Crab Shells from the Beach

On my recent vacation to Ocean City, I went for an early morning walk on the beach. I found a couple of these crab shells washed up on the shoreline during my quick jaunt.

I also found a live hermit crab later in the week that my nephews adopted and took home from the shoreline.

There is nothing like finding something great when you are at the beach. In addition, my nephews found a huge crab shell while they were playing on the beach after breakfast with my dad.

Strolling on the Strand at Bray Beach

If you hop on the DART in Dublin City Centre and take the train about 20 minutes south, you will be at Bray. Bray is a seaside town that is about as close as Ireland gets to the Jersey Shore in America. There is a promenade and a couple of arcades for the kids and adults.

Mostly, it is a place where the Irish gather to enjoy a great view of the water. On this day, it was about 30 degrees (Fahrenheit). Since the sun had made an appearance and the kids were off of school, the area was packed with people. In American, we would have been hiding in our houses. The Irish, they never miss soaking up a minute of sun.

Afternoon at Ocean City Beach

During my vacation, the weather was hot. As a matter of fact, it was the hottest day of the summer in Ocean City when I was there.

Some brave, or maybe crazy, people were at the beach hunkered down with their umbrellas. I thought with the parasailer, it was a pretty cool (in the vibe sense) scene.

I pulled over my bike and snapped a pic. You have to love compact digital cameras.

Life guard Boat on Ocean City Beach

There is something very peaceful about the ocean in the morning. I love how everything seems to have taken on a blue cast from the morning light.

This photo is of the row boat at the life guard station. They don't have it at all the stations, but they are sprinkled down the beach at different points.

They keep the beaches in Ocean City very well groomed, so it makes the early morning adventures really enjoyable because you don't see any liter on the beach from the day before.

Standout Shell

The beaches in Englewood are littered with shells of different shapes and sizes. They form a wide swath across the beach at the tide line. However, you will spot one in the heaps of shells that stands out. The color the size is different and is among much smaller shells.

This particular shell was not totally face up, but caught my attention, so I laid it flat. In the early morning light, it looked really incredible to me. It is fascinating to notice all of the colors in the shell and how well they are work today.

Mother natures is an incredible judge of color. If I tried to put all those colors together, it would be interesting to say the least.

Morning Walk at Sunrise

Although you can see the sun coming up over Lemon Bay, the ocean is also beautiful at sunrise. The light is much softer and makes the sky glow in a different way. I think there are fewer people on the beach at sunrise - given the hour - than the sunset.

It is interesting to me that so many people go out to see the sunset every evening. It makes the beach seem much more active than at an early hour. I think getting out early in the morning for a walk on the Gulf Shore is much more conducive to having a ramble.

Lemon Bay Sunrise

Although vacation is supposed to be about sleeping late and relaxing in general, I think there is too much on my mind. Since I have the time to 'relax', it seems like my mind just races. The side effect of that is I tend to wake up just as early or earlier than I would at home.

On this particular morning, I got out of bed at 6:45, fully expecting my mom to be sitting in the living room. When she wasn't, I grabbed my camera and slipped on my running shoes to go for a walk. I ventured down to the dock. I got to see a lovely sunrise on Lemon Bay.

It was a little cold in the morning, so the boat dock was dewy and lovely. Make me wish I was there is morning because Cleveland was windy and bitterly cold.

Boats on the Beach

Due to the nature of the Englewood area, you don't often see boats on the beach. Most often, people have their boats docked on the bay side. There are a few marinas that are around the area as well.

These two boats were not abandoned here because they were in good shape. I did love seeing the masts of the boats as I was walking onto the beach the first day. There are very few things that really represent peace and freedom to me the way that sailing does. It is really one of the remaining places where you can just get away from daily life, especially on a catamaran.

Shell Washing Station

When of the things that I often think about when I visit my parents in Florida is the different in the pace of life. People go for longs walks in the morning and spend time walking on the beach or seeing the sunset.

I think part of the reason for that is the vast majority of people in the part of Florida where my parents go are retired. They have more time to relax and do things like collect shells on the beach.

Even with that, there is still a hint of the business efficiency that went along with their former lives they lead in the business world. The little shell washing station is a kind of evidence of that to me. It is a great set up to efficiently clean off your shells so you don't track the sand into your condo and you pipes. Yet, it is a quaint idea to think that people collect shells so often that this type of area is a necessity.

I converted this photo to black and white for two reasons. I think it adds to its kitschy nature. I also think that compared to all of the other brights buildings, the sun-washed wood actually seems like it is in black and white when you first see it.