy Flea and made the drive to Sheila's. Like I said, we live in the skinny state and we were already in the middle, what's a couple of hours when you're talking dessert? And for those who know her, you know that Mrs. Magpie would have a delightful tablescape for our arrival.

We were first met with a beautiful wreath in red, white and blue in honor of the Royal Wedding and Sheila greeted us wearing a lovely gift from our friend Lindsay of The Cross Stitch House who just recently was visiting from England.

Now take a gander at this Spring/Easter table…

There were bunnies and chickies galore, this was my favorite…

Well, at least until Mrs. Magpie brought out dessert…

In case you're wondering, yes, we had chocolate ice cream too!

Of course, that wasn't enough in The Magpie Book of Entertaining! We each got the cutest gift bag filled with a flower headband, chocolates, a little chickie of our own, gardening gloves and flower seeds…

and in honor of the new Duke of Cambridge she included these seeds…

Sheila is the BEST!!!! We all talked and laughed for hours and I finally got to meet one of her dearest friends who has plans to become a blogger herself. Yes, the family keeps growing.

I also delivered to Sheila one of my driftshell hearts she had ordered for her MIL for Mother's Day. She put it on a table where she has a wonderful beachy vignette set up, so that she could take a photo…

Oh my gosh, doesn't it look gorgeous! She made me look good! Then my dear, sweet friend decided she wanted if for herself and ordered another for her MIL! I was in heaven! Thanks Sheila!

I've had other darling friends take photos of their driftshell goodies at their homes and post them on their blogs — Sue @ I Need Mom posted here and Janey of Constant Chatter of the Crazy Chick posted here. I can't tell you how much this means to me, I swear the tears just start flowing when I think of all of you.

Our day was magical; time spent with blogging friends is one of the most rewarding experiences you'll ever have. If you haven't done this yet, I encourage you to plan a lunch, a shopping excursion, a day at the beach or whatever else your heart desires, with one of your blogging pals. I have made some of the best friendships through blogging and I can't imagine my life without all of these remarkable women.

Well, if you've made it this far and you're still reading I want to share one more bit of advice I got from Joni @ Desert Dreaming…

Enjoy Every Sunset!

Today's Ocean Fact: Much like wetlands on land, coral reefs act as a nursery for the sea, providing space for fish and other marine life to spawn, hide and feed. –Earth Gauge

I met him at the record store…

2011-04-26T13:05:00.000-04:00

Lately, I've been feeling especially nostalgic for my youth, those bygone days when life was easier and I was younger…much younger! I know this has a lot to do with today's economy and the struggles many of us are facing as a result, but right now it probably has more to do with the fact that I am facing one of those milestone birthdays in a few months. Yep folks, the BIG 6-0 is right around the corner.

Sixty, it just rolls off the tongue so easily. Crap! I remember well that when I was young, 60 sounded ancient. Oh wait, it still does! Ha! Time just crept up and I'm not that svelte, young beach girl any more. Oh well, at least the beach is still a HUGE part of my life and for that I am grateful.

Anyway, like I said, I've been reminiscing lately and one of the things that has come to mind is how the way we listen to music has changed over the years (along with my waistline).

I LOVE music and when I was just getting ready to enter my teen years we moved just a block away from a record store. Yeah, that's what we called them then…record stores. Guess what they sold there?

I don't remember the name of the place, we just referred to it as the record store, but it was located at the corner of Balboa and Devonshire Blvds. in Granada Hills, California. The front of the store was full of racks and racks of records from every genre and in the back room they taught guitar, bass and drums. The year was 1964, the summer I turned thirteen and except for spending my weekends in Malibu, there was no place I'd rather be than at the record store. My allowance had gone from being spent on candy and comic books to 45s. For you younguns' out there, a 45 was how we bought the music of our favorite bands in the good ol' days.

There was more to the record store than just being the place to go for your latest tunes though — it was a hangout for teens. My girlfriends and I would be there for hours and hours, looking through the selections of the latest hits and flirting with boys. The malt shop was for the 50s, for me and my friends, the place to "be" in the 60s was the record store or the beach. In those early days I was buying the Beach Boys, Jan and Dean, Dick Dale, the Chantays, the Safaris and anyone else who was recording surf music.

Much more so than in school, I learned how to talk and interact boys while we hung out listening to great music. The conversation was easy, we talked about music and surfing. In our world, nothing else really existed at that point in our lives. Of course, then we went our separate ways and my girlfriends and I giggled over who we thought was CUTE! Where did we do this? Why at pajama parties! Now they call them sleepovers, but back in the day, we all gathered at someone's house to discuss our latest crushes and to, you guessed it, play our records! What did we play them on you ask? Well, who remembers these…

Besides your pajamas and your records, when you went to a pajama party, you also brought your own record player. This was easy to do because they came in a little suitcase all their own…

Once there the first thing you did was look for an outlet to plug in and then the fun would begin. We took turns playing our 45s and much to the chagrin of the host parents, there were moments when several records would be playing at the same time. We didn't care; we laughed, sang along, and shared stories of who liked who. Ah, life was so easy then.

I found the images of this RCA Portable Record Player at the All Unique Etsy Shop. Sadly, it has been sold, but from what I read the owner of this shop finds, repairs and sells them when they're available. I'd love to have one, but except for a few, my 45s have all disappeared over the years. Do any of you still have your collections? My friend Marice, in California told me recently that she still has all of hers.

There was only one thing wrong with a portable record player, while you could take it with you to lots of places, you couldn't take it to the beach. So how did we dance around the sand you ask? Why we had these…

Mine looked something like this 1957 Sony TR-63 Transistor Radio…

"A transistor radio is a small portable radio receiver using transistor-based circuitry. Following their development in 1954 they became the most popular electronic communication device in history, with billions manufactured during the 1960s and 1970s. Their pocket size sparked a change in popular music listening habits, for the first time allowing people to listen to music anywhere they went." –Wikipedia

Yeah, I'm feeling nostalgic for the 60s. Since then we've gone through the boom box, 8-track tapes, cassettes, the Walkman, CDs and now we have these…

Images via Apple, Mosaic by Shellbelle

I think iPods are very cool, and being able to download tunes is very easy and convenient, but I feel sorry for the youth of today, who can't hang out at the local record store with their friends and friends-to-be. Most often, I see folks with iPods in their ears, talking or texting on their cell phones and the world around them is just a blur. That interaction with others is slowly disappearing and I just think that's plain sad. Now one good thing has come out of all this, I don't have to ask someone to turn down their music when I'm at the beach! Does that make me a hypocrite? Darn tootin', but hey, when you're old you get a license to be cranky!

