Red Tape

 

It's so good to be back!!!  After two years and two months away from this blog, the urge to post again has finally come upon me.  Logistical red tape had been hindering the progress of my latest sea glass adventures, so I was just about to give up when a kind and patient woman from the Michigan Department of Treasury talked me through the sales tax registry over the phone.  God bless her!  That was a giant step toward my legal ability to sell the fish I've been fashioning out of beach rocks, beach glass, crinoids, and pebbles.  

Admittedly, it's like an addiction finding the right pieces to fit together.  Getting the parts to stay on the rock is difficult, but I do soooo enjoy seeing the personality of each fish come about!  I can't wait for this summer's markets and the opportunities to meet others who may enjoy these little critters as much as I do.

Today's Inspiration

Psalm 121 verses 1b-2  "...where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the maker of Heaven and Earth."

  

Fresh Off the Beach

Some beach combing walks are more relaxing than others; today's was amazing.  From the top of the bluff I could see that if I were to head south, I would be all alone.  There were two people north of me, far enough away for the shoreline treasures to be replenished no matter where the hunters began.  I know I shouldn't run down stairs in flip-flops, but the thought of all that sea glass for myself was just too much!  Excitement (and maybe a little greed) took over, and I was on the wet sand in record time. Ahhhhh.....

Today's photo is the result of 90 minutes of "Pure Michigan" pleasure, fresh off the beach.  I hope you'll enjoy looking through today's collection of crinoids, horn coral and honeycomb coral fossils, petoskey stones, and beach glass.

Today's Inspirational Verse  from Philippians 3:9

I no longer count on my own goodness or my ability to obey God's law, but I trust Christ to save me. 

Pure Michigan Sunset

This week's sea glass didn't work out too well, so I went with a sea gull instead.  Minutes away from sunset, these typically pesky birds began swarming around me.  My camera was already in my hands, so I began to shoot what I thought would turn out to look rather Hitchcock-like, but I was pleasantly surprised. I was able to crop out the haphazard direction of the flight of the flock and just zoom in on the one peaceful-looking sea gull silhouette.  What a difference! To top it off, the sun's reflection streaming toward me is evident in this photo, and I just love it!  

I'll get back to the glass and rocks next time, but for now, I hope you'll enjoy this sight that we are so often blessed with on the shores of Lake Michigan.  If you're in love with the ocean, why not give the unsalted Great Lakes a try sometime?

This Week's Scriptural Encouragement from Deuteronomy 28:2 (NIV)

All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God.
  

Beach History

With the fan twirling above me, my shoes kicked off my feet, and my hair pulled back from my face, I think I am finally ready to type a new post.  Yes, it's been a while since my last entry, and the extreme summer heat is just one of the reasons.  I won't go into the others; each of them would only editorialize everything that most people are tired of hearing about.  These posts would have nothing to do with blessings from the beach, and they'd be far too lengthy, so let's take a look at today's photo instead.  I call it, "Beach History".  It's amazing what you can find on the beaches of South Haven!  True, most of it came from regions north of us, but isn't it incredible how fossils, millions of years old, ended their journey here at my feet?  Huh!

In today's shot, I've scattered the glass and fossilized crinoids throughout, but the rest of the fossils are pretty much around the edges, starting with the Petoskey stones in the upper right corner.  Going clockwise, you'll see two honeycomb corals, then a horn coral peeking out of the corner.  The longer piece in the lower left corner appears to be one single strand of pipe organ coral (I should have gotten the whole thing in the picture, sorry!). On top is a fossil containing several crinoids, and next to that is the first piece of blue chert that I have ever found!  It is microcrystalline quartz, and its blue color tells us it is from the area of Leland, Michigan, over 200 miles away!

Inspiration for Today's World   from Proverbs 16:7  (NLT)

When the ways of people please the Lord, he makes even their enemies live at peace with them.