Top row- Pear whelk, Drill, Dwarf olive, Bubble (above), Keyhole Limpet, Tusk, Wentletrap. Bottom row- Auger, Coquina, Murex, Fighting conch
Shelling is just like life…. look beyond the obvious and you will find something beautiful and extraordinary. I always feel a calmness come over me when I search for the mini shells. When I begin to focus on all the different wash lines of the beach, I feel myself zone everything else out.
Wentletrap in tidal pool
One weedy wash line leads me to another line of sticks, broken shells and what looks like mulch. See that little WENTLETRAP among all that “mulch”? I tried to keep that bubbly foam in the photo so you could tell how it was in about 2 inches of water.
Tidal pools at sunset
I come out of the shelling zone every once in a while to soak in how beautiful this time of day is here on the beach at the lighthouse. Calming.
Tusk shell in sand
Then I go into the shelling zone again and remember to look for TUSK shells too. Can you even spot the TUSK shell?
Tusk shell on my finger
I didn’t actually mean to focus on the sand instead of my finger but I’m kinda glad you got to see how big (or I should say how “little”) the TUSK shell is AND to see what the area looked like where I found it.
Sanibel lighthouse miniature shells
These are some of the same shells as the first picture but there’s also a CANTHARUS (top left with barnacles on it), 2 KITTENS PAWS, BARNACLES, a BABY’S EAR (broken), a TURBAN and 2 CROSS BARRED VENUS clams.
“Sometimes the treasures we take from the beach are the friends we meet there~” quote by Carla Barone…
Gerry (New Hampshire) with a sea whip
Chris (IL) collecting minis
I love the tiny olives. I found several of those shelling with MK in January. I’d never really even looked for those before. They’re so sweet. Thanks for sharing the pictures.
I discovered your wonderful site the other day, it’s terrific. I’m from the Greater Toronto Area in Ontario, Canada and I’d visited Sanibel/Captiva when I was a child – loved it. I hope to visit again in the near future and partake in the amazing “shelling”, but for now I shall have to live vicariously through you and your great site. Thank you!! Trish
Beautiful pictures!
Thanks so much for all the pictures and videos. Makes me feel like I am on the island.
Thanks for all the pictures, videos and stories. Makes me feel like I am on the island.
Ive
We’ll be there in 2 days! I can’t wait. Any recommendations for a good coffee shop on the island or a place to sit and have a drink and just enjoy the view?
My husband and I love the Sanibel Bean on Periwinkle…the Mucky Duck on Captiva has a great view and outdoor seating facing the water…I’m sure you’ll discover some of your favorites for yourself! Ooh, the Over Easy Cafe has wonderful good, esp. breakfast.
thank you! I will be there in 72 hours and was wondering about that as well. Not like I am counting…
Be sure to go to the Island Cow on Sanibel. There isn’t a view of the water, but it’s a great place to eat. I’ll be there in 9 days, wish it was 72 hours…..
Pam,
Where did these tidal pools pop up? How fun!! We are headed to Sanibel for the weekend and would love to explore the tidal pools; not having a lot of time to check out each beach it is great to know ahead of time where these may pop up.
We look forward to your posts and even discuss them during our evening dinners. Thanks for sharing your passion with us!
Alicia
I think my favorite Sanibel seashell is the Wentletrap. It’s colors are so beautiful. I hope to find some one day.
Pam, I look forward to every post and I enjoy sharing your passion for shelling. I’ve been collecting shells since I was a little girl, visiting Ensenada, Mexico in the ’60’s.
Thank you for your delightful blog.
Donna
Nice post! Sometimes I find it hard to explain that shelling is more than the shells. Don’t you love it when you have been walking the water line for a long (very long) time with out much success and after you have turned around and are heading home something out of the corner of your eye catches your attention (often not a shell) but you decide you better check it out and sure enough you find a treasure (a gift). The gift shells are my favorite, maybe they’re all gifts. Your blog offers a nice respite, we are still 3+ feet of snow.
Thanks
Love the minis. I have a ton that I need to do something with, instead of just filling up jars. A little shell crafting is in my future to keep me busy until I can collect again in Oct. 206 days…..
I too love losing myself as I search for minis. Many of my favorite finds are teeny-tiny.
I heart minis. I do the scoot — sit in the sand among the shells, go thru every last inch, then scoot down a little more and do it again.
Shelling is like playing slot machines for me. I spend hours at it and never want to quit because you never know what that next scoop may bring. Still have not found a wentletrap or tusk.
Me and my dad went shelling last nigt at around 4:00. I found a junonia. Thanks for the blog, I’ve learned more about shells on your blog than any book.
Where? Where? Where? Congatulations!!!! I can’t wait to hear more.