"And then, some morning in the second week, the mind wakes, comes to life again. Not in a city sense--no--but beach-wise. It begins to drift, to play, to turn over in gentle careless rolls like those lazy waves on the beach. One never knows what chance treasures...
When I was a boy--aside from the obvious ball sports like basketball and football--I spent my time with a bunch of matchbox cars that I liked to line up and organize every day. I'm not sure what I got out of that. I also had a bunch of marbles and crayons. I've...
The Scotch Bonnet is considered, by many, to be the holy grail of beachcombing finds in North Carolina. This little three-inch long, plaid checkered sea snail shell is quite a difficult find. Oddly enough, the Scotch Bonnet was deemed the official state shell of...
New home for sale: priced to move. Bargain. May have dings, dents, and considerable blemish to the finish. Spacious interior. Unconditioned space. Single occupancy preferred. Best offers only. Shark-Eye Moon Snail Shell found along Cape Hatteras National...
There are four types of Whelk shell that I run into when beachcombing Cape Hatteras National Seashore: the knobbed whelk, the pear whelk, the channel whelk, and the lightning whelk. This is a Lightning Whelk shell. Similar to knobbed whelks in appearance, it's only...
A question I field regularly is whether I prefer incoming (push) or outgoing (pull) waves. The only way to answer that question is, it depends! Without situational context, I would tell you outgoing waves. Shooting with water in the frame generally means wet feet,...
Not all seashells are pretty. This Knobbed Whelk shell was worn and battered, not to mention incredibly large, awkward, and heavy to carry around! However, I found the bright orange aperture--or opening--very striking against the virtually bone white coloring of the...
Knobbed Whelk shells are quite the prize for non-discriminate beachcombers. Non-discriminate because they are rather gratuitous in size! Their thick, strong shells allow many Knobbed Whelks to make it through the rough surf and onto the beaches of Cape Hatteras...
One of the neatest things about beachcombing is the surprising combination of color, pattern and shape of individual shells. Winter is the perfect time to beachcomb. Walking keeps you warm and the cold temperatures--and often gusty winds--keep the crowds far from...