Today's Ocean Fact: The Pacific Ocean, the largest ocean on the planet, is bigger than all of Earth’s continents put together. –Discovery Education Planet Ocean

Happy Easter

2011-04-24T05:12:00.006-04:00

Vintage Seashell Bunny image from Ebay

Earth Day 2011

2011-04-22T10:32:00.006-04:00

Don't do this…

or this…

Do this…

So that we have this…

and this…

Thank you

More Earth Day posts from some of my friends:

While We're Waiting

Desert Dreaming

Mountain Mermaid

Completely Coastal

Today's Ocean Fact: Oceans provide us with food, cycle our water, generate most of the oxygen we breathe, balance our climate, supply us with medicines and much more. –Earth Gauge Kids

Hike, Climb, Explore!

2011-04-21T05:00:00.037-04:00

Hi — I’m Kim from Snug Harbor Bay. I’d like to thank Shellbelle for asking me to be her first guest blogger. I am fairly new to blogging and she’s helping me to get my feet wet, so this is quite an honor for me.

Shellbelle was intrigued by my favorite past-time, which is geocaching, and she wanted me to share it with you. It’s more of an obsession really. I started 2 years ago and I am hooked!

Did you look for Easter eggs when you were a kid? Can you remember the thrill you felt when you found an egg hidden under the sofa, or behind a chair cushion, or tucked beneath a blanket? Can you close your eyes and conjure up the tingle that spread through your body as you raced around the house searching for those pastel goodies? Well, if you can, then you would probably like geocaching.

Geocaching is a game that is played by millions of people around the globe. Geocaches are hidden everywhere — in parks, in parking lots, under benches, in the woods, in the mountains, in the water, and on every continent. Yes, that even includes Antarctica.

What does a geocache look like, you ask? Well, there are many different kinds and the more you cache, the more you will realize how creative some people can be. The basic ones are: Ammo cans, pill bottles, small square plastic containers, and test tubes. However, I have seen caches made out of ceramic turtles, carved figures, telephones, baseball bats, rocks, logs, and Halloween decorations. It’s basically some type of container with a logbook inside that you sign and then re-hide the cache in the same spot for someone else to find.

The thing I like the best about geocaching (other than indulging my inner child) is the places I have gone to. I have seen historic things that I would never have heard of otherwise. We have gone to National Forests, lakes, nature preserves, hiking in the mountains and canoeing.

Caching is also a fantastic way to spend time with your family. Children love the thrill of the hunt and get quite excited about looking for treasure. I’ve met many new people through caching and if you are so inclined, you can attend picnics, bashes and parties all centered around caching. Young and old alike can partake in this hobby because there are such a wide variety of cache types that can satisfy every fitness level, as well as every intelligence level.

You can do something as simple as find them in parking lots or hidden in a neighborhood park. If you prefer to hike, then look up caches that will take you to the forest preserve or a nature center. Some caches are hidden in trees (my personal favorite because I will never be too old to climb a tree), some are hidden under water and require a snorkel and mask, some are hidden on fence posts or guard rails or under a lamp skirt.

Now you’re probably wondering what the point of this is, since you can’t keep the cache. Well, there are a couple of things. First, some of the caches do have swag in them. Swag is little gift items that people leave for trade. You take something and you leave something. It can be a coin, a small doll, marbles, etc. But the main point is the finding. It’s getting out and exploring and having fun.

Well, I could go on and on, but you get the gist of it. If you’re at all interested, please come over and check out my blog. I love to talk about the places we go and the caches we do. I have a whole section about geocaching that will give you more information and how to go about getting started.

My favorite tag line is: Hike, Climb, Explore! Go ahead, get out of the house, breathe some fresh air and stretch your legs. Go alone or better yet, grab a friend. Re-awaken your inner child and search for that hidden egg. If you find one, please be sure to stop by my blog and let me know.

Happy caching!

And thanks again to Shellbelle! I hope I did you proud.

Note from Shellbelle: Thanks Kim, you did an awesome job on this post and I am honored to have you here today. To my blogging friends, I hope you'll stop over and welcome Kim to our online community. She's a real sweetheart and writes such interesting posts. For all you gardeners out there, be sure to read her post on an orchid farm she recently visited, it has the most incredible information on how they are grown that I never knew before. AND, you have to see all the sea glass she found while geocaching on Lake Michigan, so cool!

Plus, if you've never "phooned" before you have to check out this post! It's hysterical and I'd love to see some photos of all you phooning!

Anyway, Kim's blog is delightful, entertaining and so interesting, she teaches us how to make hot pepper jelly, takes us to wonderful places and she's just downright NICE. Be sure to visit her at Snug Harbor and tell her I said hello!

Now before I go I have to post today's:

Ocean Fact: Even if you live a long distance from an ocean, chemical fertilizers and pesticides applied to your lawn can wash into your storm drain during the next rainstorm, travel through your watershed and end up in the ocean. These chemicals can harm aquatic life. –Earth Gauge

April's Pink Moon

2011-04-19T19:42:00.003-04:00

This past Sunday was the first full moon of Spring here in the Northern Hemisphere. The full moon occurs when the moon is on the opposite side of Earth from the sun, so that its face is fully illuminated by the sun's light.

I've always loved the full moon, many will tell you that it brings out all the crazies and I know I fit into that category, but soon after I started blogging I met my blogging friend Julie of Being Ruby. Now let me tell you, that Julie loves full moons more than anyone I know and the way she artistically captures them will just take your breath away. I suppose, for me, Julie is a Lunarian. What do you mean you don't know what a Lunarian is! Why, a Lunarian is an inhabitant of the moon — at least in science fiction. She may not actually live on the moon, but the spirit of the moon lives in her and if you've ever read her full moon posts, you know what I mean.

