Birthday Beans

How do you spend your birthdays?

As I get older I find that time spent with my wife doing quiet activities like beachcombing are just what the doctor ordered. I'm not sure if it is the escape from the stress or the enjoyment of being outside that is so appealing.

Tracy and I used to go to antique (junk) stores in search of treasures. Now we roam the beach looking for free junk.

Here is the collection from today's search: We found several walnuts, pecans, and almonds along with a few starnut palms some prickly palm and a blister pod. There were some new finds this trip along with some topwater lures that were still in good shape.

In amongst the beach debris, I always see parts of toys. This collection was from the spare parts department.

I searched for hours in the dunes without finding a single hamburger bean but found one near the beach in the line of recent flotsam. There must still be some floaters out there!

I continue picking up sea coconuts like these even though they are only good if the shell is intact. These were left behind after the photo shoot.

Here is a collection of balls including a mini beach ball. Someone may find the display and wonder...

I may have been reported to the government as this military gunship buzzed me.

Here are some more sea coconuts I found on excursion #2. Some of these will make it home with me for polishing.


This sea coconut still had some of the husk attached - a fairly uncommon find.

These were the prize finds of the day - three sea hearts and one red hamburger. Notice how fresh and shiny the sea heart on the right is compared to the other two.

I had some new finds today - the two in the front are seeds from the antidote vine, the two in the back are a butternut (top left) and a candlenut aka Jamaican walnut. The candlenut gets its name from the oil that is produced from it's seed that is used for oil lamps in some countries. The seed contains 50% oil and it was also removed and skewered to a thin piece of bamboo and lit where it would burn for 45 minutes.

Here are some other interesting objects - two wine bottle corks (one new and one old), two Teflon balls (bearings?) ,and one red fake fruit possibly a cherry.

You never know what you might find along the beach or from where it may originate.