Have you ever looked through the seashells in the walkways and driveways of homes and hotels on Sanibel? When I first starting coming to Sanibel, I loved shelling in driveways. It cracked me up to find whole shells mixed in with the crushed pieces. We’ve been doing a few projects around the house the last few weeks so one of the projects was to freshen up the crushed shell in the walkway to the house. Clark bought a few of these bags…
So today I opened a bag and spread it along the front porch. An ALPHABET CONE! LOL (in the top photo) It was just sittin there pretty as a picture. I laughed out loud, ran to get my camera then opened another bag and this rolled out…
Too funny! I spread it more to find these…
So of course, the next thing on my mind was “I’m going to find a JUNONIA in here!” So I opened the third bag to find these. Ha! It’s not a JUNONIA but it looks like the two on the left are some sort of VOLUTES . There’s part of a COWRIE in there too.
This is where I was spreading these shells. I’ve always told you that I collect those big pieces of old WHELKS and CONCHS that nobody else wants. Now you can see that I line them around the beds of my gardens. I love to be surrounded by shells!
PS- Both sides of Blind Pass have been looking a little bare the last few days. Mid island still seems to be the best but very picked over. I havent been to the lighthouse since the weekend but I heard there was a very big TULIP that was found there so I guess that’s still pretty good shelling there. Maybe I’ll see you there!
Hey there, that looks cool. My inlaws are coming to your area in a few weeks and will be there for 3 motnhs. They are attending the shellebration on my behalf. Perhaps you guys can meet on the beach one day.
Once I took my grandson down to the Venice area where shark teeth are supposed to be everywhere and we didn’t find a thing. The next day I told my boss about it and he said “come check out the shells in my driveway, I think they have some shark teeth in them” (He lives in N. Redington Beach). Sure enough, we found oodles of shark teeth in his shell driveway. We had a good laugh about that! I always find myself shelling in driveways and flower beds, given the opportunity. Lots of fossils, shark teeth and interesting shells!
Jackie,
Venice is so -so. Englewood beaches especially at Blind Pass Beach on Manasota Key is the best place of sharks teeth. Look on Pam’s sidebar for her trip up for fossils & sharks teeth.
We used to bring bags of broken shells back home to NY to put around our pool,no small feat when you consider we fly back and forth.
We agree with you about Blind Pass. We were there at dead low tide 2 days ago and pickings were slim. I found two big whelks maybe 10- 12 inches but they had the biggest crabs inside them. I can not believe the changes with all the sand since we were here in August. Never walked around the end of the rock jetty before.
We have had fairly good luck in front of our condo on the east end. Yesterday we came across a colony of whelks of varying sizes, all alive and left alone. We also found about 30 sand dollars in the shallow water. They were quite fragile and several broke before we got back to the condo.
We will probably hit the Lighthouse at some point, but I think today is the last day of negative low tides. Even if we do not find great shells, there is always something interesting to see. The amount of living creatures never ceases to amaze us.
I need a few more shells for Christmas crafting – I wonder if they sell Flori-stone at the Home Depots in Virginia :)
Hey Pam!
Are these typically fossil shells – similar to the ones used to replenish the beaches? Can’t wait to visit Sanibel in 2012! :)
I love the old bleached out shells, sometimes as much as the new ones! It reminds me of fossil hunting along the Mississippi river in Mpls as a rockhound youngster.
I was on Sanibel two weeks ago, and our timeshare is down by the lighthouse. I found two freshly deceased tulips that were identical in size and coloring to the two pictured in your 11-7-11 post. I was amazed, it could have been a photo of mine. One was redder and one was browner. I’m afraid that the red tide must have done them in. There was a lot of strange stuff that washed in, but one of the best shelling trips I’ve had in 20 years. Someone told me that there’s a large bed of the tulips down in that area. But it’s the first time i’ve ever found a large one, let alone two.
Oh dear, I feel the joke’s been had on us!! Going down to the beach at all these odd hours and logging miles on the pedometer only to pick up a bag of driveway shells at the hardware store and then find some pretty good ones in the bag!!!
The old shells are lovely lining the garden beds. :)
I look for shells EVERYWERE! LOL especially when on Sanibel. And I love the use of them in the landscaping! So clever.
What a hoot. I was sure it was a Junonia too.
My husband and I are traveling from Alaska and will be visiting Sanibel next week.
We are first time shellers to this area.
Brian is not available and Mike Feury does not charter shelling trips anymore.
Does anyone have a recommendation for another charter to an outer island?
Thanks
I am so glad I am not the only one that does this! I went to a rock place not long ago & they had a pile of shells too. I was freaking out at all the beautiful pieces, although they wouldn’t let me pick through the pile :-( I could have sat there for hours (or days)!
This is such a creative post! I can’t believe the neat shells you found in those bags!
Yes, I love to shell the driveways but try not to as my husband says I shouldn’t because it all belongs to someone. Where do you get those bags of crushed shells? Home Depot, Baileys? I could have almost as much fun going through one or two of those as walking the beaches!
thank you,
Julie
Hi, it took me way too long to find your site! I have spent hours combing through my landscaping shall, fascinated with how many unusual, perfect-condition shells I find. Can’t seem to find the original source , however, I know I ordered it by the square yard from my landscaper. I’d love to know if there are bulldozers harvesting the ocean floor, how old these shells are, and, well, my last curiosity yiu have answered: there ARE others who appreciate the treasures in their own yards! Thanks!
it looks so nice!!!! we loved it, we also have crushed shells in our driveway and we need more…but we went to Home Depot today to get more bags and oh surprise!!!! THEY DO NOT CARRY THEM ANYMORE!!!! What do we do now??? Do you know where to get them?? help me!!!!