Last month Julie decided that she would put up a link tool so that those of us who have been inspired by her to wander outside each month, with camera in hand, could fly to the moon with her. I would be one of those so inspired.

Another was my friend Becky of Abbey Style, who in this month's full moon post taught me this:

"April's moon was (and still is) known as the Pink Moon~~

for the herb pink moss or wild ground phlox,

the earliest widespread flower of spring."

The official moment that the moon turned full was at 10:44 p.m. EDT, so that's when you could find me outside, setting up the tripod and being eaten alive by mosquitos.

I spotted the moon over the roof, peeking through the trees…

Not a great photo, especially with the glare of the security light out front.

So, when I woke up around 4:00 am, I again braved those nasty mosquitos and headed outside once again. I hope none of my neighbors saw me out there in my pajamas, cursing at the bugs and trying to get a decent shot. They would have called me Full Moon Crazy for sure.

When I opened my shots in iPhoto, I thought, "These are awful, I'm not posting these."

Then I went to Becky's post and read about the April moon being known as the Pink Moon. I quickly went back to my photo library and looked again. Yep, I was right, there is a pink little glow around that 4am shot. Not in all of them, so don't think I'm trying to tell you that the moon was actually pink, but one of the settings I used produced this shot and I knew I had to post and share it with my Luna friends.

Here it is, not a great shot, but it is…

April's Pink Moon!

In honor of my Pink Moon and with Mother's Day coming up soon,

I decided to offer all of you 15% off in my new Etsy Shop.

The coupon code at checkout is PINKMOON15.

(Feel Free to Tweet or Facebook to your friends using the buttons below! Thanks)

Stop by Julie's for links to more Full Moon posts.

Thanks Julie, this was such fun!

If you missed the invitation to my World Oceans Day Beach Party, you can read all about by clicking here or on the button at the top of my sidebar.

Today's Ocean Fact: There is really only one ocean—the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Southern and Arctic are interconnected, forming one vast world ocean. –National Geographic The Ocean

I'm having a beach party and you're all invited!

2011-04-18T09:50:00.001-04:00

When: June 8th, 2011

Where: Right here at Shellbelle's Tiki Hut

Why: To Celebrate World Ocean's Day 2011!

Why Should We Celebrate World Oceans Day?

The world’s ocean:

Generates most of the oxygen we breathe
Helps feed us
Regulates our climate
Cleans the water we drink
Offers us a pharmacopoeia of potential medicines
Is a source of inspiration, recreation, rejuvenation and discovery

In other words, the ocean is our friend and I love having a party for my friends!

It’s up to each one of us to help ensure that our oceans are protected and conserved for future generations. So…

Let's Party!

Last year there were events held in 45 countries around the world. You can check here to see if an event has already been planned in your area.

Need an idea for your own celebration? Just check out this page and you'll find lots of inspiration.

This year's theme is:

Youth: the Next Wave for Change

This year's theme was designed to focus on getting young people in our communities inspired to conserve our world's oceans, so I'm encouraging you to reach out to the kids in your life and inspire them to respect and love our ocean. This can be as involved as participating in a planned event, writing a special post on a subject/issue you'd like to share or simply going to a local zoo or aquarium (most have celebrations going on for the month of June), reading a book, watching a movie, or going on a beach picnic. Share a personal story, photos of your favorite beach, a poem, a song, a recipe using sustainable seafood, a tablescape with an ocean theme — whatever you'd like. Do this any time between now and June 8th and then come back here and link up your post between June 8th and June 12th.

What's a party without gifts? For all of you who participate, I'll enter your name into a drawing for a special package of goodies from The Hut. AND, two winners will be chosen!!!!! The winners will be announced on Saturday, June 18th, so be sure I have a way to contact you if you're one of the winners.

You can start right now by sharing this button on your sidebar and linking it to this post or by writing a post and inviting your friends — the more the merrier!

Link to: http://www.shellbellestikihut.com/2011/04/im-having-beach-party-and-youre-all.html

You can see a countdown to World Oceans Day at the top of my sidebar and from now until then I'll be placing an ocean fact at the bottom of each post. Each will have a link to a website that you may find interesting and inspiring!

That's it for today folks, I hope to see you all at the party! Feel free to contact me if you have any questions.

More than 70 percent of the world’s oxygen supply comes from phytoplankton in the ocean. Every two or three breaths, remember to thank the ocean. –Earth Gauge Kids

Has anyone seen my grass skirt?

2011-04-15T09:36:00.000-04:00

Can you feel the gentle island breeze? Do you hear the distant drum beats? Are you ready to embrace the sun? Then you'll be excited to find out that it's almost that time of year for The Hukilau Tiki Festival in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida!

Here at Shellbelle's Tiki Hut we embrace all things tiki! Thanks to my parents, I grew up in this culture; our garage was converted into a tiki lounge, we held an annual luau in our backyard for family and friends AND you all know I raised an amazing son who carves the most incredible tikis…

So, entice your senses with the alluring vibe of the Polynesian islands and the world of Tikiphiles while sipping potent potions this summer during the 10-year Anniversary of The Hukilau! The East coast’s largest Tiki and Polynesian Pop gathering will also be honoring the 55-year Anniversary of the historic Mai-Kai Restaurant, one of the remaining Polynesian Tiki treasures in North America.

This year's event will be held June 9–12th and it promises to be an exciting year. The Hukilau turns 10, the Mai-Kai celebrates 55 years and Fort Lauderdale is 100 years old!

A Hukilau, which is a traditional Hawaiian festival held in fishing villages of old, features a large net cast into the sea where villagers herd the fish and slowly pull the net to the shore. The feast that follows emphasizes the spirit of family and community or ohana. The Hukilau is our mainland celebration where we bring fans of Tiki, Retro and Pop culture from all over the world for an unforgettable weekend.

The Hukilau's Founder and Producer Christie J. White

“The Hukilau's partnership with the Mai-Kai, the world famous Polynesian-themed restaurant, has definitely been a key to our success and has set us apart from other events,” explains The Hukilau Founder and Producer Christie J. White. “Not only do attendees have the opportunity to enjoy the weekend with other Tiki/mid-century/vintage lovers, they also have the added benefit of a classic experience at this mid-century icon — complete with an amazing floor show, tropical gardens and a vintage drink menu that features hundreds of cocktails from Tiki's history! There’s no other place like it in the world!”

