December 18, 2023 – Traveling with Rich & Julie
RV Life Daily Blog – Saturday and Sunday, December 16 and 17, 2023
We found our very first ever whole sand dollar while collecting shells this weekend! It is small. Smaller than the palm of my hand. These small ones are super fragile. We found a second one, but it broke soon after I picked it up.
December is a quiet month here on the coastal beaches of southern Alabama and Florida. Many times, we are the only people in sight. I expect January to pick up some after the holidays.
But we are not the only creatures in sight. Many times we are privileged enough to have a great blue heron share the beach with us.
He even followed us around for a bit. I think he was curious about what we were picking up off the beach. He walked down to where we were and then, turned around and followed us.
We have found several beaches here that are great for collecting shells. You just have to check the tide schedule and show up at the right time. Here in the Gulf, there are two high tides and two low tides.
Would you believe that Shell Beach is one of the best? And parking is free at all the paid parking lots after December 1. Shell Beach is part of Gulf State Park.
Don’t let Rich fool you. He enjoys finding cool shells just as much as I do.
I want to pick up all the complete shells that aren’t broken, but Rich stops me after a while cause the bag gets too heavy.
When he asks me what I will do with all the shells, I remind him that all the little ones that have holes in them will be hanging on the tree. Just look at all the shells on the tree in the picture above. I love looking at them.
Last year, I made wind chimes with the shells we collected in Florida.
I wish we could find more of the large ones without imperfections or broken edges.
Why do we love shells so much? Maybe because it gives us a glimpse into the ocean. I have never been in the ocean, no snorkeling or diving, so I have no personal experience with what it is like, and seashells give me a personal glimpse into that. The farthest I have ever been in the ocean is up to my knees.
Yep. That is a full-sized bath towel full of just this weekend’s haul. What would you suggest I do with all of them?
We collected shells until we couldn’t. Last night’s sunset was gorgeous, as usual.
Thanks for sharing our travels with us by reading my stories about the places we visit and enjoying my pictures of the things we see.