Last week, I posted about an upcoming Bookworm seminar on a scuba diving team that went to Mongolia last year and explored ship wrecks, surveyed fish, and came upon a really weird creature (I also griped about the media’s priorities when it comes to stories like this, but what can you do).

Read more: Schwankertmania II: The poster… and final call

Why not give us a whole month? That would at least put us up there with National Hot Tea Month, National Bird Feeding Month, National Umbrella Month, Prune Breakfast Month, National Stamp Collecting Month, National Sweet Potato Month, National Kite Month, National Sweet Vidalia Month, National Bikini Month, National Library Lovers Month, National Noodle Month, National Asparagus Month, Country Music Month, National Baked Bean Month, National Horseradish Month, and last but not least, National Pomegranate Month.

Read more: Where Did the Year Go?

Woke up feeling better, thankfully. We’re on our way to Virginia Beach for a daytrip.

Read more: Thursday Trip

As a citizen of Virginia Beach for 22 years, I’ve seen Hampton Roads change and change again. As a location for Pat Robertson, PETA, the world’s largest naval bases, a melting pot of cultures from white to Latino to black to Asian, and an age range from young to old to everything in between, the Tidewater area is almost a microcosm of the political spectrum of the United States. We struggle at times with our identity, and find it difficult to find the “culture” of Hampton Roads, mostly because we are such a stew of ideals and viewpoints.

Read more: Virginia Beach for Obama: Meet Steve Karam, Age 27

I can’t remember the last time I drove on an interstate in South Carolina and didn’t see at least one Ohio license plate. As annoying as that can be, for a state with a thriving tourist industry, this is just as much of a blessing as it is a curse. Myrtle Beach, for example, has gone from a sleepy little resort town just a few decades ago to one of the most popular vacation spots in the country, drawing more than 13 million tourists every year.

Read more: It’s about to get a lot busier in the Grand Strand

The plan however ignores many environmental and public safety concerns. One of the major concerns is that contaminated material from the bottom of the bay will result in toxic pollution being washed up on surrounding beaches.

Read more: Labor plan to wreck Port Phillip Bay

Our little community of Paia is trying to become the first plastic bag free town in Hawaii. With a local populace full of water sports enthusiasts, we have seen the impact of plastic bags on marine life first hand. Members of the community have been working with local merchants to switch to cloth and biodegradable bags.

Read more: No’ Mo’ Plastic Bag Auction Ends Tomorrow

As we noted in last year's post, it will be nice to see this type of DIY approach brought to other types of clothing, including shirts, pants and swimsuits, as well as ways to enable consumers to monetize what they create. Either way, though, it's further evidence that consumers really do like making—or at least designing—it themselves!

Read more: More DIY dress design

However, it also says something else - that naturism is confined to the designated area on the beach, which does not include the dunes - and implies that sunbathing isn’t permitted. Additionally, people are encouraged to report what the version español euphemistically describes as “irregularidades” if they see anything untoward whilst walking through the nature reserve. Guided tours through the dunes are being introduced.

Read more: The Dunes - the end of nude sunbathing?

Tomorrow:We head to Daytona Beach where Josh will be in his friend’s wedding. Sunday we have no plans though if it’s nice, we’ll hit the beach since that’s Brianna’s favorite thing. I can’t believe vacation is half over and that we’re done with the Disney portion. Waaah!

Read more: Vacation Day Four: No do-overs needed!

California beach-goers are going high tech! Heal The Bay and Go Live Mobile (a mobile marketing company) have joined forces to update residents with a beach report card. Instead of heading out to a beach, only to be disappointed by poor water quality, people can send a text message to 23907 with the name of the beach they’d like information on.

Read more: beach-goers go high tech!

A couple of years later I was travelling through Clare, and having a day free, I decided to have a surf lesson. I can’t say - prior to that - that I had any great interest in surfing - I’d been interested in windsurfing since I was 15, but well, occasionally, like whitewater rafting and climbing Sydney Harbour Bridge, you give things a shot for the hell of it. I loved surfing. Unfortunately, from a practical point of view, I lived in Dublin. My surfing skills remain negligible, it must be said, and it’s rare enough I get a chance to give it a shot.

Read more: on etiquette, localism, elitism, woods and trees.

Aaron's wasn't the first story like this that I uncovered. On my first stop in Myrtle Beach, SC, I learned about Sean Kennedy (20) who was killed May 16, 2007 in Greenville, SC, another state that has no hate crime legislation in effect. Sean's killer, yet again another 18-year-old Caucasian male, hit Seanso hard in the face that he broke his wrist.

Read more: Fag Bug: A roadtrip against homophobia

Block Island is a 7,000 acre island of about seven miles long and three miles across at its widest point, with a population of about 1,000 permanent residents. Of course, during summer, this number grows considerably. Located twelve miles from Long Island and about the same distance from Charlestown in Rhode Island, it is a perfect spot for anyone loving the outdoors, with gorgeous beaches, hiking trails, and plenty of water activities for all tastes.

Read more: Cycling Weekend in Block Island — Week end à vélo à Block Island

Yesterday, Labor Day, we went to the beach. Well one of the many beaches here on the island. We went to the Bellows Beach. This beach has a nice shallow area and a break that is fairly far out. Listen to me - one time at the beach here and I am sounding like I know what I am talking about. The part of Bellows Beach that we went to was military only, so it wasn’t as crowded as the public beach.

Read more: Labor Day at the Beach