Where Earth Meets The Sky

Where the Earth meets the Sky you can never come closer to who you are than right here on the beach.

Where Earth Meets The Sky

 

St Patrick's Day On The Beach

I found this cool beach leprechaun celebrating St Patrick's Day on the beach and I found some beach treasure too including some Shamrock green sea glass.

Beach leprechaun celebrating St Patrick's Day

Green Sea Glass Treasures

My Pot Of Gold Was A Few Fun Seashells, Sea Glass and Beach Rocks

Everything is a pot of gold on the beach. The ocean that stretches to somewhere beyond somewhere else in the world. The sky above. The sand below. Sunny or cloudy, treasures at the seashore are waiting for you there every day. 

Happy St. Patrick's Day To All Of My Irish Friends and all of My Non Irish Friends too!

Love For Beach and America

Because this matters. Love for family. Love for America. Love for all the living things around us that is our responsibility to protect so generations from now our family and their families are blessed to share all the same Love.

From sea to shining sea. Share The Love.

Baby Sea Turtles In Florida

Baby sea turtles in Florida are so important there are local rules and laws to help these tiny, determined beautiful little turtles survive. Sea turtle nests are protected with barricades and tape marking out the area beach goers should stay away from so the baby eggs can survive without being disturbed. Lights out on the beach at night so sea turtles aren't frightened and disoriented when it's time to lay their eggs. Even the residents who live in houses on the beach are respectful about not using glaring lights at night that reflect through their windows.

The love and respect for sea turtles is a beautiful thing that unites people no matter their differences in politics, financial status, genders and careers. Everyone unites to care about the little sea turtles and try to help protect them.

I was lucky enough to be there when baby sea turtles celebrated their just born birthday and declared their independence on July 4th making their way determined and awesome to their new home in the sea.

Freshest Fish Cakes From The Sea

It's kind of crazy to me that I'm cooking up food that...... we catch ourselves! I wasn't catching fish then frying it up for dinner when I was living up North busy raising a family, a full time job and firefighting day and night. In fact that never even occurred to me. Firefighter kitchen cooking was by the bulk because everyone was eating and you never knew who would be there. Family cooking was planned both big dinners and whip them up quick dinners.

With all the prep I've done and all the cooking I've done, I never caught my own fish, fresh filleted it and then actually cooked and eaten it. It's kind of fun. And definitely very different. I love the part where you spend the day at the beach. Some of us fishing, some sea shell adventuring and of course, some playing in the waves.  This really was a simple home made fish cake recipe - you don't have to catch the fish yourself for this to work great on any fish from crab and shrimp to whiting and flounder
Check it out here: Easiest Fish Cake Recipe With Home Made Cole Slaw

Living in Florida recipes go something like this:

Directions:

1. Go Spend The Day On The Beach And Catch Fish

2. Fillet All The Fish (OK my son in law fillets all the fish - no way I'm doing that)

3. Cook The Fish - This is where I can contribute if I don't know a recipe I'm great at making them up pictured below my famous easiest ever low calorie, low carb, high protein Fish Cakes and below that simple fried fish fillets perfect for lunch, dinner or fish frys

4. Eat The Fish With Family and Friends (Don't forget to talk about the big one that got away wink, wink) And Enjoy The Evening Relaxed and Informal Don't Forget To Grab A Beer And Watch The Sunset

5. Next Beach Day - Start All Over Again!

Advice For Anyone Moving To Florida

Here's some starter advice for anyone moving to Florida - lots of stuff we learned after we did move here. Lots of differences from living up North? Absolutely and yes, I would say all of these are true. 

Lots of spirit here in Florida and lots of straight talking fun in the Sunshine State.

ADVICE FOR ANYONE MOVING TO FLORIDA:

1. If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change

2. If you do run your car into a ditch, don't panic. Four men in the cab of a four wheel drive with a 12-pack of beer and a tow chain will be along shortly. Don't try to help them. Just stay out of their way. This is what they live for.

3. Remember: "Y'all" is singular. "All y'all" is plural. "All y'all's" is plural possessive.

4. Get used to the phrase "It's not the heat, it's the humidity". And the collateral phrase "You call this hot? Wait'll August."

5. Don't tell us how you did it up there. Nobody cares.

6. If you think it's too hot, don't worry. It'll cool down-in December.

7. A Mercedes-Benz is not a status symbol, a Jeep, Chevy, Dodge, or Ford is.

8. If someone says they're "fixin" to do something, that doesn't mean anything's broken.

9. The value of a parking space is not determined by the distance to the door, but the availability of shade.

10. The coldest spot in all of Florida any time of year is Publix. Don't forget to bring your shopping sweater.

11. BBQ is a food group. It does NOT mean grilling burgers and hot dogs outdoors.

12. Yes, weddings, funerals, and divorces must take into account for Gators,Canes or Noles Football games. 

13. Do not tell Floridians you hate snakes, gators or sharks. They were here first apparently and don't deserve your hate. 

