Display Your Beans

After collecting beans for a few months and polishing some of them up, the next thing to do is figure out how (and where) to display them. We saw some shells and other beachcombing items displayed in the shell shop in Rockport last spring and also have seen shells displayed in a coffee table in a store in Matagorda.

My first attempt at "beach in a box" was done using a shadow box.


I liked the result but this has glass only on one side and has to be sealed (glued) to prevent the sand from leaking out since it must be filled from the bottom.

Robyn gave me this excellent wooden bowl for Christmas. It really shows off my collection.



I found this case in Michael's craft store. It is called Finish-It as you need to apply a stain or something to the raw wood. I used linseed oil for the finish. It has a hinged lid and glass on the top and sides. I really like this since you can add or remove items over time.

Whatever method you use, get your beans on display!

Windy Picking

Since kayak fishing was out of the question, a ride down the beach was in order. I felt like I could brave the 20 mph north wind for a little beanin'.


These are the keepers of the day: One red mangrove, two sea hearts, one prickly palm, one red hamburger, and one black walnut.


Here are the sea hearts and prickly palm prior to cleaning & polishing.

And here they are after.

The black walnut (on right) was the biggest I've ever seen. I saw several others and lots of water hickory, pecans, and tropical almonds but I've stopped collecting these.


The red hamburger (on right) was also one of the biggest I've ever seen.

I'm ready for the new beans to arrive. It won't be too long before searching the wrack line in the dunes will become hazardous (snakes).

Final Tally for 2008

I think my bean collecting for the year is over. We spent one day on the dunes over the Christmas holidays but we were in an area that I had previously searched and other than a few pecans, waterlogged sea hearts, and almonds, the picking was pretty slim. I learned that if you find a sea heart that has been ruptured or cracked and has absorbed water - leave it! It stinks like old manure and the smell will follow you all day.

I'm happy with my finds so far and am eager to see what the spring tides will bring.


These are the keepers I have collected since August - Sea Hearts, Sea Coconuts, Starnut Palms, Prickly Palms, Jamacan Walnuts, Nickarnuts, Sea Purses and Hamburger Beans. All were found on Matagorda Peninsula between the mouth of the Colorado River and Mitchell's Cut near Sargent.

I have recently spoken with the manager of the Matagorda Bay Nature Center and may soon be creating an interactive display for educational purposes.

I also plan to visit some more Texas beaches to expand the collection.

Happy New Year and Happy Beaning!

Starnut Giveaway

Friday before supper we had the beach all to ourselves. I searched the dunes while Tracy looked for shells. I found several starnuts, a prickly palm, one blisterpod, and a couple of sea hearts.

I had to show my finds to a fellow sea beaner Edie Pruitt at Spoonbills. She got so interested in the starnuts that I offered her one. Little did I know that her sister Maree was also a sea bean fan and when she showed up I gave her one too.

In the Neighborhood

Since we now have the travel trailer parked at Pelican Point and the beach is just a few miles away, we'll have more opportunities for beaning.

Here are today's keepers:


Two sea hearts (I found a third one in the dunes but it was cracked and falling apart), one starnut palm, one brown nickarnut, one hamburger bean, and a prickly palm.

I'm using the Dremel tool to clean off the crusted salt and to start the polishing process.

My collection is getting bigger!

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!

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.