Stories from the Great Out Doors

Like just about every other person, I feel "part of something" when I take the time to be still, listen, and receive the messages that the universe sends my way.  (While I am actively beach combing, I usually don't listen to music...partly because until recently having a waterproof phone/ipod was not a reality, but also due to the fact that I love to just "BE". ) 

I listen to the waves, the birds, the wind...  

I see patterns, minutia, imperceptible images...  

I feel the sun's rays warming and stinging my skin...

Some people call it the Great Out Doors.  Some people call it GOD.  Regardless, I love "it".  I try to recognize and balance the give and take.  It is my intent to honor these gifts.  My mind clears with each step I take. It is my job to get out of my own way and to recognize and interpret the signs and symbols that are in front of me.  (And if necessary, reference my trusty identification books and/or do a Google search when I'm back to being literally plugged in.)

My essence.

Some things just aren't meant for me...no matter how much I want them!

Dried into a heart shape.
This inspired a painted rock.

For more information about Hope Town Rocks, click here.

And then, there was this...

Magnum Tonic Wine... 
Click here to learn more about effects of this drink.  
Some of the highlights from the website are that this drink is:  17% alcohol by volume, brewed in Jamaica, contains vitamins, and is a sexual stimulant.  (After having a great laugh listening to the kids reading the internet claims, I put it in the recycling bin.)

Nicholas' haul.

My kids are always asking me, "Mommy, should I save this?  Is this a good one?"  What I want them to know is that if something speaks to you, keep it, no matter if it is not "fully cooked" and/or valuable.  If you like it, keep it.  This year, Nicholas took to collecting rocks and things with holes straight through.  I'm exceptionally proud of both of my kids and their curiosity towards these treasures.

Found on the north end of Elbow Cay.
Locals think it might be debris from the space shuttle.
Internet research leans more toward melted aluminum,
 possibly from cans melted during a bon fire.

This looks to me like an old boat cleat.

Sea glass is all its sizes, shapes, and colors.

"L" shaped coral.
Love!

Cup coral.
This feels so good when you
rub your fingers over the surface.

Speaking of fingers...
Finger coral.

Building tile and a pottery chard.
Little Blue, tell us your story!

This little piece of "coral" looks just like snake or alligator skin!  But, it's totally a rock.  Let me know if you've got any idea what this might me!

Nicholas' fidget stone fits perfectly in the palm and between the fingers.
P.S. I love how strong my nails are when I'm living this mermaid life.

Coin vine pods from the money bush!
For real, that's the name.

Pock marks and crazing on this hunk help indicate
that this may have been hand-blown glass.

This piece is not wet and has not been oiled.
It has such an unusual unfrosted surface.
I wonder the story this thing could tell.

I don't know why, but I didn't take a picture of Summer loot in total...just some close-ups of her best pieces.

Starting off with this ceramic cylinder:  I've flipped through the books I own on sea glass and other beach finds.  I've searched the internet using key words like: cylinder, dowel, stick, tube...  It's not marble.  It looks like a pestle but it's not very tapered, doesn't have a real bulb for grinding or a smooth spot as a handle.  I don't think it's a vase or a candlestick.  The truth is, it's not even really very pretty to look at.  But, it causes us to wonder and think.  And, that's why it's a keeper.  Perhaps, one day, we'll be flipping the pages in a book or looking up something on the internet and it'll present itself; the questions will be answered.  Or not.  We may just wonder forever.  Either way, the story and the wonder are the gifts.  (If you have any guesses or clues, let me know!)

View of one side.

View of the opposite side.
You can see the rim/ridge that gives the hint at it being a pestle.
The rim and bottom are glazed.

Close up of the rim side/bottom.

Opposite side/top.

Two pieces of styrofoam and
a plastic roller ball (like from deodorant).
Most would classify this as trash.
Summer found beauty in their shapes.

Tropical almond, sea heart, three sea oat seeds.

Out of the gobs of pieces of metal we found, these three were chosen as keepers.
The top right one is some type of nail/washer building debris.

Coin!
Not an antique, but a cool find.

Spoon!

Eaten by ???

What's this guy's story?

We found DOZENS of bottle necks while we snorkeled.  Summer chose to keep these two.  The earthenware one would have had to be more frosted and smoothed over if it was old.  It's possible that it was lodged under something and didn't receive wave action.  The salt water would have etched the surface and degraded it over time had it been a submerged shipwreck item.  But, again, the time spent wondering and honoring this find is just such a joy.

The glass bottle neck conjures up its own suspicions.  The glass appears to have been etched, not by being tumbled in the surf but from exposure to salt water.  Also, if you look closely, there is a hint at a slight iridescent sheen.  My guess is that this was a carnival glass bottle.  The lip and seam along the side indicate that this bottle was probably made in more recent times.

The photos below show off one of Summer's most exciting finds.  By the smoothness of the etching, the visible bubbles inside the glass, the crude and asymmetrical nature of the shaping, you can tell this one is an old timer.  

Identifying bottles by their lip shape is just one way to help reveal the history.  Another fragment that has some clues to decipher is the bottom of the bottle.  Looking at the piece on the left, you can see the thickness and the crude nature of the punt (also known as "kick-up") ...that hints at this being something with some considerable age.  The piece on the right, tells a very different story.  It was from a square or rectangular bottle, not as thick, and the frosting on the surface is very smooth and fine.  All of those characteristics support the fact that this was from a bottle made in more modern times.