14. DO NOT honk your horn at us to be obnoxious, we will sit there until we die.

15. We pull over and stop for emergency vehicles to pass. 

16. We pull over for funeral processions, turn our music off and men remove hats or caps. Some people put their hand over their heart.

17. "Bless your Heart" is a nice way of saying you're an idiot.

18. Did I mention absolutely every body of water in Florida is assumed to have at least one alligator and/or crocodile just waiting for you to visit.

19. Did I mention If you don't like the weather in Florida, wait 15 minutes, it will change!

Florida Sea Otter Visitors

Florida is like no place else I've ever lived. Unpredictable weather. Crazy heat and rainstorms. Magnificent sunrise and sunsets. Beaches that are the freedom path of the heart and mind. Crazy visits from animals, some we like to see and some not so much. While we love nature and animals I really do not welcome any visits from snakes or alligators. Not a fan of armadillos and moles. As long as they don't enter my space, I don't evict them from theirs sort of live and let live.

We do however love the bunny rabbits especially the baby bunnies that stop by and munch on some of our pretty lawn. We have been thrilled to see herons and cranes strolling by. Seeing the occasional bobcat and baby bobcats stroll by has been thrilling to be honest. And some days you get lucky and the sea otters stop by to visit on their way from lake to river.

Fun and unpredictable. We are very careful to respect their environment and just get to wave hello and goodbye. You never know what will happen next in Florida.

Seashell Planter Home Made DIY

My seashell planter is one of my favorite homemade projects. It was one of those things you think about and never get around to. Every time I looked at the plain planter on the outside of my screen door I would think I really should replace that planter. It has a great aloe plant growing in it that was a baby clipping from a great big aloe plant that we never thought would take, but my daughter babied it and it was now thriving. I didn't really want to transplant it but I could. But I didn't. And I really like the shape of the planter that fit really nicely in the little plant stand. So really for months I did nothing. Except for say I really should do something with that planter, at least 3 times a week.

Aloe Plant In My Old Planter Pre Seashell Renovation

Then it happened. The great idea and motivation from out of nowhere. Wouldn't it be awesome if I could cover the planter with some of the great seashells I am always collecting from the beaches I love.

Seashells From The Beaches I Love

Out came the seashells. Tons of seashells. All different sizes, shapes, colors. Out came the tacky glue, mod podge and then finally, the only thing that really worked to hold the naturally shaped shells to the curvy shaped planter (with the aloe plant still inside the whole time) was the hot glue gun.

Seashells Work Great With A Hot Glue Gun

I have used tacky glue and mod podge with other great projects including shell art home made projects before with great success but this planter was not going to happen. The shells slid almost immediately so unless I held each one in place for about an hour it just was not going to work. Out came the hot glue gun and a fresh new package of glue sticks.

Seashell by Seashell. One by one I chose from the great colors and shapes from the sea that I had handpicked over the last few months just because they all just were fascinating to me.

Seashell By Seashell Hot Glued Onto The Planter Project

Choosing the right shells to fit any kind of pattern on the interesting shaped planter was no easy job. Pretty small crown conchs, olive shells in every size. Whelks and cockle shells and pretty scallops. So many to choose from. To fit in to the right spot. I also decided to add some pretty cool white decorative rock accents to give the planter that southern beach feeling so they got hot glued on also.

Seashell By Seashell Hot Glued Onto The Planter Project

It took a couple of days dedicating every minute and hour I could possibly run out to work on the seashell planter but I loved it as it started coming together. The family would come out to visit. There were many cups of coffee. Lots of eyes and helping me sort through even more shells. Plenty of fun DIY home artists in my family and lots of great advice. And more coffee.

Seashell By Seashell The Planter Was Really Starting to Come Together

A seashell project of love it took lots of time, hot glue sticks, seashells and coffee but I love my seashell planter

I was determined that every spot of the original worn out planter would be covered with something beautiful. Layer by layer. Shell by shell. Burned hot glued finger by burned hot glued finger this seashell planter was starting to look great!

Shell by shell. Burned hot glued finger by burned hot glued finger this seashell planter was starting to look great!

It took a ton of hot glue sticks, initially for the shells and rocks and then another layer in and out around every shell wherever I could to make sure this planter would make it through the harsh weather of down South Florida.  So far so good. Everything is holding on. As the summer comes and time goes by we'll see if the hot glue can stand up to the hottest sun in the world. 

I really am crazy about the seashell planter. Now I look at it every day and smile. It reflects who am I, what I love and what I love to do. Take things that are pretty cool and make them even better. The aloe plant seems to love it's new look too it's still growing like crazy.

