Our Daily Ocean: Day 198

Summer 2013 can be summed up with one word: Rain.

Sitting in my car at Wrightsville Beach Thursday late afternoon, I was feeling fed up with the rain.  All I wanted to do was to go to the beach and the rain was coming down heavy flecked with thunder and lightning.  I sat waiting patiently while my kids waited not so patiently for about an hour.... but as the saying goes: All good things come to those who wait.

The thunder and lightning finally subsided and we got our evening at the beach.

It was still sprinkling, but it was ok.  There's something kind of magical about being in the ocean and rain drops falling all around you.  Diving under the waves and coming up to little kisses of rain.  Magic.  And we had it all to ourselves.... giving me a perfect opportunity to practice surfing.  I was nervous because last time I went surfing was Winter 2011 (with my friends from Odysea Surf & Kiteboard School), but... I could still stand up!  (I need to get photographic evidence of my being able to surf ;) )

After a good while in the water,  I was ready for a little sand time.  My two youngest decided to join me as I walked Access 39 for 20 minutes.  Here are some notable pieces of litter we found:

PSST! Most stickers on fruit are plastic! 

"Open your eyes now before you get hurt." ~ Tiana, Disney's The Princess and the Frog

Things aren't always what they appear to be.  Looked like a clam, but it was just a beer cap in disguise.

 20 minutes on August 22, 2013 at Access 39

Litter by weight: 1 lb 5.3 oz

Cigarette butts: 64

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 198 days:

55,674

Our Daily Ocean: Day 63

On Friday, my family and I went to Access 4 for my husband to get his SUP on.   Access 4 (known as "L shaped lot"), is at the far north end of Wrightsville Beach.  I've made a conscious decision to not go to the north end of the beach very often as I've found the middle section of the beach to need the 20 minute clean ups the most.  Before Friday, we hadn't been to 4 since filming and haven't done a clean up there since our 25th clean up back in December!!

The other day, I was reading one of my favorite blogs "The Flotsam Diaries."  Normally one to blog about his discoveries on his local beach in Maine... Harry left Maine to do an archeological excavation.  As usual, Harry shares his observations... but this time while uncovering the "trash" of a forgotten society he makes the connection that their trash is only valuable because it is SO rare.  Being that the trash that our modern day society is creating isn't at all rare....I wonder what archeologists of the future will uncover about us??

But... we don't have to be archeologists in the future to tell a story about a people in a time or place.  Take access 4, for example.  I commonly refer to access 4 as the "family access."  AND... one 20 minute clean up is enough for the trash to prove it.  The number one kid related item that we found were juice box straw wrappers.  I think I've said this a million times... but just in case anyone has missed it.  I get why parents buy juice boxes.  They're super convenient and kids like them.  In fact, my kids used to love them.  BUT... as convenient as they are, there's another super convenient option.  We take reusable water bottles to the beach.  We can fill them with whatever we want and best of all there's no (accidental) littering.

More signs of families... especially kids were everywhere.  I especially love this volcano that I came across. The cigarette butt.... not so much. :(

Whenever I find band-aids on the beach... I immediately think of my friend Sara, who writes The Daily Ocean blog.  She always wonders why people wear them to the beach... they come off in the shower.  Hmmm.... Speaking of Sara.  To date, I've added 97 lbs 2.2 oz to The Daily Ocean Community Count.  Anyone can and is encouraged to add to The Daily Ocean Community Collection Count... go here to learn how :)

20 minutes on May 13, 2011 at Access 4

Litter by weight: 14 oz
Cigarette butt: 112

Total amount of cigarette butts removed from Wrightsville Beach, NC in 63 days:

17,608