Souvenirs from Playa Del Carmen

My favorite souvenirs when I travel?  Rocks, shells, sea glass, found objects, photographs, local currency...

We simply had a wonderful vacation in Mexico.  Days filled with snorkeling, diving, happy silence, laughter, cappuccino, warm humid days filled with cool breezes, skies filled with dragonflies (yes everywhere-video to come), relaxation mixed with adventure, wonderful food (beans, rice, chicken, guacamole-a few of my favorites), and reconnecting to each other and our natural rhythms.

A Vacation Remembered

This week I stumbled upon our vacation photos from May and fondly remembered the joy and peace found on this trip to the coast.  The clouds rushed in and out threatening of storms that never came while creating stunning portraits in the sky.  I was enthralled with the clouds, so many different shapes and designs...when I wasn't looking up...I was following the trail of shells for miles down the beach lured by the shine and shimmer and the amazing colors gifted from the sea.  There was also a visit to a lighthouse which I learned had been kept two different women when it was active.  This knowledge set off all kinds of adventuresome daydreams of beach combing and intimately knowing a piece of land and her changes in weather and season.

Everyday Treasures



Snail Shell

I returned home from the beach Friday afternoon, but it wasn't until this morning that I returned to the rhythms of my home and daily pulls of my own ebb and flow.  Friday was a day of reconnecting with Alan and Butters and of sharing our stories of how our weeks had unfolded separately.  Saturday and Sunday were filled with cleaning, packing, repairing, donating, errand running, furniture moving, and lawn mowing all at a slow saunter due to the wet heat of a wring-your-clothes-out July weekend.  Today will be another hot one and tomorrow should be all the talk on the local news as it is scheduled to reach 99 hot and humid degrees.

This morning I awoke to sunshine and all the possibilities on the world ahead of me.  Butters ate while I made coffee and finished folding a load of laundry left over from last night.  We finally headed out the door and all Butters wanted to do was head straight down the driveway and out onto the street.  She stubbornly refused to step foot in our own yard and I gave her the benefit of the doubt that the heat was getting to her as well.  She sniffed her usual spots while I gazed up at the passing trees and down at the clover in each passing yard.  She stiffened her little body and quickened her pace as we approached the home on the left that has a large female dog that lives behind her invisible fence.  This dog will occasionally let us pass without incident but prefers to let us think she will give us pass only to rush up to the invisible fence line moments after we pass her driveway and come to a crashing halt with a deep loud bark.  I say "it's ok, and good girl" as much to Butters as to her and myself and off we go.  Today Illa, as her owners call her, was not out and about but Butters and I were both on alert until we passed her house.  We relaxed our pace, reached the end of the street and headed down the hill to inspect the open flat land in our neighborhood.  I looked at the growth of a shared garden area that two neighbors tend to and Butters sniffed all the smells of other dogs and animals that had passed before her.  As the heat was rising in time with Butters panting I cut our walk short and took her home. 

After putting Butters back in the house with water and a treat I headed out on a walk of my own.  As hot as it was I still wanted to stretch my legs some more and take a different walk through the neighborhood.  I was rewarded by an intricate snail shell that I saw in a culvert on the street.  I passed by it and caught a glimpse of the shell surrounded by what I thought were ants and then decided to pause and turn around for a second look.  Last night's rain must have washed pine needles and bark debris into a swirl around it and there was only an ant or two inspecting it.  The shell was empty and so I picked it up with a smile and heart beat of someone that just found treasure.  This simple shell along with the beauty of purple clover flowering, queen anne's lace bursting along the seems of the meadow and morning glories wrapping their way around hills and stalks reminded me that there is treasure all around me.  All I have to do is step outside my door and open my eyes to it.  The treasures of home may be more familiar and seasonal but they are none the less beautiful.

Gifts from the Sea

The sea, once it casts its spell, holds one in its net of wonder forever.
 - Jacques Cousteau

 My favorite souvenirs are shells and rocks, gifts from the sea and from nature.  They remind me of the beauty that is all around and of the grace of imperfection that can be found in a cracked shell that has been gently worn as it tumbled through the salty surf year after year.  I have bowls, vases and shelves with rocks, sea glass and shells in every room of our house.  In my spring cleaning and reduction of our possessions I thought that perhaps I could cut down on having them in every room and combine some of the smaller collections all together into one display. 

Some of my photos did not turn out as well as I intended because I did not realize that the setting was set for portraits requiring a tripod (oops). 


To create a Shadow Box Collection of Shells you need:

·        8" x 8" shadow box from a craft store that has a secured back (some of the shadow boxes now have a magnetized door).

·        Your favorite sea shells, sea glass, rocks, found treasure etc.

·        Black fabric or other black filler material

Ø  First remove all of the packaging from the shadow box, remove the backing from the shadow box frame and clean it inside and out very good to remove all dust and fingerprints.

Ø  Next lay the frame face down and arrange your favorite shells face down on the glass.

Ø  Continue filling in with others shells and rocks until you cannot see the clear glass any longer.

Ø  Then fill the remainder of the empty unseen space of the box with black fabric. I did not have any black fabric handy but I save every scrap of ribbon and year’s worth of Victoria Secrets ribbons filled the case.

Ø  Throughout the process you can place the backing to the frame back in place and hold it securely with both hands to see how much the shells shift and add more shells as necessary.  I did this about 4-5 times until I felt it was full.

Ø  Lastly secure the shadow box backing back onto the frame and it is ready to hang.  

The frame also looks lovely displayed on a flat surface such as a coffee table or book shelf as well.  I plan to hang mine in my bedroom as part of another project that I am working on.