Where to Find Sea Glass (Gulf Coast) United States

While there are no “sea glass” beaches on the gulf coast, there are some spots that usually have a few treasures scattered along the shoreline.

The gulf coast in the united states includes the states of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida. I have visited almost every beach from South Padre Island in Texas to Key West in Florida.

If you follow my blog, you know of my love for Florida. It has some of the most beautiful beaches in the United States. But if you are looking for sea glass, Texas wins by far!

Unfortunately, you are not likely to find any kind of glass on those beautiful white sand beaches. What you are looking for are places with darker sand, some shells (mostly fragments), and heavily populated. (or close to a populated area).

There are only four places that I consistently find sea glass. Some of the pieces are perfectly smoothed and others are just barley tossed.

Bolivar Peninsula

High Island Beach, Old SH 87, High Island, TX 77623

This one area is the only place on the peninsula that I have ever found any sea glass. It’s a great place to find all colors of smooth glass.

High Island Beach

 310 Ocean Village Dr, Surfside Beach, TX 77541

Most of the glass is clear.

 Sea Rim State Park

19335 State Hwy 87, Sabine Pass, TX 77655

All colors, but very little

 La Quinta Inn & Suites

7000 Padre Blvd, South Padre Island, TX 78597

Tons of brown glass

 Good luck with the sea glass hunting!

Impact Meteor Crater -(Winslow, Arizona)

"Well, I'm standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona"......  not exactly on a corner, but on the edge.... of a massive crater! I could not quit hearing those song lyrics in my head the whole time we were there! 😃

My husband and I were headed to Sedona on Interstate 40 and saw a sign saying the crater was ahead. We were ready for a break from ridding, so we took the exit to see it. After driving miles through a cow pasture, we came upon the massive crater and visitor center.

Located  in Northern Arizona, the impact crater was formed from a meteor that hit Earth thousands of years ago.  It is about a mile wide, a mile across, and more than 550 feet deep.

Several observation platforms are located around and at different depths for great viewing of the crater.

The crater was used for training  the NASA astronauts in preparation for the Apollo missions to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s.

Admission:

  Adults $18.00
•    Seniors $16.00 (age 60 years and over)
•    Juniors $9.00 (age 6 through 17 years)
•    5 and under are free

Hours:

Memorial Day to Labor Day we will be open from:   7:00 AM to 7:00 PM
Non-summer hours:   8:00 AM to 5:00 PM

Address:

Meteor Crater Enterprises, Inc.
Interstate 40, Exit 233
Winslow, AZ 86047 USA

Happy Travels! 

Growing Bougainvillea Indoors

June 30, 2017

Can Bougainvillea be grown inside your house? Yes. Do I recommend doing this? Well, maybe.

June 1, 2017

I purchased two beautiful pink bougainvillea plants from Lowes in the spring. They grew like crazy over the summer in pots on my porch. They were so pretty!

In November, when I brought all of the non-hardy tropical plants inside, I did not bring these in. I was tired of the dealing with them! The thorns are massive (up to 2 inches) and I had been stabbed all summer trying the keep the vines somewhat confined to the porch columns.

Well about the middle of December, after several freezes on them, they were still blooming. I could not stand to leave them out any longer. So, I brought them inside.

At first, I loved them inside. They were placed in a south window to get sun. Most the leaves fell off from the move, but the brachts and flowers stayed on. Within three weeks, they almost completely covered the windows. By the end of January, after several trimmings, they were covering the windows again. They grew and bloomed like crazy without any special care. I watered them two to three times a week and cleaned up all the mess from the blooms weekly.

I have to admit that I loved looking at the snow covered yard through a window of bright pink vines.

The First week of February was my breaking point! The vines were strangling my mango tree, bird of paradise, and anything else they could reach. It was time for them to go!

Armed with long sleeves, gloves, and clippers, the fight was on! The poor mango tree was mangled a little from removing the vines, but everything went pretty smoothly.

I think all the other plants were glad to see them gone! They had actually stared to lean away from the window because they were getting more light from the ceiling fixture.

So, should you grow bougainvillea inside? If you don’t mind these things:

1. A constant mess from the old leaves and flowers falling off. There will be a lot!

2. The soil does dry out quickly and require frequent watering, even in the winter.

3. The vines have a ton of long thorns! They will need to be placed so as not to cause injury to passersby.

4. You may need to prune them routinely.

I have read so many stories about people having trouble getting their plants to grow and flower. I found them to be aggressive and easy to grow inside and out in my zone 7b – 8a. I still think they are extremely beautiful plants, but I’m not sure if I even want them outside anymore. The pots are stilling on my porch now and still have leaves and look great. I might put them in the ground and see how they overwinter outside next year. Maybe…

  Happy Gardening! 

Wildseed Farms (Fredericksburg, Texas)

This place was one of those “Hey, that looked interesting. Let’s go back. “stops. We were on a girl’s trip, the only kind where you can do that kind of thing, headed to Fredericksburg. We had such a good time there! It wound up being one of the highlights of our weekend.

Wildseed Farms is the nation's largest working wildflower farm with over 200 acres of colorful blooms in season. These fields have been used for seed production for over 35 years.

Bright red Corn Poppies and three colors of Texas bluebonnets greet you in the parking area.

Gloriosa Daisy, cosmos, Corn Poppies, larkspur, phlox, sunflowers, and Texas Bluebonnets are some of the flower varieties you will see growing in the fields during your visit.

A half mile trail lined with a wood look fence leads through the display and trial gardens. Sitting areas and water features are placed along the route.

The Brewbonnet Biergarten offers a place to grab something to eat and drink. Unique jams, jellies, salsas, and other goodies are available for purchasing. They all looked amazing!

They are one of the largest plant nurseries in Central Texas with large selections of annuals, perennials, herbs, tropicals, cactus and succulents.

The gift store is packed with, unique pottery, garden accessories, clothing, seeds and much more.

Parking and admission are free. Hours are from 9:30am - 5:00pm daily.

We visited in April. Check here to see what will be in bloom for your visit.

Location:

 Fredericksburg is located 78 miles west of Austin and 70 miles north of San Antonio.

Address:

100 Legacy Drive, Fredericksburg, TX 78624

    Happy Travels! 

Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village (Sedona, Arizona)

A step through the first grand arched entry way into this authentic style village gives you a strong feel of Mexico, Spain, or perhaps Italy.  A quick trip to another country without leaving the United States, count me in!

Tlaquepaque Arts & Crafts Village has been a landmark since the 1970's and is basically the downtown area of Sedona.

Art galleries, unique boutiques, and restaurants are throughout the village offering upscale shopping and dining.

Cobble stone walkways lead to beautifully landscaped court yards lined with vine covered Stucco walls. The detailed iron work, massive columns, colorful flowers, and unique sculptures are amazing!

Brightly colored Mexican tiles give a pop of color to many of the stairways and water features.

It is a truly a unique experience to explore the village. I would highly recommend a walk through the area even if you are not interested in shopping.

If you are into photography, this place is a photographer’s dream! Well, unless it is crowded and raining like it was on the day we were there!

Address:

336 AZ-179

 Sedona, AZ 86336

Happy Travels!

Parrot Key Resort (Review) Key West, Florida

Does lounging on a white sandy beach under coconut palms, swimming in crystal clear water, or exploring acres of lush tropical gardens sound like a place you would like to spend a few days? That is exactly what you will experience at The Parrot Key Resort in Key West.

I have stayed in so many resorts and hotels in Florida that are pretty, but are basically surrounded by just sand and palm trees. The Parrot Key is what I envisioned when thinking about a Florida vacation … Tropical. The gardens have a slight Balinese feel, which I love!

Four secluded pools offer a great way to cool off from the hot and humid Keys weather. We were always able to have a pool to ourselves when we wanted to swim. The layout of the garden and pools allows a feeling of complete privacy.

Although there is no water access, the white sand sunbathing terraces along the waterside of the resort are the perfect place to watch a colorful Key West sunset.

The resort is located away from Duval Street, Mallory Square, and the beaches, but is only a short drive or shuttle ride to the areas.

Due to damage from hurricane Irma and some remodeling projects, it looks like they will not be open for reservation again until June. We loved our stay and hope to get back there soon!

Address:

Parrot Key Hotel and Resort

 2801 N Roosevelt Blvd

 Key West, FL 33040