Marina the Fire Eating Mermaid

The Hukilau 2011 is an extravaganza all

kanes and wahines won’t want to miss!

Be sure to come back to The Hut on Monday for your invitation to a special online World Oceans Day Beach Party I'll be hosting the day before The Hukilau begins!

Aloha

Open Open Open

2011-04-11T12:49:00.000-04:00

When I lived in California we had a chain of stores called Mervyns. After being in business since 1949, they closed their last door on December 31, 2008. What I remember most is a commercial they did sometime in the 90s that showed a woman arriving at one of their stores hours before a big sale was to commence. I'll never forget the end of that commercial when this woman was pressed up against the front window softly chanting, "Open, open, open," as though through sheer willpower, the doors would magically open and she could shop to her heart's content.

I've felt just like that woman in recent weeks about my Etsy Shop. I just wanted it to open, open, open!

This venture is truly a labor of love. I love the beach, I love seashells and I love designing with driftshells. While this is all true, I must tell you that it is also a lot of hard work. I've poured my heart into opening my Esty Shop and my aching back is proof that I've suffered along the way.

I had a LOT of shells to work with, but not nearly enough, so in recent weeks I've made several trips to the beach. I know that sounds like a great place to call work and I have a few photos that prove this. My most recent trip was down to Blind Pass on Manasota Key, off the coast of Englewood, Florida, which just so happens to be where my dear friend Karen of The Essential Beachcomber lives.

I drove over the bridge just as the sun was rising…

and as you can see I stayed there until the sunset…

Well, that's not really the truth. Karen joined me a few hours after I arrived and when we couldn't convince her hubby to bring us something to eat later in the day, we were forced to take a break for a few hours. This break included a slice of Mango Key Lime Pie from Publix and even though I fired Pete as our Cabana Boy, we still let him have a piece. (It was SO delicious!)

Karen's Shadow

Now I know this sounds FABULOUS, but due to our recent storms, the shore was covered with driftshells and I took full advantage of the situation to really stock up on supplies. There is one person who really knows how hard we worked that day and there she is…

Yep, the shadow does know!

Just look at that sunset glinting off the sand!

The thing about collecting shells, is that when you come home the real work begins and each one has to be cleaned. With some kinds of driftshells this begins with picking out each and every piece of broken shell that has become lodged in its crevices…

Then sometimes you pluck out a piece of something and a treasure falls into your lap…

Down in that area, hunting for Shark's Teeth is a passionate past time and you dare not intrude on someone else's territory without fear of retribution. I don't collect Shark's Teeth, but I did get a kick of finding one in the comfort of my home.

I also get a kick out of finding things like this…

Driftshells that have turned into rocks! The one on the left was in the bucket Karen had collected for me before I got down there (thanks!) and the one on the right is one I found that day.

Anyway, between picking, rinsing, washing in a soapy, bleach solution, drying and sorting — the process took three and a half days.

Then the fun begins and I actually get to start designing. The work I do is kind of like putting a jigsaw puzzle together, except that they've taken all the pieces of numerous puzzles and mixed them together. My job is to figure out which pieces go to which puzzle. While time-consuming, it is relaxing to sit and figure out which shell looks good with another one.

I thought I would give you a glimpse into my work area…

Ha! I wish! This is actually the art studio of Christie Brinkley, seems she loves designing with shells also. When I read about this on Maya's blog, Completely Coastal, earlier this year, I was over the moon jealous. Wow, what I would give to have a place like that to work!

For now, I set up my space each morning in my daughter's living room

and this is where I do what I do…

I cover up the coach to protect the fabric and cover it and the coffee table with bins and bins of driftshells. Then I set up my little worktable right between them.

Surrounded by shells is a nice way to spend my days, but if Christie offered me the use of her studio, I would SO be there in an instant! Anyone know her personally?

Oh, and I have one other little thing I have to deal with while I'm working. This is my great-granddog, Aysha Ann. Turns out she's a little shell thief and if I don't keep an eye on her, I find shells hidden all over the house.

I'm still learning and if any of you out there have Etsy Shops, I welcome any and all advice. My biggest hurdle was figuring out shipping prices. Etsy does not make this easy. You get to list ONE price and with items like I have, that isn't easy. I really wanted YOU to be able to choose from the many services USPS has — Ground or Priority? Flat Rate or by shipping weight? Zip Code to Zip Code, not one rate fits all. I finally went with Flat Rate boxes, BUT in my shipping policies I state that I am HAPPY to figure out what is the best rate for you. SO, if by chance you see something you'd like, just contact me through Etsy or my blog (email on sidebar) and we'll figure it out together. There really is a substantial difference in many cases. Let me know and I'll set up a private listing for you with the shipping you've chosen.

Despite all the things I had to learn about Etsy and PayPal, I finally managed to upload photos to my Etsy Shop in the last week and I am now officially…

Open Open Open!

Click here or in my sidebar to visit my Etsy Shop

I'd love it if you could stop by when you get a chance and give me any feedback on what you think.

For now, I'm off to do some much needed catching up with everyone. I need a break!

Thanks, you're the BEST!

Top 25 Beaches in the United States — Travelers' Choice Award

2011-04-07T11:30:00.000-04:00

Are you planning your summer vacation? Is the beach your destination? Here's the newest list of The Top 25 Beaches in the United States from Tripadvisor, as rated by their members.

