All Ashore!
By Cathy Dries
We are guilty. We admit it. Guests at our home have always been involuntarily subjected to private tours of our family’s sea glass collection. So much so, that visitors repeatedly began suggesting that we open a museum. Perhaps their motivation stemmed from not wanting to hear the history of our newest beachcombing find or being forced to play the “you’ll never believe what this is from” game. Whatever their intention, the thought of sharing our family collection beyond our social circle was enticing.
My husband Wayne and I started looking for an affordable rental space on Long Island, New York, and realized that the dream was not sustainable. Rents were way too high and overhead too costly. That’s when I presented my daughter, Amy, with a crazy idea. “Let’s buy a bus!” I said. “It will be easy!” I said. My family immediately embraced the plan to create an educational beachcombing museum on wheels to share with our community. We had no clue how many bumps and potholes we would encounter in the road ahead.
In November 2022, we purchased a retired public transit bus that was originally from an estuary community in Connecticut. The exterior was already wrapped with blue waves, so it was fated to begin its second road trip as a repurposed beachcombing exhibit. However, the journey while bringing the bus home to New York was inundated with detours, ranging from DMV delays to ferry cancellations. Many months later, in March 2023, the bus finally landed on Long Island to begin its transformation.
For over a year, our small family of three worked tirelessly on renovations, and it was probably one of the most difficult projects that we have ever tackled. Our determination to utilize eco-friendly elements in the mobile museum, including solar power and repurposed materials, often delayed our timeline. Our problem-solving skills were constantly tested as we continually regrouped and pivoted at every turn. This was a new experience for us, and there were no resources available since our project was unique. Just figuring out how to safely secure hundreds of pieces of glass in a moving vehicle was a trial-and-error process. It was the equivalent of hopping into a brand-new vehicle without an owner’s manual and then driving for months without a road map.
Throughout the project, we often felt weathered and worn like pieces of battered sea glass, but we kept coming up for air between pummeling until Tumbled By The Sea became a reality. In July 2024, over a year since we started the project, “Buoy the Bus” made its opening debut at the Sea Glass Festival at the Whaling Museum in Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, New York. The enthusiastic response from over 350 visitors during that single day echoed the sentiments that had driven us all along. It was fulfilling to see the positive impact of the mobile museum’s curated displays, interactive discovery drawers, and the @PlasticFisherman simulation station that inspires marine plastic awareness. Guests on the self-guided tours were eager to ask questions, swap sea glass stories, and learn the history of the displayed items via a visitor’s guide that could be accessed on their phones.
Without question, the Buoy the Bus experience is a culmination of creativity, dedication, and passion for everything beachcombing. I am beyond proud of our daughter, Amy, the owner and educator of Tumbled By The Sea, who worked tirelessly on this project while juggling other jobs. With a background in conservation biology and marine education, Amy has found the perfect way to blend her skill sets and favorite hobby into a unique business venture.
We have always collected sea glass together as a family ever since our daughter could walk, and as adults, we have discovered the joys of researching the stories behind each fragment. So it makes sense that my husband, Wayne, and I have been by Amy’s side during every step of this beachcombing project. And now that her vision for Tumbled By The Sea is a reality, we accompany Amy to library presentations, historical society meetings, and sea glass events. As dedicated volunteers, we get to witness the mobile museum being enjoyed by experienced collectors, while sparking interest in newbie beachcombers who are just embarking on their newfound passion. But the highlight of this unique endeavor is seeing the wonder in children’s eyes as they learn about sea glass and marine plastics through engaging hands-on exploration. After all, these are our future beachcombers and beach cleaners!
When visitors, both young and old, exit Buoy the Bus or attend Amy’s educational workshops, her message is clear. You don’t have to spend a lot of money or necessarily travel the world to find treasures that will make you happy! Sea glass, sea pottery, and vintage oddities may be waiting around the corner “right in your own backyard!” All you have to do is walk your beaches and search. And while you are looking for “trash turned treasure” and removing marine debris, perhaps you’ll uncover a little local history along the way. And if your collection grows too large, you can always buy a bus!
To learn more about Tumbled By The Sea visit www.tumbledbythesea.com or follow Buoy the Bus on Instagram @tumbledbythesea.museum.
Check out “Echoes in the Drift—A Film About Beachcombing.” This short, educational documentary by NYU film student E.E. Oliver features Buoy the Bus and the Dries Family. Watch at bit.ly/bcechoes.
This article appeared in Beachcombing Magazine Volume 50 September/October 2025.