And the good news is, if any shells do come off, I can always go back to the beach and collect some more seashells to replace them! 

 Searching For Seashells At The Seashore

Beach Fit Naturally

Beach fit is everyone's goal as soon as the winter starts to end in most places, uh oh summer is coming time to get in shape! The best way I stay more fit these days is the beach. Admittedly I live down South so I can go to the beach more often now, although it gets pretty chilly sometimes in the winter even down here. It's not just the beach that does it though. It's the walking. And walking. You don't even realize how much walking you can do if you aren't thinking about it as exercise.

I wear my Fitbit when I walk on the beach. Well OK I always wear my Fitbit! About 4 years ago I gave up carbs in my never ending search for losing weight, staying gut healthy, sharper and more alert. Healthier. Then the Fitbit age came around and I thought, OK I'll try this but I bet I already burn plenty of calories every day. I started out with a Fitbit Charge. I decided not to ramp up any workouts or walks to see what I already naturally burn in calories a day. I stay pretty busy even though I had retired from 20 years of heavy duty physically demanding firefighting.

Shock of my life. I didn't burn half the calories all the experts said I should burn every day just to maintain my weight!! What! No Way. The second day showed the same results and I realized, I needed to kick up my every day routine. Walking yes. Stepping around the house more often. You can keep your feet, arms and body moving while you cook, brush your teeth, choose your clothes and you can get up and move while you watch TV. Yakking on your phone. Texting with your friends. Guess what get up and get moving. Take a walk. Vacuum the house (I hate cleaning but it really does burn calories and you have a cleaner house afterwards!)  Working on your computer. Get up more often take a break walk to your other rooms. Do some chores. Park a little further away when you go shopping. I'm serious! The results just from doing the above is phenomenal.

Not only did I feel great but I have to tell you within 2 weeks, not eating any differently because I already was watching the intake, cutting the carbs and drinking my water - the weight dropped off, just gone. 10 lbs, 15 lbs. I started seeing numbers on my scale I didn't even see as a teenager. And most important I felt great. I'm just sharing I promise I'm not a Fitbit Rep or anything like that.

So when I moved down South I wasn't going to give up my stepping and moving or my Fitbit. Once I found the beach, well that is just heaven. Taking a walk around your community is nice but walking on the beach it's incredible. I love the "steps" I burn the calories with, I love the freedom from stress, laundry, vacuuming, bills. I love the beach and staying fit naturally walking on the sandy beach is the biggest bonus of all.

I did however switch to the Fitbit Flex 2 because it's waterproof perfect for beach days, swimming and not only is light to wear, you can change bands (the charge band fell apart and could not be replaced you had to buy a whole new expensive Fitbit) bands come in sizes that fit not only my wrist but also my ankle for my bicycle exercising. The only downfall is it has not on unit screen you do have to check your phone for your updated stats, this doesn't really bother me but it was a change.

Fitbit Flex 2 is waterproof and perfect for the beach and pool

The Fitbit Flex 2 is very inexpensive now probably because it will be replaced with a more expensive Charge version that will be waterproof but at around $59.00 trust me, I really love this Fitbit and never, ever fall below my daily steps it's become too important to me to forget about it or just let it be another "fad". 

So even if you can't make it to the beach to go walking, consider a Fitbit or calorie burning tracker that works for you. It motivates you watching real results to get up and get moving. It helps you stay fit physically and when you are so proud of yourself it helps you mentally too. Goals are good and everyone's goal should always be to be proud of themselves for who they are.


Disclaimer: The links above for the Fitbit Flex2 link to Walmart where I bought mine, I do get a small affiliation fee from Walmart if you purchase through this click (help support small businesses like mine if it works for you too!) but you can buy FitBit from many stores and other links online. The important part of this story was to let you know how great it works for me!

Relax On The Beach

This relax on the beach post is probably different than most others you have seen. It has all the great makings of sand, ocean waves, a scenic beach umbrella and two beach sand chairs. It even has an awesome sea bird time perfectly to beautifully photo bomb my relax on the beach photo.

The difference is I can't remember ever using the beach chairs to actually sit in. Once I did give in and sit under the umbrella for 15 minutes to cool off, but the rest of the time I'm just not sitting in the sand, under the umbrella and watching the waves wash up.

To me relaxing on the beach means taking walks that end up, well I don't know how far I end up! I'm too busy enjoying the sea air, watching the waves and walking in them ankle deep to see how far I ended up. My fitbit is on. I have the cool yet inexpensive waterproof fitbit Flex 2 tracker that goes with me wherever I go (you can read more about why the Fitbit Flex 2 is important to me). I can go back later and look at my phone to see how much mileage I tracked, how many calories I  burned.... but no I'm too busy relaxing by not sitting still. There's too much to see. Different areas of the beach have different waves and troughs and sandy inclines. I have to see them all. 

