Treasures From the Sea {Part 2}

As I showed you in Treasures From the Sea {Part 1}, there is no lack of shells, driftwood, and goodies on Ocracoke Island's beach.

My favorite shell to find is the whelk:

Something about that swirly tip just gets me! I even have it tattooed on my elbow. Or my "shellbow" as the kids call it. Shell + elbow....shellbow...get it?  Any. hoo.

There are always loads of the whelk inner swirls around. Seriously, how could you not love that?

Both my boys have started sand dollar collections. And while we have yet to find a whole one, there are always tons of pieces. These were my youngest son's finds the other day. Is that a piece of coral? I think so.

My older son relishes finding the whole scallop shells:

 

I'm pretty partial to the driftwood. I especially like pieces covered with holes or barnacles....basically, anything that looks like it's had its own exciting journey through the ocean. Look at this beauty:

 

My fantastic husband drug that monster to the car, hoisted it on top, and brought it to the house as a surprise to me. Major points! (The way to this girl's heart is definitely not diamonds!)

Can you see it peeking out from behind the stairs in my "shell garden?"

"What's a shell garden?" you ask. When you have kind of an ugly bald spot in your yard....

And when you can leave the beach with several grocery bags full of treasures in an hour.....



And you've pretty much exhausted the amount of bowls, jars, and other containers of sea treasures inside the house....

Well, you might have to move your collection to outside the house:

 

And viola! A shell garden. 

 

Or free mulch.

 

Or when-beachcombing-consumes-you-and-you-simply-can-not-pass-up-just-ONE-more-treasure-as-your-family-is-already-back-at-the-car-waiting-with-the-one-bag-quota-you-gave-them-but-you-need-an-excuse-to-come-back-again-tomorrow-and-the-next-day-maybe-even-twice....

 

(Yes......I am aware that I have a slight problem.)
 

Goodbye, ugly bald spot! Hello, gorgeous shell garden!

 

And as always, thank you, Mother Ocean, for your wonderful treasures.

 

 

~ Betsy xoxo

 

 

P.S. When you visit Stranded on Purpose, feel free to add some treasures to the shell garden. And if your little one spies something that she just can't live without?  Please let her take it home.
Us beachcombers have to stick together, don't you know.  : )

 

Treasures From the Sea {Part 1}

I have always loved the ocean.

Even as a little kid I wanted us to take family trips to the beach.

I always liked the less commercial beaches. Boardwalks, rides, and towel-to-towel sunbathers just ain't my thing.

I'll take remote, unspoiled, and unpopulated any day.

The first time I stepped out onto the beach on Ocracoke I burst into tears. The beauty simply overwhelmed me. I had never in my life seen that kind of unspoiled beach and ocean.

The beach on Ocracoke is amazing.

So amazing, it's a national park!

Meaning there are no houses, no hotels, no condos on the beach or on the dunes. Just miles and miles (10+ miles) of sand, dunes, and ocean.

It's routinely rated as one of the world's top beaches.

But the absolute best thing about it?

The shells and treasures.

Oh. My. Word.

I have spent my life going to beaches where I set the alarm clock for 6:00 a.m. so I can walk the beach (with a dozen or so other hard-core folks) and gather a handful of shells....maybe even a small bag, if I was lucky.

Beachcombing on Ocracoke's beach is like shooting fish in a barrel. Seriously, look at all the shells:

You can find starfish:

 

And jellyfish:
 

 

And even fishy fish:
 

 

In fact, there's plenty of cool dead things in various stages of....dead. Here's a horseshoe crab that washed up on the beach (it might not be dead, it might just be an old molted shell...I didn't really pursue it):

 

 

This guy, on the other hand, was definitely deceased. Some sort of ray or skate, maybe:

 

 



 And probably one of the coolest things I've ever found.....a sea turtle rib:

 

 

Pretty cool, huh?

 

I love the anticipation of heading to the beach....wondering what gifts the sea will have left. It's pretty much better than Christmas for me.

And fortunately, there's a great section of beach with a lifeguard, a bath house, and a whole lot less dead things when swimming and sunbathing are on my beach to-do list.

 

In Part 2 I'll show you some more treasures.......and what I plan to do with loads like this:

 

 

Happy Beachcombing!

 

~Betsy xo


Click here to go to Treasures From the Sear {Part 2}.