Collections - Why Do People Collect Things?

There were seashells everywhere. The room was furnished with couches and chairs with a seashell pattern on the upholstery.There were lamps with shades covered with shells. Sculptures made of shells and books about seashells sat on the tables. Family photos in seashell- encrusted frames lined the shelves. A curio cabinet was filled with more shells. I was visiting the home of a new acquaintance. She collects seashells. A special room in her home was dedicated to shells. There were shells from all over the world everywhere in that room. Even the business card she gave me was decorated with a photo of a large shell.

People have a natural tendency to collect things. Seashells may not be their passion but whether its coins, stamps, postcards, spoons, or more bizarre things like teabags, chocolate bar wrappers or traffic signs we human beings seem inclined to be collectors. Dr. Steve Anderson, a neurologist at the University of Iowa says our need to collect may harken back to an earlier point in our evolution, since many animals hoard things, especially food.

According to Susan Pearce, author of the book Interpreting Objects and Collections one in three North Americans collects something. There are many different kinds of collections and collectors.

Some collections are souvenirs or mementos of a place. I once visited the home of a couple who collect masks every time they travel. One wall of their dining room is covered with traditional painted masks from South Africa, Egypt, Vietnam, the Philippines and dozens of other places. When they are on a trip they never have to stop and think about what to buy as a souvenir. They just look for a mask to add to their collection.

Some collections are gifts. I know a man who gives his mother a china plate every Mother's Day with a message or saying about mothers on it. He hunts through antique stores and curio shops, often for weeks, until he finds a plate and a design that he hasn't already purchased. His mother has more than twenty such plates in her collection.

Some collections are of practical use. I have friends who are world travelers and collect Starbucks Coffee mugs from every place they visit. There are Starbucks franchises in more than forty countries. Our friends don't have forty different mugs but certainly enough for a fairly large group of coffee drinking guests.

The desire to learn new things can also be the impetus behind a collection. I know someone who collects military artifacts from the World Wars. He has uniforms, machinery, vehicles, sheet music, maps, books, flags and photographs. His collection has helped him learn a great deal about military history.

Some people collect things because of their monetary value. I used to work with a woman who collected Barbie Dolls. She assured me someday she would sell her collection and make a mint of money.

Susan Pearce says there are some collections which she terms 'magic'. There is no rhyme or reason for collecting them but they have a certain appeal or attraction for the collector. I imagine this might apply to a collection of snow globes or a large collection of Superman memorabilia.

Collections can remind us of positive experiences and important people in our lives. They can help us learn new things. They can be practical or magical. If you're not a collector you might want to think about becoming one. Collections can enrich our lives.

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History of Treasure Island, Florida

An island off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida, the barrier island community of Treasure Island proudly boasts some of the most beautiful, white sandy beaches in Florida. Originally inhabited by the Timucua Indians around 300 CE, the island and its people were nearly destroyed in 1528 by Pánfilo de Narváez. The area would not see another human for quite some time.

In the 1800s, Frenchman John Levique, a pirate, was said to have buried treasure on the uninhibited land. He would escape to the island several times to hide out from his enemies, including one night 1848, when Hurricane Gale swept through the island.

Levique awoke to see that the spot of his buried treasure had succumbed to storm surge, with the island's north end now separated from it, creating a pass. In honor of the man who discovered it, the pass became known as "John's Pass." The hurricane also split off two separate, small islands - Isle of Palms and Isle of Capri.

Levique's existence and that of the actual treasure is widely disputed, with some saying the 'treasure' was actually an attempt by property owners to attract visitors to the quiet fishing village, which at the time, was only accessible by boat. Either way, the name "Treasure Island" stuck.

The first hotel; on the island, called the "Coney Island" was built in 1915 by Whiteford Harrell. Soon vacationers traveled to the area, but were frustrated about the limited access to the island. The John's Pass Bridge was built in 1927 to connect Madeira Beach to the island, but vacationers still experienced difficulty coming from St. Petersburg.

In 1938 the Treasure Island Causeway was built to accommodate people traveling from St. Petersburg. The causeway provided automobile access from the city to the island, which attracted celebrities and other dignitaries including Babe Ruth, who purchased a waterfront vacation home after his retirement from baseball in 1935.

Following the end of World War II in 1947, two more hotels sprouted up along the beach, and nearby St. Pete Beach, where the Don Cesar Hotel, formerly known as "The Pink Lady," famously entertained Al Capone, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Lou Gehrig, and Franklin D. Roosevelt.

In the 1950s, the area saw a residential housing boom, and in 1955 the city of Treasure Island was incorporated. Homes and waterfront neighborhoods were built on top of dredged material, which connected Isle of Capri and Isle of Palms to the main island.

Because of Treasure Island's strong residential ties and quiet beaches, the area today is a premiere year-round vacation destination for families. Families can rent either Treasure Island Rental Condos or like the Great Bambino did, a beachfront home.

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Ixtapa, Zihuatanejo

Ixtapa is a natural paradise, and for this reason it was distinctively chosen by the Mexican government to become a hot spot tourist heaven; and on a minor scale, it was also chosen by Patawalk as a virtual tour destination. The history of this place is very straightforward, at one point, Ixtapa used to be a coconut plantation, but in 1968 the government along with one of Mexico's wealthiest banks planned and constructed what is now a tourist resort. As you'll see the city is organized in a very meticulous manner, the blocks are huge and conspicuously fashioned in odd shapes. As further proof of Ixtapa's purpose as a tourist destination is the over five thousand hotel room and villas available to the public. Most of the hotels here belong to well-known international chains, and can be found within the 2-mile long hotel strip.