Seashore Tide Poster
by bonfirenature

There are seashells to look for especially if the high tide left a new wrack line, I don't want to miss any new ones. There is sea glass to search for. Sand dollars could wash up. There is so much to see. Cool dogs are playing in the water and chasing balls on the sandy beaches. Kids are happy and smiling and building sandcastles. 

Sea Shells Paradise Beach Crossbody Bag
by bonfirenature

Walking along and seeing what's new at the beach is always what is relaxing to me! But I have to admit after all the sea winds, sandy feet, crashing waves and hopefully a shell bag filled with some new treasures, the best part is going back to home base. Where the family has the sand chairs, beach umbrella, sandy towels and fishing rods, big smiles on their faces greeting me knowing how much I love the beach and these walks. Relaxing on the beach. Keeping it moving that's how I relax on the beach. Just writing about it makes me look forward to.... well hopefully tomorrow when we are seashore bound again.

Love Art and Beach Shells

Love art from the beach has to include seashells for our family and we love using the beautiful shells we find on the beach to create art, signs, decorations, photo frames, seashell planters...  You name it we love sharing our love of beaches, sunshine and shells all over our home.  My family gave me the greatest gift this Valentine's Day an awesome seashell art canvas that clearly spells out how much they Love Me.

Every beautiful shell was handpicked from our beaches including some of my favorite whelks, conchs, kitten paws, olives and some of the amazing beautiful sea glass my daughter the beach whisperer always finds every wonderful trip to the seashore.  Heart shaped rocks and shells decorate our home made shell art while pretty little seashells of beautiful colors become a magical butterfly.

Be creative in your home too. If you find some seashells big or small, round or long make something wonderful out of them and show someone oceans of love from the sea and from your art from the heart.

Love and Positive Energy

Wishing you love and all the positive energy of the sun high above. Today and every day.

Whatever you do, do it with your heart.

Seashell Solar Lights

Seashell solar lights are perfect because I love lights especially solar lights out in the garden, along my path, on my deck, in my planters, everywhere I can. I even have solar string lights for the holidays. They save energy because you don't need electricity. They look great and really light up a dark night. Solar lights are a great way to give a cozy we are home feeling to every house. Solar lights are even great on balconies and terraces if you live in a condo or apartment.

I also love seashells. My new passion is seeking out seashells because that's a great reason to go to the beach. Now that I have moved down South and the most beautiful tropical beaches are just a few miles away, going to any one of the beaches is the best way in the world to clear your head, leave reality behind for just a little bit and remember that out there, the sky meets the ocean and everything possible is on the horizon. Seashells are a token of that visit. They are big and small. Sea shells that are hard to find and some very common but every size, shape, color and type are just amazing and beautiful. I quickly have brought home so many seashells I love that I need to keep making things I love out of things I love.

We happened to have two leftover tiki candle cans that we had never used (I never set anything on fire with actual flames if I can help it probably due to my firefighter career (you can read more about that here) and had used the big tiki candles with two solar lights in it to light the back area of the house until they kept getting knocked over when we trimmed the bushes. The tiki torch holders were long gone but the cans and solar lights we still had. Tiki cans with no cool holders are just not that great looking. So out of the garage came the cans ready for a diy seashell home renovation.

First thing my husband did was clean off the can including any rust it had accumulated then spray paint it black so the writing and old stuff was all covered up and looked much better already.

Seashell home art projects often require the work of a glue gun. Shells are so irregularly shaped sometimes the mod podge and tacky glue just doesn't work. Your hot glue gun will work with seashells on almost every surface but you have to definitely have patience and definitely have fingers that will probably have to hold up to a couple of hot glue gun burns!

Slowly but surely my husband worked his way around the cans sea shells and glue, choosing some of our favorite calico shells, olive, clam shells, small conch shells, all the colors and shapes that would fit into each spot. Every single shell we found with our own hands, during so many visits to the seashore every day new finds now DIY fastened to a cool new home light project. 

Not to say there wasn't any under the breath cursing every time a finger met the glue or the shell moved or the glue dried before it was in the right spot, but it was worth every minute. It took a couple of days between spray painting the light cans, hot gluing the shells to the light but it was like adult arts and crafts that ended up a DIY project we really use and love.

After both lights we decorated with shells, the hot glue all set and the lights cleaned up and charged by the sun we covered the entire beach shells surface with mod podge to seal it up hopefully keeping the harsh weather from breaking down all of our hard work. So far, so good!

We hope you will join us on Facebook at Bonfire Designs and share some of your home DIY projects, fun beach adventures or share your love of beaches with us too.