The Bivalve Oyster Packing Co, Inc was a canned and cured fish and seafood processing plant in the Princess Anne/Mount Vernon area of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. A bivalve is another name for an oyster. Both Princess Anne and Mount Vernon once relied completely upon these little shelled creatures. The local economy depended on harvesting mollusks from the local waterways. Today, there isn’t a trace of the shell fish economy in this area. The Bivalve Oyster Packing Co once employed approximately 20 to 50 employees and brought in a gross annual sale of just under $500,000.The company was founded in 1946....

I took a little road trip to Princess Anne, Maryland today. This little town was one of the most picturesque towns I've visited on the Eastern Shore yet. Located at the head of the Manokin River, Princess Anne was formed in the 1600s and established as a municipality in 1733. The sidewalks were made of brick, the streets were lined with huge aged trees, and I was in Colonial, Federal, and Victorian heaven.The Teackle Mansion is a highly elaborate example of Federal style architecture built by Littleton Dennis Teackle, one of the area's most influential men of the early 19th...

Happy May! Can you believe that it's finally May? Where are the May flowers? The first weekend of this beautiful month was marvelous. The weather was divine; I had a charming houseguest, had lots of fun, and got a chance to relax, too. How about a weekend recap in photos?Took the pups to Assateague National Seashore on Saturday morning. That handsome silver Weimaraner is Minx. He stayed with us for the weekend, too. I think he's officially Sandi Doodle's boyfriend. This was Minx's first trip to the beach and Bruce & I think he loved it! Two pups running free...

My hands have calluses from drilling through seashells, sea glass, and stitching starfish this weekend! Hooray for new items in the Ami's Mermaid Jewelry collection. It's almost summer so the local, Ocean City, shops are stocking up and filling their accessory cases. I'm making lots of new things to fill those cases, too.Check these little guys out! What do you think? Something very different for my line. They're made out of recycled/reused vintage fabric scraps. The rest of my jewelry is made from found objects so these stick with the idea of repurposing an item to create something fun and...

Last Sunday, while in Harrisburg, PA, I traipsed around my Aunt’s backyard barn and stared at this beauty…This is a 1940 Oldsmobile Series 90. A four-door Touring Sedan known as a luxury vehicle in its hay day. The styling of the Series 90 was second to none (other than maybe the Oldsmobile Hydra-Matic of the same year). With vent windows, front-hinged rear doors (a.k.a.‘suicide doors’), and notched back profile, this car is so sleek.(My sister & her boyfriend. Pretty cute, right?) (Source.) A walnut-grain dash and large ‘deluxe’ steering wheel were standard in this 1940 vehicle. The dash was clean...