Hand A, hand B, hand C and hand D all have something in common. Can you “spot” the similarities? Yep, you guessed it! A,B,C and D all are displaying ALPHABET CONES found at Gulfside City Park! hahaha
I found my ALPHABET CONE (Cone B in the first photo) by spotting a small portion of its spots peaking out of the sand in very shallow water. The morning tide was a crazy low yesterday at a -0.7′ (any negative is a good low tide) so much of the beach was exposed to explore areas we normally don’t get to see. I made a video of how I found this spotted beauty but before you look at it… take a look at the photo above again and check out the double SPINY JEWELBOX in the bottom left corner. I completely missed it because I was so excited to find the ALPHIE! Geez! Anyway, you’ll see it again in the video so without further ado…
I still can’t believe I missed the SJB but hey, that’s what makes shelling fun. There are enough shells for everybody because not one person can see everything. Just like the ALPHIE I found, I was amazed nobody else had found it yet. Cheri and “Hubby” found theirs (CONES D and A in the first photo) the same way…
Just after talking to Cheri and Hubby, Marilea from Seattle showed me her ALPHABET CONE (CONE C in the first photo) too then was tickled to show off more of her treasures but was a little too shy to have her photo taken so I took her hand again.
As I’ve been saying for the last few weeks, east of Gulfside City park has been the best spot on Sanibel to find shells but now it is shifting. But we found all of our ALPHIES and goodies walking west of Gulfside City Park. See, Mother Nature is tricky! Every day is different so we have to keep exploring. Do you want to shell on a low tide too? Check out the link to the TIDE CHARTS. Click on the image…
I heard you ran into Cheri on the beach. She always find the best shells.
My granddaughter and I are finally here (from Orlando) on Captiva. Not much shelling luck today. Hoping for excitement tomorrow. Maybe at Blind Pass? Brr-rrr
Those Cones are absolutely gorgeous!! Such vibrant color!!! Thanks so much for posting that photo!!! Love it!!
We stayed at Ocean’s Reach in January and I didn’t find even one alphabet cone. I hope when we come next January there will be some left along with the wts. I like the idea of a ils coverup (more than one size please). Put some of your nice artwork on it and it will be snapped up! I recently bought your hoodie and I wore it to bed when we lost power and heat due to Sandy. It kept me nice and warm.
Pat
I love your video! your joy of shell collecting is so adorable!
Pam, You want to hear something really funny!! Hubby and I went back this morning and I got that Jewelbox!! It was in the same place this morning!! I’m almost positive!! We got 4 more alphies in that area and 2 more further west for a total of 6!! I got pics of the alphabet cones and the jewelbox on my blog!! Check it out!! We head back to VA tomorrow :( enjoyed seeing you yesterday!!
OMG You are kidding! I didn’t even see that double JB until I looked at the video. I had to rewind then I had to laugh at myself… it was right there!!! But I’m so happy you got it and it was great to see yall again. So much fun to have you in the video.
Those Alphies are GORGEOUS! One of these days I will find mine! I saw you from afar today, Pam. I was just getting geared up in the parking lot of the Lighthouse. You sped off so fast, I didn’t get a chance to say hello-you were a woman on a mission! Lol! I did not find much there, a few, very small (micro-mini I’d say) wenteltraps and some other shells. It’s always a hunt!
LOL..always on a mission! I found some minis at the lighthouse too but I had to move on.
sorry I missed you
Haha! Aren’t we all on some kind of mission! Imeant to comment also that I was amazed at all the Live Olives on Sanibel. I had never seen so many! I snuck a peek at a few-they were so pretty and shinny! Usually the ones I’m finding empty don’t quite have the glossy finish and seem to have lost the depth of color. Why is that? Is it because once they are empty they get knocked around in the ocean and the water (or salt/calcium/???) starts to take that glossy finish off? Was going to try GulfSide City Park tomorrow with my daughter, we shall see what we can find! :-)
Hi Maribeth,
Once an olive (or any other shelled mollusk) dies, the soft parts get eaten or rot out, and the shell immediately starts getting rolled around, and pushed around, by the waves, and so the shell constantly gets “sanded” by being scraped against the sandy bottom and shell fragments.
It does not take very long at all for an olive to start to lose some of its superb high shine.
And the sun on Sanibel is strong, and that starts to fade the color pretty fast too, although as soon as the shine starts to dull from thousands of minute scratches, the color will not look as rich anyway.
Put the two things together and you will see that when you find a shell that looks really pristine, that mollusk died pretty much the same day that you found it.
Of course shells that are not as shiny in life you don’t notice much how they have been “sanded”, but if you had a really fresh one to compare with the average one, and if you looked with a hand lens, you would see clearly that every shell gets “sanded” if it lies around for more than a day before someone picks it up.
We will be there tomorrow. I told my husband that seeing the causeway bridge is as exciting for me as a child seeing the Magic Kingdom sign.
It is so great when you go shelling with your video camera….I feel like I was able to come shelling too!…Thanks Pam !
You amaze me Pam. Three gorgeous shells in a flash!!! I used to have a good eye but not so much anymore. Ugh!!! Must need different glasses. Lol. Loved seeing Cheri on your video.
Hi Pam – Recently returned from a trip to Chicago on Air Tran Airlines. Their “Go” Magazine had an article on SW Florida which included info on you along with a picture of your worm shell mirror! You really are getting well known!
Bonnie, yes! I’m glad you saw it! I was really excited they interviewed me but I’ve only seen it online. I need to snag a copy of it some how. Thanks for letting me know!!! ;)
Thats cool to have all four of you finding cones at the same place like that! Ive been reading Cheris blog…she blogged you and you blogged her. You posted her pic with her cone, she posted you pic with your cone…you missed the JB in your video and she winds up with it and didnt know you missed it until you blogged it…lol…thats all been great to read about between the two of you…and funny…lol
Great shell finds to you both!!!!
Pam, the Air Tran magazines are complimentary so I brought one home with me. I’d be glad to let you have it.
I’ve tried everything to get one… so if you woouldn’t mind giving yours up, I’d love to have it! I’ll get in touch. Thank you so much Bonnie!!!
I dearly love the “I Love Shelling” I live in Kentucky and as you know we have a lot of cool weather, so I get on I love shelling to warm my bones and wish I live there. We have been coming to Sanibel Island for 8 yrs and I want go to a beach that dosen’t have shells. Well I lost my husband Aug 28, 2012 and I have all the wonderful memories we made on Sanibel Island, I hope I get to come again with my son the his family so keep the post coming. I check it every night to see what you have found. Thank you and have a good Thanksgiving