Paper and Threads

My husband and I love early morning beachwalks and I spend my time, while walking, learning about the changing ocean, sand, shells, and creatures.   It is even more fun when our friends visit for a week because they can help identify some of the creatures brought in with the tides. 

I found almost a dozen sea robin fish skulls over the last several years, but this year found this very interesting 3.5 x 2.5 inch skull right at the surfline.  There is a very small black shell trapped within making it seem likely to be from the ocean.  We searched all animal skull images with sagittal crests on the web and found one identical image  - uploaded by someone who also couldn't identfy it.  Since then we sent the photo to a bird watcher, a veterinarian, and a  reptile/amphibian expert, but we still don't have an answer.

I also found 2 dead Portuguese Men of War.  Jeff needed to identify them for me - I've never seen one dead or alive in the ocean or on the beach.

Posted by Shirley at 2:25 PM | Permalink | Comments (7)

Yesterday was our 44th wedding anniversary.  This is a quick painting that I did of my husband when we were at the beach last week.  And the second page is the bottle of champagne that we consumed with friends on our anniversary yesterday.  There were 3 couples at the beach last week and a total of 144 years of marriage among us!

Posted by Shirley at 3:33 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

I sketched and painted the sea gulls from two of the reference photos I posted here last week.  Over the summer I become obsessed with getting photos of them as they start moving away from me and then take off and fly.  Their wings are soooooo long.  Stay tuned for more photos and drawings next week as we return to the beach.

I found my next book to recycle as a Summer sketchbook.  This Summer I recycled a book called Watercolor Painting is Fun with 140 lb. Fabriano soft press watercolor paper.  My next book, purchased for $1.00 is called Gift from the Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (pub. 1955).  I scanned the cover and Table of Contents below.  Isn't it perfect for the type of journal pages that I love to create at the beach?  But before I recycle it, I need to read it!

Posted by Shirley at 3:48 PM | Permalink | Comments (8)

Our beach week ended yesterday, and I have two more journal pages to post - both done at the end of our 2 mile early morning beach walks.  We haven't figured out why there is "feast or famine" finding shells on the beach, even when we are there around low tide. 

My husband and I LOVE walking the beach early in the morning and see only occasional dog owners and joggers during the 2 mile strolls.  We saw more crab shells like the one I posted earlier, but still can't identify it.  And we always see several skates and horseshoe crabs that have washed up.

Some sea gull feathers and a slipper shell - one of approximately a half dozen I found:

This is my straw hat - with several shells from the morning walk resting on the brim. 

And a birthday photo:

I'm amazed that the sea gull's really long wings, fold up and are barely visible on the gulls.  I brought these photos home to do some summer sea gull drawings - which I find almost impossible to draw on the beach.  As soon as I walk toward them, they scurry off and as I get closer they look like a gigantic plane heading faster and faster down the runway until they are eventually airborn.

Posted by Shirley at 11:50 AM | Permalink | Comments (11)

My husband and I are spending a few days at the beach.  We love to take long walks on the beach early in the morning, and spend time collecting shells and learning about the variety of fish, crabs, skates, skate egg sacs etc that we see.

One of my grandsons asked me to start a shell collection for him and in the last few days I found a good selection: clam, scallop, oyster, moon snail, whelk, mussel and slipper shells. 

There were several dead horseshoe crabs, and two of these crabs that we still can't identify.  Any ideas?,

Today I painted 5 views of the largest and prettiest intact moon snail shell I found.  Now I look forward to tomorrow's walk - we never know what we shall find!

Posted by Shirley at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (16)