This photo of Myrtle Beach is courtesy of TripAdvisor

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina – "Myrtle Beach boasts some of the best beaches on America's East Coast, which are distinguished by panoramic views of the Atlantic, calm waters and soft white sand."
Cape May, New Jersey – "Yes, Cape May is, technically, on the Jersey Shore. But it’s the antithesis of the Jersey Shore you’ll see on TV—instead of nightclubs and tanning parlors, you’ll find Victorian mansions and a famous lighthouse."
Panama City Beach, Florida – "With more than 27 miles of white, sandy beaches, Panama City Beach describes itself as "The Beach Lovers Beach." Swim, snorkel, dolphin watch, jet ski, or parasail the emerald green waters of the Gulf of Mexico, or sunbathe on the award-winning beaches."
Miami Beach, Florida – "At the shore in Miami Beach, visitors can swim, surf and jet ski in the warm and crystal-clear Atlantic waters. You can also nap on the white sands, work on a tan or simply watch the beautiful people, especially at South Beach, a favorite of models and celebrities."
Sanibel Island, Florida – "Saunter on the shell-speckled sands of tropical barrier island, Sanibel, on Florida's Gulf coast. Quiet, secluded White Beach, with its scurrying sandpipers, offers a respite from the holidaymaking hordes elsewhere, while Turner Beach lures those with their sights on shells or the day’s catch."
Clearwater, Florida – "Swimming in the warm blue waters on Clearwater's Gulf Coast is a refreshing pleasure for kids and grown-ups, and the wide shores here provide ample room for playing on the beach, too. Volleyball, parasailing and waterskiing are all great, but relaxing on the sand and sunbathing aren't bad either."
Honolulu, Hawaii – "Honolulu is a legendary surfing destination. But even if you don’t know a boogie board from a surfboard, you’ll find a beach here that appeals to you (and, if you want to learn the difference, you can find a great instructor to teach you). Swimming, kayaking, snorkeling, outrigger canoeing or just sunbathing… it’s all available in Honolulu."
Captiva Island, Florida – "A bit of the Caribbean in Florida, this beautiful island is connected to Sanibel by bridge and offers a more remote tropical island feel. It's so close you can head over to check out the beach or for a meal at any of the island's fabulous restaurants."
Poipu, Hawaii – "Kauai’s South Shore is home to some of the country’s best beaches—for swimming, diving and all sorts of water sports. If sunbathing on a gorgeous beach isn’t relaxing enough, try a spa (where many treatments incorporate local ingredients). And if you’re in Poipu for a romantic escape, splurge on an oceanview room—the sunsets are spectacular."
Siesta Key, Florida – "Looking for world class powdery white quartz sand beaches, 100 golf courses within driving distance, and an endless selection of cultural and family activities? Siesta Key is the laid-back beach town that goes above and beyond. Right nearby in Sarasota, you'll find museums, art, wildlife, circuses, opera, ballet, symphonies, theater, film festivals, botanical gardens, baseball spring training... the list goes on."
San Diego, California – "Beaches and bays dot the coast of California's second-largest city. Top-rated, family-friendly Coronado Beach is set among turn-of-the-century mansions. Other gorgeous sandy spots include Blacks Beach, where sunbathers go au naturel, and La Jolla Shores, popular for snorkeling and kayaking."
Wildwood Crest, New Jersey – "Wildwood Crest’s sandy beaches, clean boardwalk and low-key, old-fashioned atmosphere are a hit with families. And rest assured—Snooki wouldn’t be caught dead here."
Naples, Florida – "Sunny Naples is a popular, sophisticated and charming beach destination on the Gulf of Mexico. It boasts many world-class hotels and resorts along miles of white sand beaches. The ocean surf is gentle and the people are friendly. Shoppers delight in searching for antiques, home furnishings, clothes and jewelry. With its beautiful neighborhoods and grand architecture, the atmosphere is elegant, yet relaxing. Even though it is a busy and cosmopolitan city, Naples offers easy access to secluded islands and the wilderness of the Everglades."
Virginia Beach, Virginia – "Virginia Beach has all the elements of a classic seaside resort: gorgeous beaches, a lively boardwalk, plenty of restaurants and nightspots, and amusement rides sure to appeal to kids. Sports enthusiasts will find celebrated golf courses in Virginia Beach and the surrounding area, as well as sea kayaking and miles of hiking trails. Many believe Virginia Beach is at its best in the off-season, when the town is less crowded but the weather is still mild."
Ogunquit, Maine – "Ogunquit's three-mile stretch of beach is one of the longest in Maine, and also one of the least rocky. The water may never warm up, but it's pristine, and this quaint New England town's attractions make it a perfect, picturesque seaside destination."
Provincetown, Massachusetts – "Visit Provincetown and have a blast enjoying some of Cape Cod’s best beaches (Race Point Beach and Herring Cove Beach are favorites of TripAdvisor travelers). Plenty of cool boutiques, restaurants and art galleries give this town a fun and funky vibe. It’s an exceptionally LGBT-friendly destination as well. One tip: if it’s high season, take the ferry or a quick flight from Boston (unless you enjoy spending hours sitting in traffic)."
Hilton Head, South Carolina – "With more than 12 miles of white sand and sparkling waters you can explore by boat, canoe or kayak, Hilton Head Island offers a plethora of options for beach lovers. Pitch your umbrella, go bird-watching or fishing or play any kind of water sport along the shores."
Laguna Beach, California – "The quaint oceanfront town of Laguna Beach prides itself on its laid-back attitude and artistic sentiment. Seals, sea lions, dolphins and people are all attracted to isolated coves along the town's six miles of coastline, and strict prohibitions keep watercraft far from the beaches."
Rehoboth Beach, Delaware – "Enjoy an old-fashioned beach vacation, complete with a boardwalk, at one of Delaware's most popular resort towns. Long a traditional summer getaway for families, Rehoboth Beach is now also a favorite of gay and lesbian travelers. Along with enjoying the famous beach and strolling the boardwalk, there's also a nearby amusement park called Funland to check out."
Kamuela, Hawaii – "The Kamuela area of the Big Island has been inhabited for tens of thousands of years. Now known for opulent resorts, luxurious spas, dramatic golf courses, historic former cattle farms and breathtaking nature reserves, Kamuela is a largely unspoiled gem. Mauna Kea Resort Golf Course is the top choice for going green. Other relaxing activities include checking into Spa Without Walls and Mauna Lani Spa, or stretching out on Hapuna Beach. A rental car is the best way to explore Kamuela's many attractions."
South Padre Island, Texas – "Although South Padre Island is considered the Spring Break Capital of the Southwest, if you avoid those times you'll find plenty to do on 113 miles of beaches, dunes and tidal flats. Treasure hunters thrill at the history buried here, the fishing is great and you can get a great view of it all from Port Isabel Lighthouse."
Nantucket, Massachusetts – "Windswept beaches, sand dunes, blinking lighthouses and a charming pace of life await on this 50-square mile island. The world's former top whaling port is now designated a National Historic District. Leave the car and take the shuttle or bike around. Seaside cottages, old whaling captains' mansions and historic harbors contain quaint inns, boutique stores, chowder shacks and upscale dining delights. Swim, surf or load up the tackle for Nantucket's excellent striper, bluefish and bonito fishing."
Nags Head, North Carolina – "With eleven miles of sand, it's no surprise the beach is everyone's favorite attraction in Nags Head. This Outer Banks town just south of Kitty Hawk offers ocean fans every sort of shoreline sport, from sailing and kayaking to snorkeling past shipwrecks or hang-gliding over the sand dunes of Jockey's Ridge State Park. Step into the past with a walk through the historic district and enjoy the area’s distinct architecture."
Chatham, Massachusetts – "This pleasant, walkable town right at the elbow of Cape Cod is a classic New England vacation spot. Bringing kids? Check out calm beaches like Cockle Cove Beach and Harding’s Beach. If you’re looking for stunning scenery, however, try Chatham Lighthouse Beach. Its tides can be strong (heed the posted warnings), but it’s one of the most beautiful beaches on the Cape."
Santa Barbara, California – "Santa Barbara's beaches have palm trees, wide shores, world-class surfing and annual beach volleyball tournaments--what's not to love? Families should fire up a grill at Leadbetter Beach, swimmers should take a dip in East Beach's calm waters and couples should share a view of the sunset at Butterfly Beach."

