Five Years

It occurred to me, earlier today, that it has been five years since I started this blog. Well, five years and a few days.

Although I have been a "blogger" since 1996 (blogs didn't actually exist until 1999, but I kept an online journal on a web site-- a LOT of work, without blogging software!), the North Beach Treasures blog was my first attempt at keeping a "micro niche" blog about an interest/hobby. The closest, otherwise, has been my stamp collecting blog-- but there are millions and millions of stamp collectors, and hundreds of thousands of different stamps to highlight and write about.

Not so with sea glass and beach combing.

I have found it challenging, because there's only so much to write about. I've learned that there are limitations, here. Once I've written ONE post about "red sea glass," that's pretty much it... and it makes no sense to write another. Only so much can be said about beach combing, in general.

Indeed, part of my motivation in originally starting this blog was to use it to announce when I had sea glass for sale, that jewelers and artists might be interested in. That said, I really didn't want the blog to be "sales oriented" in nature... but more collector/collecting oriented. Informative, rather than commercial.

I've learned that my fellow beach combers do enjoy looking at pictures of "recent finds." I can relate to that, as I also enjoy looking at other people's finds. So I have at least one kind of "subject matter" I can repeat over and over-- happy it also is a popular one!

I expect I would have more to write about, if I were an artisan or jeweler. But I only collect sea glass for the sake of "collecting sea glass." Selling some of it has become a nice "fringe benefit," and it makes me happy to know that my glass ends up being part of "items of beauty" that other people get to enjoy. That's a lot better (in my eyes) than just having it sit in jars on my window sill.

What's ahead? More of the above, I suppose. I do enjoy writing, and sharing things from my beach trips. For me, a large part of the joy of collecting (ANYthing!) involves the "social aspect" of connecting with others who have similar interests.