A Seaside Holiday

Christmas is coming and it’s time to start decorating: tinsel and twine, ribbons and bows, and, of course, locally caught mussels. Yes, mussels. Retired teacher Dale Munsill has found a way to bring Christmas even closer to our home state by using the bounty of our waters to create beautiful decorative mussel shell trees. What began as an imaginative hobby to bring smiles to friends and family led to a business to extend the enjoyment of her fun holiday gift. She has practiced and perfected this craft for five years, catching all the local shells by hand and putting them through a four-step process to bring out the natural glow, color and polish of these jewels that she collects from the sand. The aesthetically pleasing combination of Christmas and Southern Rhode Island love can be purchased at sizes from 9 inches to two feet, from $65 to $535, during the holiday season at the Ocean House in Watch Hill. Keeping with the holiday spirit 15% of the income will go to charities. Contact dmunsill@cox.net for more info.