While I'm not affiliated with Tripadvisor, it is my "go to" place when I'm planning a vacation and I've written several reviews on the site of places I've visited. I like Tripadvisor because I can read "real people" reviews on locations, hotels, B&Bs, restaurants and attractions. Click on any of links above to learn more about each of the Top 25 Beaches in the United States. You can also find similar lists for other countries around the globe.
Still working on setting up my new little business, but when I got an email this morning from Tripadvisor, I thought it was a perfect time to take a little break and share it with you. Are you planning your summer vacation? Where are you going? Are any of these places your destination?
Note that of the 25 beach destinations listed, 7 of them are right here in Florida!
Come on down!!!!!!
Thought you might like to see me hard at work…

I know, it's a dirty job, but someones got to do it!

Falling down the rabbit hole…

2011-03-28T11:04:00.000-04:00

In Lewis Carroll's book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland, the White Rabbit appears in the first chapter muttering, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be too late!"

He then scurries down a rabbit hole, where Alice follows him and she ends up in Wonderland.

I'm feeling a bit like both these characters these days — I'm running late on opening my Etsy store, but I feel like I've landed in Wonderland and I'm havin' a whole lot of fun!

Black and white images: Sir John Tenniel - 1865

I'm still overwhelmed by your response to my driftshell art and while I thought I could blog and visit while I got my Etsy store ready to open, folks, that just ain't happening. I've been making sporadic visits, dropping in here and there, but let me tell you right now, opening an Etsy store isn't all that easy. It is not as easy as starting a blog — that's for sure! Lots to read and understand, store policies to set, PayPal to set up and figure out and most of all — designing more goodies!

Oh yeah, I'm spending hours and hours covered in paint, glue and shells! Right now I need to concentrate and get this store open. So, please excuse my absence and please don't forget me. I'm almost there and then I can breath again and we can have a nice, long visit.

I want to thank all of you who have already placed orders via snail-mail! WOWZA! Who knew? The store is slated to open this Friday, barring any more disruptions. I'll be back to let you know and to invite you to the World Oceans Day Blog Party I'm having in June. I think it will be a whole lot of fun and I've decided to give everyone who attends a chance to win a special prize AND there will be TWO winners chosen!!!!

So for now, know that I adore and I miss you all!!!!

Oh, and I promise you won't have to fall down a rabbit hole to come to my party!

Art At Home Show and Good Friends!

2011-03-22T09:07:00.000-04:00

I had such an amazing weekend, I don't know where to start! As you know, my friend Jane of Artfully Graced held an art show at her home on Saturday and graciously ask me to participate. Well, all I can say is the show was a success! Jane sold her wonderful paintings, her friend Becky sold her quilted pieces and yep, I sold my driftshell art! It was all so exciting and the nervousness I felt all week was put to rest. Jane's daughter-in-law also displayed some of her paintings and another Becky was showing some of her scrapbooks and homemade cards.

Here's a few pics of just some of the goodies that we all put out…

Art At Home Show was throughout the house, such a fun way to display our work!

SOLD! Our friend Tracy bought this piece the minute she laid eyes on it!

I love my driftshell frame with Jane's colorful crab paintings, I think they complement each other beautifully!

The painting hanging on the wall is one by Jane's DIL, isn't it wonderful?

I love this painting! It reminds me of both Jane and Becky, since Jane painted it from a photo Becky posted on her blog. One day I'm hoping this will be hanging in my home!

I had made another driftshell heart and added a few candle holder/vases to my list of items…

I made four vases and came home with only one, so I'm definitely going to make more of those.

The best part of a show like this is the relaxed atmosphere and all the visiting that was going on. I was so excited to finally meet my blogging friend Becky of Beachsnaps and Abbey Style, she drove about an hour and a half to spend some time with Jane and I and she is just as much of a sweetheart as I knew she would be! She also bought one of my driftshell frames, I love knowing that one of my frames will be in her home, it just gives me a warm, cozy feeling.

Here's a pic of the three of us…

Jane, Becky and Rhonda

Our friend Tracy of Ms. Bake-it was also there with her cutie pie grandson and daughter-in-law. Jane had put out a lovely spread of munchies and plenty of coffee for our guests. All in all, it was a lovely way to hold an art show, visit with dear friends and have a fabulous day!

But, the weekend didn't stop there. I live about forty-five minutes from Jane, so I decided to spend Friday and Saturday night with my dear friend Sharon, who only lives about ten minutes from Jane. Sharon is an art student at USF, she paints and sculpts, so I was able to see some of the completed pieces she had started when I was there a few weeks ago.

