Coastline Treasures

Birds are fun to watch and who doesn’t like the chipping sounds that they bring to your yard?  You have hung your decorative birdhouses and now are waiting for visitors.  To get our feathered friends to pay us a visit be sure to have fresh water available at all times.  A simple bird bath with two inches of water is needed.  If the bath is brightly colored it can actually confuse the birds and they won’t stick around.  Next, be sure to have food close by where predators cannot get to it.  Birds will not come if they feel threatened or their food is gone!  Try to make the area as safe as possible.

Once you have done all these things, sit back, relax and watch to see who comes for a visit and maybe will even stay for awhile.

The Sandpiper is abundant in North America with their population in the millions.  These small birds are a familiar scene running along the seashore and in mudflats.  These wading birds have long legs with slender bills to forge their food in the sand or mud.  They mainly eat insects, small crustaceans and mollusks.  These migratory birds fly to both North America and South America in large flocks.

These birds are so common upon our shores; a trip to the beach would be incomplete without them.  I love watching these small birds as they run around looking for food.  If you are lucky you can see them as they nest in local vegetation as they incubate their eggs and eventually care for their young.  Bring home a memory of these special birds with pictures, souvenirs or metal yard art, to name a few.

Buying a house near water can represent a sizeable investment, but when you consider all of the positive aspects of the experience it’s almost always worth it. For one thing, beachside homes are ideal spots for entertaining guests. Where most hosts have to work hard just to keep their guests comfortable and interested, the lakeside homeowner can let her location and decorations do most of the work.

Just mount a nautical welcome sign in the front entryway and start the party with a little tour. Most guests will be eager to spend time close to the roaring surf, especially if the weather is cooperative. If possible, serve dinner outside in the warm air or at least provide a dazzling view of the shore. By the time they leave, your guests will be just as enthralled with the home as they are charmed by your gracious hosting abilities.

Have you ever seen welcome signs that just don’t seem welcoming?  I have.  These signs are lacking the pizzazz and comfort that welcome signs should have.  They need to be friendly and inviting.  They need to show people who see the signs that they really are welcome there.

Great ways to make sure that welcome signs are welcoming are:

• have fun, bright colors
• use warm patterns, like florals
• use big, bubbly writing
• make sure they are the first things seen

Now that you know what makes good welcome signs, your guests are sure to feel welcomed every time they arrive.

A hammock chair must be one of the best ways to sit and relax.  Suspended above the ground, these chairs are a great way to kick back.  Because they are not stationary, these chairs are a cross between a hammock and a swing.  They have the comfort and material of a hammock with all of the fun of a swing, while still being practical.

Because they can be placed anywhere with an awning or ceiling, these chairs are very versatile.  They are great to just spend a lazy afternoon in and take a nap.  Or, you can perch yourself in one of these floating chairs and read a book.  If you have a young child, they also make great swings as long as you are careful.  The chairs are ideal for anyone who wants the comfort of a hammock and the practicality of a chair.

Everyone has a favorite spot in their home, some have more than one.  For some people its a certain place on the couch.  For some its a arm chair.  Others its their bedroom.  One of my favorite spots is in my garden.

My parents bought wooden garden furniture to furnish our backyard; included in that furniture was a swing.  That swing, in the cool, shaded corner of the backyard, was my favorite spot.  I would spend hours sitting out there just reading a book and taking in the serenity of the birds chirping and the calm breeze.  When I need to escape, I think back to that swing.

It’s hard to come to grips with the fact that summer is drawing to a close. Before we know it, the cool winds of September will set in and those carefree days spent indulging in beachside frivolity will be gone for months at a time. With that in mind, we can’t afford to waste the precious few warm days that still remain. It’s time to break out a cotton hammock and hang it up between two trees.

On an especially warm evening, you might even choose to dwell outside a bit longer than normal, swinging freely inside the hammock as it wraps them in a snug embrace. As the sky darkens and the stars come slowly into view, we can ponder a few of the mysteries of the universe - or maybe just bask in the pale glow of those billion-odd points of light. With a hammock, you can accomplish all of that without even getting sand in your clothes.

What is it about lighthouses that fascinate us?  Is it there history and mystique of all who lived there and the sailors whose lives were saved by them?  Is it there beautiful setting, along the sandy beaches or the rocky peaks?  Have you ever seen the view from atop of a lighthouse?  It is like you are on top of the world and able to see way past the horizon.

Whatever it is that draws us to lighthouses draws us to surround ourselves with them.  I know that I have a lighthouse magnet from North Carolina and a small lighthouse statue from my visit to Georgia.  I have seen yard décor lighthouses, a lighthouse birdhouse, solar lights, yard flags, stepping stones and so much more.  Whenever I visit the coast, I make sure I visit the local lighthouse.  Walking up their grand staircase to the top and looking out to the ships they protect is exhilarating.

Why is it that we are fascinated with the flamingo?  They are tall and statuesque with long legs and a long neck. They often stand on one leg; quite a balancing act for sure.  They often tuck their head under their wing making them look as though they are headless.  What about their oddly shaped beaks, which are specially adapted to separate mud and silt from their food which is uniquely used upside down!  Depending on what they eat, their feather color varies from a light pink to a deep red in color.

These amazing, yet a bit strange creatures draw us to them.  You can’t go to the zoo without visiting the flamingos.  You read about them in books, see them in pictures, and display them in your yard!  Having a set of metal yard art flamingos would bring tribute to these unique creatures not to mention add a bit of fun.  Surely, they would add a smile to your face every time you see them.

Home is where the heart is, and that is no different for a bird.  Some make homes in trees, others in roof tops, some in decorative birdhouses, and others on a buoy in the harbor.  The truth is, birds will nest anywhere that it is safe.  Just like people want to find a safe place to have a family, birds want to make sure where they build their nest is not at high risk for predators.

For this reason, birdhouses are great.  Especially when placed in the right location, birdhouses are four walls and a roof to ward off hungry animals and dangerous weather.  And unlike their feathered exteriors, birds are not feather-brained.  When it comes to finding the best place to nest, they look at everything.  Instinctually, birds know not to build a nest too low to the ground.  Keep a home great for a bird, and you will always find them in your yard.