The name Ixtapa comes from the Nahuatl language and it means, "The White Place." Upon laying eyes on the beautiful and quite pristine beaches of Ixtapa, you'll know why it was called "The White Place." Regardless of which beach you visit, you'll notice that all of these have sands as white as snow and oh, so fine and soft! Also, the city is constantly maintained, so its cleanliness really stands out.

As a hot-spot for tourists, Ixtapa provides tourists with a vast array of activities. Here you can enjoy anything from beach volleyball, horse-back riding, shopping, snorkeling, parachuting, scuba diving, to surfing and everything else in between.

One of Ixtapa's main beaches is El Palmar, which offers a variety of water sports including surfing and swimming. A nearby attraction is La Mariana de Ixtapa which has the capacity to dock over 100 yatchs and it even has a golf course! Another interesting and fun-filled must-do activity in Ixtapa is parachuting. Here, you can take a parachute ride which allows you to truly take in the entire city and the surrounding areas. If you're looking for something much more exhilarating and a total adrenaline rush, then take the plunge or should I say drop off a plane and skydive. Another popular Ixtapa beach is Linda Playa (Beautiful Beach) and it truly honors its name. This beach is in the northern part of Ixtapa and unlike most other beaches this one features not only a pier where you can visit a nearby island but at the entrance of the pier you can see a small swamp with real-life alligators, whoa! Horseback riding is readily available at this particular beach. Playa Quieta (Calm Beach) is another excellent beach. Although only one mile long, this beach is definitely calm and peaceful; it is the perfect spot to truly relax.

Aside from all the entertainment in the beaches, the city of Ixtapa offers other options. For instance, if you'd like to take a break from the beach but still want to have aquatic fun, then you must go to Magic World. This is an aquatic recreation park, something like an aquatic theme park. You'll find a pool with waves (which mimics the ocean), water slides for all ages and levels of expertise, and even a pirate ship. Ever heard of swimming with the fishes? Well, at Delfinti you can. Here you are offered the opportunity of a lifetime, to swim with the Dolphins and you can even have your young child do so too. Enjoy a little of the wilderness by going to Parque Aventura (Adventure Park) where you can walk through trees on a hanging bridge or a zip-line. These are things you can only see in the movies, so why not experience it in real life?

But not all activities are reserved for the day. Ixtapa proudly boasts of an active and fun-filled nightlife too. The night is always young in Ixtapa and you can find it all in the boulevard and surrounding areas. Let me recommend Christine Club Ixtapa, which offers a wealth of music and is the perfect combination of all kinds of vibrant music; so dress to impress. Something more informal and perfect for you no matter your age is the classic Senor Frogs.

If you're in the mood for some shopping then go downtown. Ixtapa has a boulevard dedicated to all kinds of shopping centers and specialty stores. Whatever it is you're looking for, be it a leather coat, silver jewelry, or a simple ornament, you'll surely find it here. But one thing you must surely buy is a world-famous "hamaca" (hammock). Interestingly, this lounging invention is native to this state. Another staple of this state that you must acquire is a pair of "huaraches," which are handmade leather sandals.

Before you start packing that two-piece bikini and that sunscreen, first come take the virtual tour at Patawalk!

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Treasure Hunting For Star Garnets

India and Idaho are the only two places in the world that star garnets are found. They range in size from a grain of sand to golf ball in size. Star Garnets display a reflection of the light with a four or six ray star, which is caused by an inclusion of rutile in the gemstone. Idaho is the only known place where six ray star garnets are found.

The U.S. Forest Service operates a star garnet gemstone collection area at Emerald Creek Idaho. For a fee of $10 per day the treasure hunter can search for garnets and remove a maximum of five pounds of gemstones. Screen boxes, buckets and shovels are provided by the Forest Service; however you should bring drinking water, snacks, sunscreen, hat, gloves and a container for your treasures. The treasure hunting season starts at the end of May and lasts until after Labor Day. No pets allowed.

How Is It Done

Use the shovel and fill your five gallon plastic bucket with dirt and rocks at the mining area. Next take your bucket to the screening area and sift all of the dirt and sand leaving only the rocks. Next take your collection of rocks to one of the two sluice boxes to wash the material and look for garnets. Any rock that appears to have a shiny plastic like shine could be a garnet.

The garnets found at emerald creek are nearly opaque and will be a dark reddish or purple in color. Good quality large gemstones are rare and about one half of the gemstones you discover will not be of a quality suitable for cutting or polishing. Many of the stones will show a four ray star but the six ray star is quite rare. A good quality star garnet may fetch up to $100 per carat.

The garnet name is believed to have come from the pomegranate. Many of the ancient pieces of jewelry have clusters of red stones that do look a lot like a cluster of pomegranate seeds. Travelers often carried garnets to protect them from accidents. Legends suggest that garnets will glow at night and will protect the owner from nightmares. Noah has also been rumored to have used a garnet lantern to navigate the Ark at night.

Happy Treasure Hunting.

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