Finders Keepers

OK I admit it - sea beaning isn't for everyone. I was reminded recently that the blank stares and unusual looks I get when telling all I know about this facinating subject to others should be expected. After all, not everybody gets it!

But you must get it since you have found your way to this blog. So for your enjoyment I tried to capture the thrill of the chase...the exciting and rarely experienced "Search for the Sea Bean".

Here is a great find - a sea heart.
Beaners have been known to shout aloud at this sight.

My first sea purse.
Oh the stories you could tell my little one...

Another gem - a red hamburger bean.
My eyes are trained to spot these amid the debris.

It's always nice to see a fellow seeker in the dunes.
"Have you seen any bees?"

This brown burger was a little tricky to spot as it was sitting on edge.

The next saddle bean was found close to this "medicine" bottle.

I'm told you have to be a little "Goofy" to spend time searching
through washed up garbage and debris for seeds.

Ah... another prize.

This is a rare black hamburger bean from deep in the tropics.

Another sea heart. Watch out for the meadow muffins!
Those silly cows....

My eye is drawn to other forms of semetry while looking for beans. Here is a sample of other collectibles found while searching the wrack.

Found and gathered but left behind, these are some of the more common drift seeds I have come across on this particular beach.

Water hickory, black walnut, pecans, and even a couple starnut palms that had become punky from too long in the salt water made the list of leave-behind seeds this day.

Here are the keepers: Three sea hearts, four hamburgers, two sea purses or saddle beans, one sea coconut, one candlenut and one prickly palm. I spent some time cleaning up the sea hearts and used did some light sanding on the sea coconut and the prickly palm.

These were my first two sea purses. They are very similar to hamburgers but have a thinner middle layer and are flattened and have a wider hinge.

Here they are shown with a red and a black hamburger on either side.

This is a before and after shot of a prickly palm. They don't look like much when found (right) but after some sanding and polishing they develop a nice lustre.

I hope you had fun searching for sea beans. Come by again!