Turtle Treasures

Thanks everyone for the great time in Ashtabula this past weekend. The 3rd Annual Ashtabula Harbor Beach Glass Festival was just super! We had gray, even a bit chilly weather on Saturday, but it was so much better than the sticky heat we had last year. And Sunday was just beautiful!

John and I were kept very busy with all our customers. They were enthusiastic and just great fun! We loved all the smiles, even giggles when they would SEE what we were selling. We heard “These are so cute!” a million times!

The people all share that love for Lake Erie, and the pebbles and beach glass collecting that make all my turtles made with the glass and pebbles so collectible and special! They just “Have” to have one. And the fun thing was having so many repeat customers from last year that wanted another one, or just waited all year to get one because they didn’t last year, or bought one last year for a gift, but just had to have their own this year! Now how fun is that!!!

And John was a big hit as always! The ladies worry about “their” turtle from the moment they finally choose which one they want until the see that he is wrapping and boxing them so carefully for them!

We just had a very busy, but great show. My shop is lonely without them all! And I do miss them! The place looks so empty, but then I guess I have room for more. “Here I come Lake Erie, Please bring me some wonderful treasures” And Lord thank you so very much for just everything!

Everyone loved "Turtle Treasures!"

Customers trying to decide which one they "had" to have!

Introducing my newest Grandchild..."Josie Ann"

Wow! What a miracle LIFE is! The newest addition to our family is grandchild number 7, Josie Ann. She arrived on her due date March 30TH!

I’m so thankful for the end of Winter. The lake is WATER again and I can go beach combing!! Yeah! Last weekend was chilly and the shoreline at Presque was edged with piles of ice stacked up off the lake. It was so fun to give the big white chunks a kick and have them splinter apart into thousands of beautiful crystal ice cycles. The sound it made was like little tinkling explosions.

But the rain pretty much had things all melted by Sunday PM and John and I walked along and found some fun beach glass. I can’t wait to get back up to the lake soon!!!!!

It’s coming soon.   I’m so busy trying to keep up with the demand for turtles in the galleries and get stock ready for the festival I can’t keep turtles on this site! Sorry!  You can check out more photos of my work on “Turtle Treasures” Facebook page.

Anyway, the Festival is just around the corner!  It’s exciting!   I hope to meet you there!

North American

Sea Glass Festival 2010, Hyannis, MA

Oct. 9-10

at the Cape Cod Resort and Conference Center!

for more info go to

www.seaglassassociation.org

Ahhh February! ♥ The LOVE month!  Who couldn’t use more love?   So speaking of love, how about those heart rocks.  You know the ones you find that are shaped like a heart!  I have a twin sister Pattie.  She and I were due on April Fool’s Day, but arrived on Valentine’s Day.  I won’t say what year.  But it has always made us feel special!

I started bringing her home “heart shaped” rocks and pebbles from Presque Isle, Erie PA in August of 1992.  She got remarried on Aug.1 of that year and my husband John and I took all our kids and their kids, a total of 11 camping the day after the wedding, while they honeymooned.  We camped in an old pop-up and a couple tents and our old Dodge maxi-van!  I still remember this huge storm that blew in off the lake! But as usual we had a GREAT time and made many memories swimming and biking and playing together.  I took her home a heart shaped rock I found on the beach to honor her new marriage and remind her of our love.  Since then I have brought home countless ones that she adds to an overflowing antique toy wagon.  She still treasures them all and each new one is a wonder and special in it’s own way.

I now have added them to many, many turtles!  They get really cute with a heart rock on their back, surrounded by lucky stones and pebbles.  And then you get to give them the fun names, like “Lucky In Love,”  “Dance Into My Heart,” or “Love Never Fails!”  I always hope that they really touch people and make them think about how loved they are.

We are so “loved” you know, by the Creator of it all!  Those heart rocks on the beach ought to make us think about how much God does love us.  ‘Cause He does! And that just ought to chase the Winter cold away and “warm up” any heart!

"I'm Lucky In Love"

I so NEED some Vitamin D, not from some Vitamin bottle or that stuff added to some bleached out cereal or milk.  I NEED the kind your skin makes when those good old ultra-violet rays hit it!  I’ve been trying all Winter to catch what few rays there have been, even to the point of sitting in the weirdest places in my house where the sunshine has come in through the living room windows in the afternoon.  Those have been rare almost fleeting, funny moments of peeling off my socks, rolling up jeans and sleeves or whatever and trying to be warm enough to sit on the arm of the couch in the narrow rays of sunshine.  I have gotten outside a bit too, but then you have to bundle up so much that none of my skin is exposed but my face!  I’m dreaming of  sunny, sandy beaches.

And then you have to do the taxes! Enough said.

I’m not one to wish my life away!  There is something about the Winter that is Wonderful!  But when I get on this blog I’m thinking of Lake Erie and Presque Isle and missing the wind and the waves and the treasure hunting.  But the thing is I know that will all get here soon enough.  I’ll be so glad for that and for my dear Ben being done with all those horrible chemo treatments!  Healing is coming I pray it so.

No wonder Jesus is the LIGHT!  I just can’t live without it!  None of us can.

There is a severe storm watch posted for most of the mid-section of the country and it’s headed EAST! I really don’t care much as long as everyone is safe on the highway, but it does make sunny days beachcombing seem so far away!  I miss Lake Erie and that wind blowing from the WEST.  I miss the waves crashing and the hunt for TREASURES ESPECIALLY!

That’s the thing about treasure hunting along the shore, you just never know what you’ll find.  I know to the majority think it is just TRASH, but some of us who know it is precious treasure!  Last Fall I found this old metal spoon.  It was all worn from it’s time in the lake.  BUT it had been someone’s tableware and maybe even a wedding gift.  It HAD been used and used again before it became TRASH in Lake Erie!  It’s marked with Pat. Mar.13.24 and WWRogers & Son AA.  It has a story.  It “lived” it’s  life somewhere dishing out mashed potatoes and cereal and had one “terrific” ride in the lake.  And to me it still “lives” a tells it’s tale!  I just love it!