Not only is Sharon a talented artist, after knowing me for almost ten years, she also knows I love her home cooking. On Saturday morning, even though she had to get ready for work (she works at one of the art galleries in St. Petersburg), she announced that she was going to make me a special breakfast. Did I mention that Sharon is Jamaican? Here's my breakfast…

The main ingredient in Callaloo is a leafy vegetable, much like our collard greens here in the South, but without a trace of bitterness. Sharon added fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, homegrown scotch bonnet peppers and whatever magical seasonings she always has on hand. When it was finished cooking she added salt fish.

Bammy is a traditional Jamaican favorite made from the root of the cassava plant. Bammies are formed into patties, baked and then frozen. When ready to eat, they are soaked in coconut milk and fried.

Breadfruit is a member of the fig family, it has a starchy texture and Jamaicans call it, "Nature's answer to fresh bread."

How was breakfast? D E L I C I O U S!

After the show I went back to Sharon's and to further indulge my love of Jamaican cuisine, she made me chicken curry. It was such fun to see Sharon and her hubby Charles cooking in the kitchen together and the aroma was incredible. By the time dinner was ready, I was starving and didn't even think to take a picture. Our meal was completed with a piece of Key Lime Pie, a Florida favorite. Great friends, great food and great conversation! Who can ask for more than that?

Oh, there was one more thing…

The Full Moon! Did you catch it? Did you know it was bigger and brighter than normal? Yep, it was a "super moon" according to scientists. The moon was closer to Earth than it's been since 1993, and they said it appeared 14 percent bigger and 30 percent brighter. This view through the trees in Sharon's backyard more than made up for the rather drab sunset we had earlier that evening…

The next morning I got up and headed out to Honeymoon Island. After all the sales I made on Saturday, I needed to get out there and collect some more driftshells. What a job! Now I HAVE to go to the beach for work, lol.

I got there just as they opened at 8:00am, I think there were about four or five others who arrived before I did. I found the perfect parking spot, right by one of the trails that leads down to the beach. Arriving early at this time of year is a must. Our weather has been gorgeous and on Sunday we almost broke our heat record for that day. It was a lovely 87°F, the record is 88°F in 1935. By the time I left, this is what it looked like…

It took me 35 minutes to drive the 2.5 miles off the island, but with a beautiful view of the Gulf of Mexico all the way, I wasn't complaining. The shelling was wonderful and I came home with lots of goodies to create more driftshell art. I spent yesterday out and about, buying more supplies and some bins to help me keep organized. I started cleaning shells but I have a lot more to go.

Whew, I'm exhausted, but happy. I decided to take today off and catch up with all of you. My new venture has me doing the happy dance, but I need to organize my time to accommodate my new life. I figure I can get out and visit in between painting frames and gluing shells. Yea, life is good and I have all of you to thank for your encouragement and support. I am humbled at your friendships.

Thank you dear friends, thank you!!!!!

It's Intermission Time, Folks!

2011-03-14T14:23:00.001-04:00

Some of you may recognize the images below from your youth…

I LOVED piling into the back of my family's station wagon on a Saturday night to head to the local drive-in theater. We went to see movies like Old Yeller (bring on the hankies), The Parent Trap, 101 Dalmations, The Blob, The Crawling Hand (I had nightmares for years), Mary Poppins and Psycho.

We'd get there nice and early to get a good spot. While my parents visited with friends who had also brought their families, all of us kids would go and play on the playground located under the BIG screen. They would come over the speakers and let us know when it was time to get back to our cars when the movie was about to begin. There were always two movies and cartoons and the much anticipated INTERMISSION! We'd head back to the playground, while daddy went to the concession stand to get hot dogs, cokes, popcorn and candy. My gosh, it was such fun. We always wore our pajamas, because by the time we reached home, we were fast asleep and my parents would carry us in straight to bed.

Did you go to the drive-in when you were young? The last movie I can remember seeing in a theater like this was Star Wars and that was in the late 70s if I remember correctly.

Anyway, enough walking down memory lane, my purpose today is to tell you that I'm taking a short intermission, but I won't be going to the playground. I will, however, probably be wearing my pajamas.

I am discombobulated, going crazy, unorganized and just darn tired. This Saturday is Jane's Art at Home show and I am frantically trying to get more driftshell pieces ready for that and for my upcoming Etsy store opening.

I finally decided that I need to take a quick break from blogging this week, so I can pull it all together. BUT, if you know me at all, you just know I had to do a quick google search to find something interesting to share…

"With an investment of $30,000, Richard opened the first drive-in on Tuesday June 6, 1933 at a location on Crescent Boulevard, Camden, New Jersey. The price of admission was 25 cents for the car and 25 cents per person." –History of the Drive-in Theater

With that said…

I'll be back next week,

In the meantime…

Note: if you're going to be in the Tampa Bay area on Saturday and would like directions to Jane's, just shoot me an email from the link in my sidebar. Hope to see you there!

Scent memory – have you ever had one?

2011-03-11T11:25:00.003-05:00

Yesterday, my friend Sue @ I Need Mom, did her weekly tablescape post and it included a couple of photos of some fresh lemons she had received in the mail from another blogger. We all know that our brain can recall memories associated with certain scents, but have you ever seen a photo that brought the memory of a scent on so strongly, that in turn, it evoked the associated memory? That's exactly what happened to me when I saw this photo on Sue's blog…

Ahhh…lemons — fresh, crisp and zesty. I love the scent of lemons! I'll get back that in a minute.

Please note that all the photos in today's post can be enlarged by clicking on them, I knew some of my SoCal friends would want a closer look at some of these amazing aerial shots.

For a time I lived in the Santa Monica Mountains, on the backside of the Hollywood Hills, in the wonderful town of Studio City. This map shows you the range of the Santa Monica Mountains and the "X" marks the spot where I lived…

The mountains run along the coast of the Pacific Ocean in California. They extend from Point Mugu in Ventura County to the Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles County (approx. 40 miles). On the southern end they separate the San Fernando Valley (think "Vally girls" or "Vals" from the 80s and 90s) from cities like Hollywood and Beverly Hills.

