Tuesday's Tip

i'm still enjoying my sand / shell art.  this week's tip continues the sea shell theme.

part of the fun of going to the beach, i think, is all the stuff on display there.  this year, we saw tons of jelly fish as well as lots of crabs, fish, horseshoe crabs... we even found a blowfish.  the dolphin swim by in large groups and the pelicans are always fun to watch.

this year, as i mentioned last week, was also great for shells.  it just seemed that the tides brought in an abundant variety of shapes and sizes.  of course, the kids and i had fun collecting buckets full.  but this year, i decided to snap photos of them, as well.

now, seriously, i'm no photographer.  i don't even aspire to become one.  i wouldn't even go so far as to say that it's my hobby.  i don't have multiple lenses.  i couldn't tell you which camera i own unless i quickly glanced at the front of mine.  that being said, my camera is always close by, always charged, and always emptied of recent pics to make room for more.  i have a digital that i love and i've taken the time to really figure out what it can do and how to best use it (admittedly, i have lots left to learn).

so, when i saw all that the beach had to offer this summer, i quickly switched to the "macro" setting on my trusty digital and went to town.

just changing the angle of the camera can create some interesting shots, too...

and the water, itself, is interesting enough...

i'm not sure that i'll do anything with these pictures...  but i could!  printed in large sizes, they would look nice framed.  they would also serve well when making fun photo gifts (think calendars, mugs, etc.) for the beach lover.  i could go on... i could show you more photos.  but i'll stop.

my final "use" for shells this year is a little outside the box, but one that works just as well.  year after year, inevitably, the treasures my kids collect get pitched at some point because, as you may guess, i can only fill so many vases.  this year, i gave my kids the assigment of collecting shells that we could send to some friends in the midwest whose kids have not yet seen the ocean.  my friend amanda lives in arkansas, has 3 young children (and is expecting 2 more!), and a beach vacation is not on her horizon.  we are sending a package to her kids filled with shells, rocks, and sand, along with notes and pictures from my kids explaining what the beach is like.  we are hoping they have fun with the stuff we found... and can enjoy something we are "finished" with.