Check this out, please - and let me know what you think:

http://backyardoasis.spaces.live.com/

This site seems better for photo album management. I'm updating it regularly with new photos.

If you are having difficulty viewing the photos on the spaces.live site, you might want to try it. Go to GetFirefox.com and download this free browser.

A view from upstairs

Nautical Artifacts

I love the beach and I love being in, near or around water. On our last trip to Port Aransas, I also discovered a love of treasure hunting. At local gift shops and restaurants I tried on several occasions to purchase decorative items that had actually been recovered from the sea. No one was willing to sell, but I did learn that what the sea offers up is considered public domain. I went so far as to talk to the harbor-master and he confirmed that we could just comb the beach without regard to property lines or ownership. Here are some of our finds.

We hauled this enormous net with our jetski. I'm still amazed we did not do harm to man or machine during our adventures. I hung this net out hoping that someday I'll understand how the heck it works. I welcome all to study the picture or come visit in person, to help. I'm not certain that I'll ever figure out this riddle on my own.

The 2 palm trees are supposed to max out at 80 feet. They're planted in a sand bed, as recommended. With all that sand, our beach-finds seem quite at home. A couple of buoys, some driftwood and a couple of coconuts, mixed with shells and a few washed-up bottles hopefully create a castaway feel.

Port Aransas - early June

We stayed in the upstairs of this 2-story duplex beach house. The bare wood is accented with some very bright colors - part of the inspiration for the oasis. You can see the jet ski at the right in the driveway. The jet ski was our vessel for recovering nautical treasures, now found in the oasis. The beach house was quite old and "grandfathered" in its location - construction is no longer allowed so close to the beach.

From the porch, we could see the ocean across the dune. You could also sit and listen to the lulling sound of waves breaking, and the accompanying caw of seagulls.

I got up at sunrise on our last morning and took some pictures on the beach. The beaches were clean and uncrowded and we had a wonderful experience. Maybe that's why I've tried to capture so much of it in our backyard.

And...the backyard came to fruition by sacrificing the family trip to Hawaii. So... we created our own oasis.