Endless Sunner

Glass Beach, Ft. Bragg, California

This weekend’s Mega Millions lottery had me thinking of what I would do if I won that much money.

Travel for sure. Top of my list?

Glass Beach, Ft. Bragg, California.

I first became aware of this beach through an article in the Times of the Islands publication that I read when I was in Sanibel Island, Florida in December 2007.

Fort Bragg … is a … town only 15 minutes up the coast from Mendocino. Here you’ll discover mesmerizing Glass Beach, named for the sparkling bits of history that decorate it. Like jewels from a shipwreck, tiny pieces of emerald green, brilliant blue, and topaz glass have tumbled themselves smooth, the remains of castoffs in what was, surprisingly, a 1930’s ocean-side city dump. The craggy coastline, crashing waves, and a distant lighthouse enhance the drama…

Doesn’t that sound wonderful? I would love to be ankle deep in sea glass gems.

Wine and Waves

And as if Glass Beach is not enough, there’s more (again from Times of the Islands):

The oceanfront village of Mendocino is, without doubt, the region’s prime destination for dining or overnight stays. Foodies migrate here to feast on regional produce, fresh seafood, organic delicacies, and, of course, local wines.

Sign me up.

I’ll stay in a bed and breakfast, and visit the wine country …

Yes, this is a Great Escape that I definitely need to plan.

Even if don’t ever win the lottery …

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

I awoke this morning to snow.

Not a big fan.

And this comes on the heels of learning from my friend, Pam, over at iLoveShelling.com, that Frommer’s has placed Sanibel Island at the top of its list of top ten favorite travel destinations.

It’s always been at the top of my list for a great escape!

Check out some of my best shelling pictures here!

And more Sanibel Island here!

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

Last year at this time, I escaped to my very favorite Sanibel Island, Florida. There’s no place like the “tropics” to celebrate Christmas. It’s so much fun!

Where else can you see flamingos pulling a sleigh?

I love, love, LOVE to visit Sanibel Island during the holidays.

Did I mention that I love it?

Eighty-some degrees, driving around with the windows down, listening to Christmas music …

And, look! There’s Santa climbing a palm tree!

This was my second visit to Sanibel Island. I did so much this time!

Here’s Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille. Owned by my favorite author Randy Wayne White:

Randy Wayne White used to be a fishing guide. As a fishing guide, he delivered fish to this restaurant, which he later bought! It’s named after the fictional hero of his novels, Doc Ford. His novels take place in Sanibel Island and they are a great read.

And here’s the Mucky Duck, a popular restaurant on Captiva Island:

I’ve heard tales that if you ask for a table with a window, they will actually bring you a window.

And here’s sunset at the Mucky Duck (Endless Sunner style!):

Beautiful, isn’t it?

And of course, the original Chico’s (my favorite store):

This is the ORIGINAL Chico’s. I visited Chico’s on Luminary Night. So much fun. All the shops are decorated, and there’s music, and food, and drink.

And I visited the shell museum. This is a junonia:

You get your picture in the paper if you find one of these.

Which, of course, brings me to the main event on Sanibel Island: SHELLING!

Check out some of my best shelling pictures here!

And you can see even more Sanibel Island holiday pictures here.

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

I think it’s time for me to plan a great escape to the Bahamas to search for some of this stunning turquoise sea glass.
Have you ever seen a more beautiful color?

One of my cousins brought this sea glass back for me from her visit to the Atlantis on Paradise Island in the Bahamas.

Each sea glass gem is truly a piece of paradise, just the color of the water found at the resort, wouldn’t you say?

According to Richard LaMotte, author of “Pure Sea Glass: Discovering Nature’s Vanishing Gems”, turquoise sea glass is considered to be extremely rare.

This intense blue color with a small degree of green was sometimes used in tableware, antique flasks, and art glass … The rich turqoise color is quite a treasure, and the odds of finding a piece could be as infrequent as one in every 2,500 to 5,000 pieces collected.

I wonder what would have caused so many pieces to be discovered at the Atlantis?

I wire-wrapped one of the gems to give as a gift to my cousin’s sister (who is also my cousin, for those of you keeping track).

And I used gold wire instead of the silver that I usually use because she wears gold jewelry.

What do you think?

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

On Mondays, thoughts often turn to a Great Escape from traffic jams, deadlines, and other hectic realities.

But escapes don’t always have to be actual travel.

Music can be a wonderful escape. My favorite virtual escape lately is via the music at Life Is Good ©.

Whether you are looking for a timeless classic, new music from a rising star or something just a little different from your everyday radio station, our eclectic playlist is hand-selected to always set the mood for good times

Click on the Life Is Good © logo above to listen online.

See what I mean?

You’ll be hooked!

Want to express your eco-conscious style?
Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

As promised yesterday, I’ve saved the best part of my Sanibel Island vacation, SHELLING!, for today’s post.

The shelling is ALWAYS good at Sanibel Island.

