Gulfside City Park beach has still been my fave beach this week to find shells. And I found my other type of fave treasures… fun shelling peeps like Snugharbor Kim!
She was sifting through the water at low tide uncovering beautiful shells like this…
She was on a girls shelling adventure for the week with our friends Moira and Traci. All three of these girls met each other because of their passion for shelling and they decided to take a trip together- wow! How fun! It was so much fun for me to see them together because I’ve met each of them on different occasions shelling on Sanibel. Yep, if Traci looks familiar its because she was part of our very first Shellabaloo– so much fun! I’ve known Moira for years after meeting on a sand bar at Blind Pass when I first started blogging and I met Kim years ago shelling at Lighthouse Beach where I learned about phooning and geocaching– hahaha. OMG I love that shelling brought these fun gals together for a fun week in Sanibel! “Hinkle!”
I also saw Chris, Belle, Olivia and Lynn from Maryland with big smiles after finding sunshine and seashells.
Even though Clark and I don’t want to pick up many shells these days, we can’t stay away from the beach. I’m obsessed by it. It calls me and I can’t stay away. It’s just that I really don’t need any more shells … although I always find another shell that has a different color variation that I’ve never seen before or there is something that I can’t identify so I bring it home to research it. But seriously, I don’t NEED any more shells. I haven’t even organized (or cleaned) a few bins I have sitting and waiting in the Shellaboratory. There are some awesome shells in this mess I need to sort!
We try to only take what we can learn from or what we use to decorate with so when we bring them home we try to sort but as you see in the last photo, it doesn’t always happen. Life happens. But before you ask…. no, we don’t sell any of our shells. We collect lots of different shells so that we can learn from them… then share this fascinating world that washes up on our Lee County beaches so that you can identify your treasures and know the differences and color variations when you come to visit. If we don’t need them any more for the learning process, we give them away to our causes like in my post Feeling Good About Seashells.
So I have been trying to sort shells and BEACH BLING so I can easily find things to take photographs when I do identification posts like seashell EGG CASINGS I did back in March- CLICK HERE.
I’ve been saving all sizes of glass jars to sort and organize all the different shells, bling and even special jars for things like “Shells with holes“. So when it’s too hot in the middle of the afternoon like this last week, I’ve been sorting and organizing in my “Shellaboratory“.
I’m not sure how anybody can resist the call of the sea when there are so many discoveries to made in any beautiful afternoon on the beaches of Sanibel.
the line between shelling and hoarding perhaps seems thin and blurred at times.
restated, in case anybody missed the point….a shell collection tends to expand to fill the available space.
Where exactly is Gulfside City Park Beach?
Hi Lindsay, check out the tab on top of blog called “Parking” with a lll of the beaches- heres the link http://www.iloveshelling.com/blog/parking/
WOW!!! What a shell stash…… it’s always so fun to read your posts. Your posts really make me want to move to Sanibel!!
I think you and Clark show amazing restraint in collecting shells. I want them all but need none of them. But if life was just about our needs, I would be living in a tiny room with a bed and no windows. Mother Teresa said that if she had three dollars, she would spend one on bread, give the second to the poor and buy a hyacinth with the third. I think she was saying that joy is an essential need.
After seeing you on the beach a couple of times, I know that you and Clark give away many more shells than you keep. And why worry about having so many shells, the gulf is always glad to take them back.
Thank you MEM! And Yes, i think most people who have met us on the beach have a shell or two in their homes that we gave them. LOL Thank goodness we haven’t brought everything home with us- We’d be drowning in shells! xo
Oh my Pam, your shell bins are driving me crazy wondering what might be in them! Another arrow dwarf triton, another gold banded cone? I hope the super moon this weekend brings you super shelling!
Pam:
What wonderful gifts the sea gives us. For me it became an accidental hobby. I clock 30 miles a week on the beach and started taking the gems home with me .Always checking nobody is home. I have gone through my collection & returned some to the sea. Otherwise more the merry in shellers collections.
I am planning a trip to Sanibel because of finding your website.
Thank you for all that you have done to educate, inspire and to unite fellow shellers.
Thanks for the feature today Pam. We had so much fun meeting up with you this week – it’s always a pleasure to see you and your smiling face. We had a great trip and we’re so glad we got a chance to experience Sanibel together. Hinkle!! LOL!
Dear Pam,
Which end of city park beach do you shell?
When you pay and walk to the beach do you go left or right?
The best spot this week at Gulfside City Park was directly on the beach at the end of the beach access by the bathroom in the parking lot. But of course with every day and every beach, depending on the winds and currents that could change in an instant. Earlier this year, we had better luck hanging a left about a half mile down. You just never know until you get there. It’s a treasure hunt! :)
Hey Pam – seems like I saw you more often when I DIDN”T live here!!!lol. With the shelling rather slim for a few months, I’ve enjoyed my Mondays at the shellcrafters gathering – enjoying getting creative, making and arranging flowers. There are plenty of shells there (although we always take donations) to kind of get my shell “fix” – without the bending over!!!! But with the tide being SO LOW right now (great moon) – I am out there again – found two wentletraps near the ilghthouse pier yesterday (thanks to your hunting directions) – so thanks again! Hoping for a good storm or two to bring us some treasures!
My favorite jar is the beach bling!! So colorful!!! :)
I have a little army man in my collection as well. It looks like you could go fishing with the corks you have collected! fun, fun!!
Sitting & digging at low tide is my favorite way of shelling. When you find a ‘honey hole’, you can be there for hours, lol. I always take gardening hand tools to the beach, ‘just in case’. :)
I cannot wait until next summer when we will come to Sanibel. In the mean time I have a lot of exploring to do in someone else’s shell pile. We have acquired BOXES of a shell collection dating back to 1961 (from what I’ve seen so far). There is a box marked Sanibel 1961 and I cannot wait to get into it. I just know I’m going to find a Junonia! If you would like me to take pictures so you can see what all I find, let me know….
Pam, I think you have the same thing I have.
O.C.S.S.D.
Obsessive Compulsive Sea Shell Disorder !!
Have a great week.
Obsessive Compulsive Sea Shell Disorder !
I love that disorder and I totally have it!!!! When I saw the pictures of your boxes full of shells I almost died of envy! :-) And I would love to look through all of these boxes.
Would you say that there are months when the shelling is better than others?
Cannot wait to return to Sanibel to find some more treasures. Would be great to see you there.
Pam, I live in Ft.Myers and vacation at my summer home on Cape Cod in the summer. Not much of a variety of shells but the picking is good …Not many people obsessed with jingles and sweet meats. Just started volunteering at Shell crafters last spring and also diagnosed with OCSSD….IT’s terminal!!!!
Looking forward to returning in early SEPT. Hoping to meet up with you on one of my shelling journeys. Thanks for all your passionate information.
CYNDE SKELLY