I love the beach. And this is entirely my parents' doing. For as long as I can remember, our week-ends and vacations were spent visiting the shores in various parts of the Philippines.
When my parents prospered, they acquired an ocean front property in Anilao, a coastal destination at the southeast tip of Batangas. I spent a lot of summers learning how to snorkel by the rocky coast, and once I was used to it I could stay in the water until sunset, or when my parents began to worry. We also sailed to the nearby Sombrero Island, which had a beautiful white sand beach. The coral reef was breathtaking, but I was careful not to stray too far from the shore with the sharks dwelling nearby.
Besides being in the waters and listening to the waves, birds, and the wind, I have become very fond of collecting items, such as shells, corals, stones, and other gifts the beach had to offer. The trinkets I amassed were stored in a secret place in the beach house.
Through the years, as I got older and had acquired other interests, our family visits to Anilao were fewer and farther in between . I took it for granted that I had time to one day retrieve my treasures. Unfortunately, that day never came as news of my summer mecca was recently sold. My collection was lost.
Years later, as I watch the sunrise and waves on the shores of Cabo San Lucas, I decided to start anew. There was a lesson learned from my youth that I could apply today. I would collect again, but this time I will make it meaningful.
Beginning with the sands of the Pacifico Beach, I started my beach collection jars. For each trip made to the beach, I would collect anything that gave me a perfect reminder of my stay. I would bring them home, wash them, and carefully place them into clear glass vases. They would then occupy corners of my home where they serve as a memento.
Here are samples of my collection:
Tiny Pebbles from the Cabo Pacifica Beach
Shells and Sand from the northside beaches of Oahu.
Sand, Shells, Coral, and Volcanic Rocks from Drive to Hana, Maui.
Fine White Sand, Tiny Pebbles, and Coral from Boracay.
Colorful Pebbles and Rocks from Moonstone Beach, Cambria, California.
And various shells gathered from different beaches:
