While The Girl was here we did our annual shoreline clean up along the front of our property, and just like every year, were a little surprised at what had washed ashore over the winter months.
In years past we’ve mostly found bits of plastic in just about every form and if we were lucky, a single buoy. This year we found 5 buoys {3 were keepers!}
We didn’t find any gloves or boots, and there were less plastic water bottles this year, so that was good, but still, it always amazes me how much plastic comes ashore.
It makes me wonder if all this stuff just somehow fell off a boat, or was actually thrown into the water.
Fireball. You just can’t escape it here in Maine.
Someone is missing part of their floating dock.
And we found a pretty nice tote.
But the best find of the day was this brightly colored lobster buoy. As soon as I get enough of them I’m going to hang them on the side of our little barn {just like everyone else does around here}.
We also found someone’s deck chair. It must have been out in the water for quite a while though because it’s pretty beat up.
We brought it up and set it alongside the firepit with our other chairs for now. Who knows, maybe someone will come looking for it this summer. 😉
The final tally was 9 plastic bottles, 5 buoys, 5 pieces of styrofoam, a handful of plastic straps, tarps, bits and lids, 2 sandwich baggies, 1 deck chair, 1 giant tote, a bit of rope and nice selection of driftwood for an upcoming project.
Now that our shoreline is all cleaned up… I suppose it’s time to get the floating dock in the water. Yee-Haw! The HH will love that.
Sunny skies and a high of 66 is in the forecast for today… I guess I better get out there and enjoy this beautiful day.
Have a good one,
~Mavis
Lana says
That styrofoam must have been there awhile since it had dried out enough to be light enough to pick up. We tore out an old dock at our lake house last summer and all the styrofoam was heavy as lead.
Donna says
I live smack-dab in the middle of the country and we also battle the Fireball bottles constantly. I’m pretty sure they’re self-reproducing at this point…
Dawn says
Fireball nips seem to be a problem everywhere. I saw one on the ground next to the trash at the gas station this morning and I picked up a few from my yard this week too. No doubt, I will come across even more when I work in my yard this summer.
Melonie K. says
I’m starting to wonder if those little Fireball bottles are like Tribbles – but instead of being born pregnant, they are born empty on the roadsides.
Lindsey says
When we lived on Orcas Island, we collected driftwood and my husband made an awesome wreath with it. We weave lights through it and it is a great Christmas decoration.
Mavis Butterfield says
I need to make a driftwood wreath! Great idea. 🙂
Janis says
I Was at Kroger this week and on one of the end caps was a shrink wrapped 12 pack of those little fireball bottles. I broke out in laughter….I am sure some people thought I had lost it.
Thanks for introducing us to Schanz maple syrup!!! I ordered some…amazing!
Kippy says
Ooh living on Orcas! I made a tabletop driftwood tree a few years ago and love it.
Mavis, no flossers? I thought they were found almost as often as Fireball refuse
Mavis Butterfield says
No flossers this time around! In fact, they are becoming harder to find on the ground… Which is a good thing if you ask me.
Carolina Cooper says
I thought of you today at work, Mavis, as the horticulture team was out preparing the landscaping and gardens for opening day, May 1st, here at Strawbery Banke. That was such a great blog post you did about the gardens last season!
Linda Practical Parsimony says
When you get the buoy decoration up, each year you can improve it with the best of the buoys you find. Can you sell those? Never heard of Fireball. They used to throw much larger bottle of just anything onto my corner lot.
Rita says
If oui jars are selling on ebay, maybe fireball bottles are too! Knowing you Mavis, I bet you could sell them!