That's the area I lived, in a house that was so me; I loved every inch of it and only left when my mother became ill in Florida and I moved to be closer to her. I lived just off Ventura Boulevard, the "Melrose" of the Valley.

viz

This where you want to be to see Universal Studios, great boutiques and fabulous restaurants.

Oh, and you're more than likely to run across many celebrities — look, don't touch!

I could go on and on about that house, but the part that is relevant to this post is the lemon trees.

Because the backyard was the mountain, it had been layered into four terraces, each connected by steep cement stairs. The top terrace was planted with fruit trees, including three very large lemon trees. Each flat part of the "yards" was separated by the slope of the mountain and it was planted with creeping thyme. Got the picture in your head? Okay, now I'll get to the point.

Living in the Santa Monica Mountains, the wind current would bring a cool ocean breeze into my open windows. When Spring arrived and the lemon trees would start to blossom, the breeze would pick up their scent and then swoop down over the rosemary and my house became an aromatherapy haven!

I wanted to show you some pics of the mountains and when I started searching I found two websites that provided me with incredible aerial shots from one end to the other. You can find those sites here and here.

This first one is of the Hollywood Hills, remember I lived on the opposite side of them…

From the top of the side I lived on you could look out over the Hollywood Hills

and see downtown Los Angeles in the distance…

What a view!

BUT, the view gets better when you travel north over the Santa Monica Mountains!

The closest beach to my house was Santa Monica. Here's a pic of the Santa Monica Pier, looking back towards the mountains…

Fun beach, but very crowded! I prefer the more northern beaches in this region. There are numerous ways to get there. From Santa Monica, you can drive along PCH (Pacific Coast Highway) and just take a look at how close you get to drive to the ocean…

The most scenic drive to get to the beaches from The Valley is taking one of the canyons — either Malibu or Topanga. Two of my girlfriends, who are both avid readers of this blog (but don't leave comments), can easily take Topanga Canyon to reach the beach. Marice lives right on Topanga Canyon Blvd. and Cheryl lives just blocks from it. Here's a example of what you'll see…

And here's what you'll see on the other end…

From land to sea…

or from sea to land…

there's no better place, I'd rather be!

I LOVE the coast of California. I've mentioned before that my husband and I drove the whole coast from L.A. and up into Oregon for our honeymoon. I've driven this coast many, many times and I never tire of the view…

The Pacific Ocean

Malibu Point and Surfrider Beach

As most of you know, my family had a place at Paradise Cove in Malibu when I was growing up and this is where I spent most weekends and summers. I wrote this in a post from 2009, "We had a modest home in the San Fernando Valley, so that we could also have a weekend/summer getaway at Paradise Cove in Malibu. The Cove was strictly a trailer park at that time and our neighbors included Roy Rogers and Dale Evans, Edgar Buchanan and Frank Cady (both of Petticoat Junction) and many friends. We bought our trailer from Lana Turner, better known as the Sweater Girl in those days. By the time we located to The Cove, we were already known as The Lazy G's from our many years of beach camping." I have many, many wonderful memories of our time spent in Malibu.

Paradis Cove at low tide — the beach of my youth…

You're probably wondering how I got from lemons to beaches in this post. Well, the lemons sparked the memory of my house in the Santa Monica Mountains and the ocean breeze I spoke of led me to the beaches that lie in their region. That's just how my brain works, one thing leads me to another. So, I have Sue to thank for filling my day with so many wonderful memories — thanks Sue!

I can't leave without showing you the aerial photos I found of those beaches I grew up on…

Point Dume

Point Dume Cove and Paradise Cove

The second cove on the right in the photo is Paradise Cove. Here's a close-up from Google Earth, I added a red dotted line from PCH, down Paradise Cove Road, right to where our trailer was located…

The park hasn't grown that much in size since the forty-odd years ago that I lived there. Down on the beach there to the right was the house where they filmed Marcus Welby M.D., that was the house that the good doctor lived in on the show. They also filmed the opening segment for The Monkees on the beach and Rockford Files was another show that used my beach for location shots. Yeah, Hollywood loved us and we loved them!

We lived in Malibu before it was incorporated into a city in 1991 and the boundaries grew. When we lived there it was just…

"27 Miles of Scenic Beauty"

Oh, if you're wondering what Paradise Cove is like today, here's an excerpt from this month's issue of Vanity Fair, "The hippest neighborhood in Malibu right now is … a trailer park? Yes, say the likes of Minnie Driver, Pamela Anderson, and Matthew McConaughey. In Paradise Cove, whose pioneers included director Sam Peckinpah and Los Angeles Times publisher Otis Chandler, Vanessa Grigoriadis explores the surfboard-and-shirtless bohemian charms—not to mention those trailers, with their marble floors, Italian-granite countertops, and Sub-Zero appliances—which have sent the price of a tricked-out double-wide into the millions." You can read the entire article here.

Isn't it amazing what a simple photo of lemons on someone's blog can lead to?

I started working on this post yesterday (despite the fact that I said I was going to be doing simpler posts while I'm working on goodies for Jane's Art at Home Show) and then I woke up to the news this morning about the 8.9 earthquake in Japan and the impending tsunami that is expected to hit the California coastline in the next few hours. The advisory starts just north of the area I wrote about today, but it is under a tsunami warning. Also included in the warning area is Redondo Beach, where my son lives. As I write this, a newscaster from Newport Beach (an hour south of my son) is reporting that they've closed down all the beaches, harbors and marinas. They are not expecting any major damage, but are concerned about the surge and have told people not to go near the water. The threat is worse up in Northern California and officials have closed down Highway 1. PCH is a section of Highway 1, in Southern California. You can bet that I will be glued to the television today to see the effect on the coastline that I love so much. My heart and thoughts today are with the people of Japan for the damage the quake caused and to those who lost loved ones. My heart and thoughts are also with those in Hawaii, Washington, Oregon and California who are taking precautions against the tsunami — please be safe and listen to what the officials are saying — don't go near the water!

Note for my California friends: Remember that house next door to me whose backyard was always covered in Morning Glories? Well, when I was researching this post I came across the realtors listing and discovered they completely remodeled it and it sold last August for $615,000. Two bedroom, 1.5 baths, only 1,158 sq. ft. and it sold for more than 1/2 a mil! You have to see what they did to it though here, it's gorgeous!