Both bottle bottoms tell their own tale.

Summer's collection of shells and coral are also uniquely intriguing.  This year, she has gravitated to tiny things and parts of shells.  She enjoys knowing that ______ is a piece of ______.  Honestly, I love the fact that she doesn't feel the need to find the biggest or the most perfect...she likes knowing that the little part is a representation of the whole and that SHE is the gatekeeper of the secret.  It's kind of like knowing the critical part of an inside story that only she and the sea share.

Summer's secrets.

Summer's array of sea glass keepers.

Pieces of dishes.

Summer's sum total of blues.

 While beach combing, you must be open, aware, and curious.  Walking the high wrack line is where the bulk of the actual "trash" is.  Countless pieces of plastic, incomprehensibly large tangles of multicolored frayed rope, and itchy seaweed piles, plus the soft sand working out muscles that haven't been used in ages, make for a tough go.  But, if you are willing to take on the challenge, the rewards can be sooooo worth the effort!

A waterproof camera!

We can't wait to get these pictures developed and hope to find the original owners.
Pie in the sky?  Perhaps.  But, worth it!

And now, on to my keepers!

Bird's eye view of my haul.

These are all over the shallows near the Methodist church.
I asked a few locals, they'd seen them but didn't know the origin.

Bow knockers.

Ceramic cabinet door knob stuffed with shell shards.

I don't typically save pottery and/or tile.
But, these spoke to me in some unique way.

Light bulb filament.
The inner workings of an "idea".

Our captain's name is "Plug".
I'm keeping this because it is a tangible piece
to help me remember the special moments we had on his boat.

More molten aluminium.
I find it hard to believe that there have been so many
bon fires with beer and soda cans on this section of the island
I'm going with space shuttle debris.

My collection of blues.
The giant hunk in the back isn't jewelry/craft quality.
But, Nicholas and I just about fell over at the sight of it in the surf.

I love sea beans!
Two sea hearts, two yellow and one white nickernut, a prickly palm,
and one tropical almond seed with a frilly paper like covering.

This beauty is one of my most prized pieces.  Click here to read the blog entry about the day that I found it.  According to one of my favorite authors on the subject of sea glass, Richard LaMotte, the gray color was "an undesirable by-product resulting from what was originally intended to be clear glass."

This "hunk" has a large chip out of it.

But, I think he's one handsome fella.

More old hunks.
Old...  Goodlooking...
Get it?
Ahahaha!

This old bottleneck is another interesting find.  All of the characteristics indicate that this might be pre-1900s.  The inside and outside have heavy crazing, stretch marks, and bubbles...all indications that this was hand-blown.  If you look carefully, you may see a very slight bluish tone inside the glass.  According to the guru of all things sea glass, Richard LaMotte, the bluish tone was created by adding some copper, something glassmakers used to do long ago.  Lastly, the tapered and hand-tooled double lip puts this within the time period of 1820-1900.  Just going by the looks, this is not normally a bottleneck that I would keep, but with a little digging, it has told me its story.  And, that's why it came home with me.

Whites and pastels are my favorites.  When you're walking on the beach, they look like ice cubes that haven't melted.  I love that when I pick them up, they appear to be one color.  As they dry, their patina begins to reveal other secrets.  When you place them on something white, yet another shade is discovered.  For me, just the sight of them evokes some sort of inner jumping jack sensation!

I keep both jewelry grade and craft grade.
I love the whites in all their forms.

Green glass also has many shades.
Some are limey and others look black unless a light shines through.

I only keep the most fully frosted ones.

Browns...meh.
But, when they've absorbed natural skin oil...
they can be so beautiful and soothing to look at.

What a lovely sight!

I've been actively looking for sea glass for about twenty years.  I've got sea glass from Alaska, California, Florida, England, Mexico, and Abaco.  NEVER in my entire life have I found a "marble". Until now!!!  More specifically, I think this is probably a Codd-neck bottle marble.  Nicholas and I were sitting in some tidal pool/rock tumblers on the north end of Elbow Cay and I was considering packing it in for the day when I picked up this little beauty.  At first, I just thought it was a nicely smoothed over piece of sea glass.  Then, I rolled it around on my fingertips and realized what it was!  In my best attempt at an angelic, "Aaaaaaahhhhh!" I shared with Nicholas my find!  He was super unimpressed.  To that, I responded, "This was the single greatest moment of my life...even more exciting than the day you were born!"  (My fingers were crossed.  Well, sort of.  I mean, I meant to have crossed them.)

Against white, you can see the green tone.

Against this wood, you can see the soft blue shine through.

And then, there's these outliers.  They just stand out and refuse to be fit in this group or that group.  In a way, that makes them even more special to me.

Black glass is very rare.  (I do have one tiny piece in my collection.)  I always pick up black blobby looking things in the off chase that they may actually be black glass.  These are not glass.  They're light weight, break easily, and have shiny flecks inside.  Some appear to have rust.  I don't know what they are but there were tons.

I only brought a few home.

Soft blues and greens leading to jade.

Blue gray pieces.

Hints of pink and purple.

Wrapped in coffee filters.
Looks a little suspicious.

Five weeks of mermaid life on this out island.

Five weeks of excursions and beach combing.

Five weeks of time spent listening to the stories from the Great Out Doors.

What an honor.