Coastline Treasures

Here is a week-end project that will be fun for the entire family; making a beach birdhouse.  Start by getting a plain wooden birdhouse; you can build one or buy one at your local home building supply store.  Next, go to your local craft store and search the isles for miniature beach scene items.  It can be a beach ball, surf board, beach chair, life rings, crabs or anything else you desire.  Pick up sky blue, ocean blue, sand and white craft paint.  You won’t need much; the small 4-6 ounce bottles will do the trick.

Be sure to prime the wood of the birdhouse before beginning.  Once dry, paint the roof sky blue and the house sand color allowing time for it to dry before adding clouds to the sky and ocean blue along the base of the house.  Using a hot glue gun, add your miniatures along the house creating your beach scene.  Once done, hang it in your yard and watch your feathered friends enjoy a day at the beach!

I love ships and the open sea; the sky that goes forever, the smells of salt water, the spray of the ocean, and the sounds of the lapping water along its edge.  Ships have been a part of history since time began and a recent trip introduced me to the schooner.  This multi-masted sailing vessel has two of more sails that are parallel to the body of the ship.  They were popular with trades that required speed; slaving, privateering, blockade running, fishing and pirating.

Schooners were most popular in the United States and Essex, Massachusetts was their most significant shipbuilding center.  Essex built more than 4,000 schooners and most were used for the fishing industry along the Massachusetts coast.  These fabulous ships of the 1800′s can be preserved as a wooden model ship; I brought one home and enjoy it every day.

Lighthouses come in different shapes, sizes, colors and designs.  Their designs were practical for the environment in which they were built.  Some lighthouses are built in the middle of water, on a rocky cliff, a sandy beach, or along harbors.  Architects used local materials to build their lighthouses and constructed them to with stand its environment.

The lighthouse decor used for constructing lighthouses is round, pyramid, skeletal, conical and square.  The round designs are often made of brick and painted.  They can be tall or short depending on their location.  The pyramid lighthouse is not used much being made of wood or steel.  A skeletal design consists of a steel framework for little wind resistance.  Finally the square lighthouse encompasses the tower being built into the keeper’s house creating a square look.  There are other shapes and styles depending on where you live.  The designs are endless.

Have you ever seen whales migrate?  What a sight!  Living in southern California we are blessed with the migration of several different kinds of whales; Gray Whales, Blue Whales, Humpback Whales, Minke Whales,  and sometimes Orca Whales also known as ‘Killer Whales’.  Each year whales will travel between 10,000 and 12,000 miles round trip from the warm waters of Mexico to give birth, to the cold waters of Alaska to feed.  Due to their near-shore migration route, we can easily watch their yearly migration.

Along with seeing whales come the dolphin.  Some seen here are the Common, Bottlenose, Risso, Pacific White Sided and Dall’s Porpoise.  Dolphins love to play and jump above the ocean and surf the waves.  I remember a time when whale watching, this dolphin came from nowhere and started jumping the crests of the boat waves.  Next thing I knew, there were dolphin figurines all around the boat, jumping and playing with each other.  You couldn’t help but smile and laugh while watching their antics. You could see that they were having so much fun!  If you ever have a chance to go whale and dolphin watching, I would highly recommend it!

While visiting a friend, I was amazed at the glass animal figurines that she had collected.  She had a large curio cabinet where she displayed them.  Not only was this a great way to display them but smart as well.  They all stayed safe inside away from the daily chaos of kids and animals.

She told me that when she was young and on a trip with her family, she bought her first glass figurine.  That started a tradition.  Every time she goes on a vacation, she brings back a glass animal figurine to add to her collection.  She said that sometimes it is an animal that might live in the region and sometimes she gets it just because she likes it.  Either way, she does not see this tradition changing in the near future.

Many years ago I started to collect decorative wall plates.  They were part of a signed and dated limited series.  I had so much fun with them.  Each month I would receive one and it was always a surprise.  Of course I knew it was coming, but I never knew which design would be next.  I never looked ahead because that would ruin my surprise.

Once I received the entire series of 12 plates, I laid them all out.  I used a wall in my dining room creating a pattern that really showed them off.  I love entertaining and having these beautiful plates decorating the wall.  I get joy out of each of the designs and it reminds me of the joy I had opening up each one as they arrived.

Nautical culture remains a big part of my hometown in northern Michigan. Shipping industries began to sprout up in the 19th century thanks to the town’s strategic location on Lake Huron. The steady stream of commerce at all hours meant that the area needed plenty of operational lighthouses. This measure was meant to ensure the safety of ships and their crews as they came in to port, but the lasting effect has been much more profound.

Today, Northern Michigan lighthouses are appreciated as much for their historical value as for their functionality. They are especially treasured by older generations, and lighthouse figurines have become collector’s items in recent years. Their intricate detail and lifelike appearance serves as a testament to the quality of the craftsmanship. These figurines are the next best thing to examining a real lighthouse up close.