With very warm days bringing heavy afternoon storms coming from the east, the downpours with lightning have put a damper on our favorite time to shell – summer evening shelling. Before dinner last night, Clark and I snuck out to Gulfside City Park for a few minutes to see if the swirling winds had brought many treasures.
I always try to be thankful for whatever gift is put before me on the beach so I took a closer look at the most common shells on Sanibel. These shells are always on the beach but we overlook them most of the time since we get in the habit of only looking for our favorites. We are so very fortunate to always have so many different species of common shells so I started picking up the ones that were abundant. As I stopped to pick up some of the common shells, I was pleasantly surprised at how many varieties were right at my toes in the shallow water. There was something very therapeutic about picking them out. I thought I’d share the peace and calmness of the process so I started filming. That sweet little candy (yellow HORSE CONCH), OLIVE and CONCH were Clark’s additions to my “therapy” so I added them to my video as well. Enjoy!
I love your website and posts. This is the type of information, pictures that is all about the love people have for shelling without drama.
Thanks Pam
Thank you for the moment in the waves… :)
Cindy and Mary Jo, Thank YOU for letting me share the calmer moments of shelling and understanding just how important to the soul these moments are as well. xo
Would love to go to Sanibel. Where is a good place to stay? Looking for a house on the beach. Nothing big. Three bedrooms. Pet friendly but SUPER clean. Any suggestions? Love to come shelling there! On my bucket list!
I’m not sure about pet friendly but these are my fave places… http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/sanibel-captiva-family-beach-hotels/
We came to Sanibel for 3 days, then a week, then two weeks. We’ll return for our fourth trip in November for at least two weeks. Rain or sun, lots of shells or very few – it doesn’t matter. It’s paradise and your posts bring it just a bit closer. Thank you for each and every one.
Thanks for showing how blessed we are to get amazing “common” shells on our Southwest Florida Beaches. Every beach walk is a gift and if we find a special shell we are Blessed! Thank you for your posts. I so look for them each week!
Two weeks ago I was lucky to be in Sanibel with my sister and 2 friends. It was the most wonderfully relaxing week. I have been to Sanibel once before, but my sister and friends had never been there. It was fun showing them how and where to look for shells. At low tide we saw more live shells, sand dollars and starfish than I have ever seen. It was fascinating! We did find some nice “empty” shells and we all had a great time! Looked for you on the beaches Pam, but we must have missed you. Ha Ha! Maybe we will see you next time!!
I’m going to Sanibel Island in July and want to know what beach will give me the most shells. Also, you mention Blind Pass a lot in your posts. Where exactly on the island is it located?
Hello Sunshine! Maybe I can answer your questions: Blind Pass is easy to find — it is up at the very northern tip of Sanibel, where the islands of Sanibel and Captiva meet.
As for which beach on Sanibel will have the most shells when you come in July, that is almost impossible to guess. As Pam often explains here on her blog, it is always a treasure hunt. The amount of shells on the beaches very often changes not only from day to day, but from morning to afternoon. And which beach on Sanibel has the most shells is an extremely variable thing, mostly according to which direction the wind is blowing from, and how big the waves have been.
The best advice is to check Pam’s blog every day and see what she is reporting.
Blind Pass is a little tricky to find the first time. Your clue is to look for the bridge where people fish. There are parking lots on both sides of the bridge. The parking lot on the Sanibel side dips down. The parking lot on the Captiva side is a sharp left turn right after the bridge if coming from Sanibel. You know when you are getting close when you see Castaways Motel on the right hand side. Another good idea is to stop at the Visitor’s Center when you arrive on the island for a great map and loads of information. Have a great time! You will love it! Happy shelling!
Hi Sunshine, I provide 2 maps when you click on the “Parking” tab on the top of this blog. I made the first google map to be interactive so you can get more information when you click on the image. The second map is the City of Sanibel’s official parking map so i added that one so you can print it out if you click on it to enlarge. Good luck and happy shelling!
Pam, I love reading your blog and I check everyday to see what’s new. I am passionate about shelling and I love every single shell I pick up. We were in Sanibel last week and we brought home so many beauties. I just can’t stop looking at them. Kansas is just too far away. Thank you for this informative site and for feeding my addiction on a daily basis!
Thank you for my morning therapy! Some deep breathing and watching your video started my day off on the perfect note. Some of us don’t leave you many messages, but your blog often gives me some of my happiest moments each day because it keeps me in touch with my favorite place in the world… Thank you, Pam!
Thank you for such a great time on the maiden shelling cruise. I laughed my arse off, you are a born entertainer! I’ll definitely be back again for another shelling good time next year…
Bette from Boulder Colorado
I enjoy all of your posts!!! Sanibel is one of my favorite places and I get to visit each time I get your e-mail. Thank you so much for taking us on your travels and for sharing your love of shelling and of Sanibel!
Silvia
All shells are beautiful…