2 inch alphabet cone
We haven’t seen many ALPHABET CONES lately…so this was such a treat! Clark found this one with his shelling “backhoe” just behind the surf line by Gulf Side City Beach last night around 7:30-ish.
Jo, Ami, Scott, Ben and Gary (St Louis, MO)
I noticed a family with a big shelling net a few yards away so we walked over to see what they were finding. It turns out, it was a bait net (looked like a heck of a shelling net to me! haha- shelling on the brain) to use for fishing. They have been visiting Sanibel every year for 33 years but were a little disappointed in the shelling until we showed them a few MUREXES, OLIVES and LIGHTNING WHELKS we were finding in the surf. They wanted to know what they were doing wrong so Clark demonstrated how to get a big scoop of shells with his net/backhoe…then pulled up that tremendous ALPHABET CONE right in front of all of us. That was a lesson for all of us. Don’t give up!
Alphabet cone side 2
The little shells came right out with a dental pick when we got home.
Proudly showing his cone
That sure is a pretty Alphabet Cone :) We have yet to find one of those, maybe on our family’s next trip to the islands :) Thank you for sharing, from my oldest to my youngest they sure do get a kick out of your website.
Now that is a wonderful find!! I’ve only found a couple alpha cones on the island in our two years of visiting. Perhaps this fall will be the big year!! Can you show us Clark’s “dredging hoe”? And where would we procure one on the island?? We have a net that works pretty well, but has taken a beating and is wearing out fast! I might have to find a new tool to bring home in the suitcase this year.
Hi Sheri, take a look at a picture of Clark’s shelling backhoe…. we just named it that- don’t know what it’s really called. http://iloveshelling.com/blog/2009/11/27/new-shell-pile-on-west-gulf-beach/
. There are a few shops on the island that carry them…Bailey’s, Ace Hardware and a few more beach shops…I need to look into that, huh?
I think I will just have to visit your blog often to get my Sanibel Island state of mind back. I wish I were standing in the surf right now sifting for shells. Beautiful Alphabet cone.
Counting the days until I return to Sanibel . . .
We were there early July staying at Blind Pass Condos and I found 4-2″ alphabet cones in perfect shape on Bowman’s Beach. We actually had great luck with piles of shells for 3 days. Found lots of flat scallops too. Didn’t know what they were until I saw them on your blog. Thanks for the education!
Beautiful alphabet cone…..I have one in my collection that I found on Little Gasparilla Island.
BTW, Sheri, Clark’s “backhoe” is available everywhere, even Walmart! But if your husband (or yourself) is handy maybe you/he can make one with a folding handle and you would be able to transport it back and forth. I have the same one and I even found a smaller one which is easier yet (at least up here it is) for finding shark’s teeth.
Sounds like Vicki is from my neck of the woods. I have called both Walmart’s in Ft. Meyers. Only the Walmart on Colonial had shell shovels although the associate insisted they were called sand flea shovels…whatever. Here in Englewood at the True Value they had 3 different sizes of shell backhoes. The Ace Hardware carries the square frame with the hardware cloth that you can sit and sift with (see Pam’s Blog – Shark teeth) I love my backhoe and use it right at the edge of the surf where it drops. Lots of goodies to be found.
NEAT! My husband, son, and I are returning for our second Sanibel visit over Labor Day weekend. We are bringing my mother, who is 76, and my sister, 53, who lives in a special-needs group home. She is especially excited about shelling.
What kind of net do I need to get for them to have the best luck? We are so excited about this trip!
Amy
It’s a beauty! The alphabet is my favorite shell to find, other than a junonia, of course!
Hello:
Where can I buy the shelling backhoes? Any other suggestions of shelling tools and where to buy them would be appreciated.
I Love your site!
Kindest regards.
Sue
You can have them shipped to you through http://www.seashellsifter.com/ or there are some stores like Baileys and Beach Stuff that carry them. I also have a few of the blue sifters to sell. I bought them from Seashell Sifter to sell at community fairs but I don’t ship. The link above will ship them to you.