It’s rated the Number 1 shelling spot in the U.S.

Shells as far as the eye can see…

Ankle deep.

But sometimes, even higher. Much, MUCH higher.

Check out Shell Mountain.

Please note the person on the right, and see that this shell mound is as tall as he is!

Unbelievable!

I was lucky enough to experience this on December 2.

And I was featured in the iLoveShelling blog!

I’m famous!

Here’s more Shell Mountain.

And more.

That’s Pam from iLoveShelling.com.

We were in touch before I visited Sanibel Island, and it was so much fun to meet her in person when I was in Sanibel on vacation!

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | online studio and blog frontpage | see what’s in store | contact

Amidst all the holiday festivities about a month ago, I escaped to my very favorite Sanibel Island, Florida. There’s no place like the “tropics” to celebrate Christmas. It’s so much fun!

Where else can you see flamingos pulling a sleigh?

I love, love, LOVE to visit Sanibel Island during the holidays.

Did I mention that I love it?

Eighty-some degrees, driving around with the windows down, listening to Christmas music …

And, look! There’s Santa climbing a palm tree!

This is my second visit to Sanibel Island. I did so much this time!

Here’s Doc Ford’s Sanibel Rum Bar and Grille. Owned by my favorite author Randy Wayne White:

Randy Wayne White used to be a fishing guide. As a fishing guide, he delivered fish to this restaurant, which he later bought! It’s named after the fictional hero of his novels, Doc Ford. His novels take place in Sanibel Island and they are a great read.

And here’s the Mucky Duck, a popular restaurant on Captiva Island:

I’ve heard tales that if you ask for a table with a window, they will actually bring you a window.

And here’s sunset at the Mucky Duck (Endless Sunner style!):

Beautiful, isnt’ it?

And of course, the original Chico’s (my favorite store):

This is the ORIGINAL Chico’s. I visited Chico’s on Luminary Night. So much fun. All the shops are decorated, and there’s music, and food, and drink.

And I visited the shell museum. This is a junonia:

You get your picture in the paper if you find one of these.

Which, of course, brings me to the main event on Sanibel Island: SHELLING!

And I’ve saved the best shelling pictures for tomorrow’s post!

Be sure to check back!

You can see more Sanibel Island holiday pictures here.

Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

Warm Holiday Wishes! Christmas is such fun in a tropical place! Wish you were here! Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

It’s Monday again, and as often happens, my thoughts turn to a Great Escape from traffic jams, deadlines, and other hectic realities.

When I was in Jamaica, I took a yoga class on the beach…

Beautiful…

Now that I’m home, I can escape in much the same way each morning, as I did with my Jamaica yoga class, but this time it’s a virtual escape. And my very favorite virtual escape is via pictures from @FtLauderdaleSun posted on Twitter each morning.

The pictures are truly a gift as I start my mornings. Just like doing yoga on the beach…

In Fort Lauderdale Sun’s own words, this is:

a personal photographic project aiming to share images via social media. All the pics … come live from the beach. This account only comes to life at dawn EST, when you’ll see between 10-20 images! … The idea is to show images and video of the dawn as it happens - taken and uploaded right from the shore.

Be sure to follow @FtLauderdaleSun on Twitter to see more pictures like the one above, every morning.

Follow me, too, and I’ll be retweeting my favorite pictures from Fort Lauderdale Sun as well. Wish you were here!

Want to express your eco-conscious style?
Escape to Endless Sunner…
Wish you were here!
Warmly, Maria

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact

When Mondays roll around, my thoughts often turn to a Great Escape from traffic jams, deadlines, and other hectic realities.

You know what? Great Escapes don’t have to be to actual travel destinations. Music is also a great escape. And so is a good beach read.

My favorite author lately is Randy Wayne White. I’m currently devouring ALL of his books.

He writes about a fictional hero, Doc Ford, who is a mild-mannered marine biologist by day, but like Michael Corleone in The Godfather, “They keep pulling me [him] back”. In his case, he’s pulled back to his alter-ego, a former life as a government agent in various banana republics.

The characters in the books are lively, often funny, and the stories are action-packed. I love all the fisheries, environmental, and local Florida references. Starting with Sanibel Flats, all of the books take place, at least in part, on my favorite Great Escape, Sanibel Island. In fact, in real life, the author, Randy Wayne White, was once a fishing guide who used to sell seafood to a local restaurant on Sanibel Island. He now owns the restaurant (in real life), and has renamed it “Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille”. (I’ll be frequenting the real-life “Doc Ford’s Rum Bar and Grille” during my upcoming and much anticipated Great Escape to Sanibel Island.)

Check out Randy Wayne White’s books for your very own Great Escape!

And while you’re at it, keep your place in your beach novel with one of my sea glass bookmarks, like this one shown here.

Yup, you got it. Shameless self-promotion!

Wish you were here!

home | inside endless sunner | see what’s in store | contact