One of my favorite things about the beach is the number of surprises you can discover, both with and without tourists. Of course the surprises WITH tourists are always interesting and sometimes challenging – traffic, parking, finding a good place to set up, sand kicked by careless feet, thumping music, forbidden glass containers and trash.
On the upside, it’s fun to meet strangers and get acquainted, fun to share the wonder, and fun to help them find ways to enhance their visit with local advice, sharing know-how and, of course, good ol’ Southern hospitality. People always seem grateful to meet folks who have vinegar on hand for jellyfish stings or who know how to embellish sand castles. We always make a point to broaden our horizons with trips to the public beaches a few times during tourist season so as not to isolate ourselves on our favorite, more deserted beaches.
It’s been a fairly warm winter, and January left its mark on me with a couple of mild sunburns. Here are some of the highlights of these winter walks:
Twin tide pools, one stagnating and one crystal blue, separated by a narrow natural bridge:
Locals get first dibs on the big shells in the winter, even if we don’t get out there until high noon:
Big, fat jelly fish washed up:
Fun with homemade blow darts/gun:
No tourists were hurt in the making of this blog:
Shells-eye!
Castles under the boardwalk:
Winter sparkles:
Treasures in the waves and on the shore…and a mini-rip tide:
…and a mermaid with a shelly-belly button?
Next time, I’ll cover the part of the beach walks that cover me…
[…] couple posts ago I highlighted a lovely Winter Walk on the […]
One of my earliest memories was seeing a dead man of war wash up on the beach when I was a little, little girl. I thought it was a frisbee and I was about to pick it up and bring it to my mom when my dad saw me and nearly had a heart attack. Good times. They are so pretty though, much like jellyfish.
They are deceivingly beautiful, and amazing that they are many animals colonizing to form one functional creature. Glad you didn’t pick it up, Mrs. Em! Be sure to teach Wee Cee early on, too 🙂
~~ssm
Oh, I wish I lived by the sea….how wonderful!
Beautiful photos!
Thank you, g50! Nice to have you vicariously along with me at the sea.
~~ssm
It is so snowy and cold here, these awesome pictures have perked me up. I almost feel like I’ve walked this beach today. Thank you for sharing. Timely post, for sure.
You were here with me in spirit, to be sure! If it’s any consolation, we use snow plows down here, too – except to remove drifted sand from roads 😀 Thank you for walking along the beach with me, Ms. Tess.
~~ssm
I especially enjoyed the jelly fish picture. So neat! I can see why those are hard to spot in the water!
Yes, and it’s a creepy feeling when they brush against you in the water. But they are fascinating creatures! Glad you enjoyed it.
~~ssm
When they brush against you, do they not always sting you? The thought of it is enough to give me the willies.
Moon jellies don’t sting; the man-o-war packs a serious punch, though. I’m thinking of the gentle, globby moon jellies – they are big and oozy and all over the place when they’re in mating season.
~~ssm
Bleh! At least they are harmless. Although, I suppose that would be cool to see.
one of my favorite places is the beach. doesn’t matter what time of year. thank you for taking me there. (the mermaid pic is my fav) 🙂
Funny thing is, the glare is always so intense that I often can’t really tell how the pics will turn out until I get out of the sun. Thanks for coming along, tw!
~~ssm
Beautiful. I was much in need of that soothing walk on the beach. Our winter has been gray and drizzle making me miss even more the sun and the colors the sun illuminates.
So happy to help counter the dreary winter with my world here. Thanks for walking with me, shoes!
~~ssm
LOVE!!! The pictures are great, especially for this ol’ gal trapped in her house with the snow falling outside. The sunshine on the water just looks so sparkling – a feast for my eyes. Thanks!
You are so welcome. May your snowy day sparkle as brightly, AGL.
~~ssm