Sunshine, seashells and friendships were beaming at Gulfisde City park beach this weekend.
I had a blast with my high school girl friends Miyuki and Laura who came to visit Sanibel this weekend with Laura’s daughter Ashley and her friends Josh and Joey. They are so stinkin cute! I was tied up in the morning so they drove up to see Captiva… they loved it of course but they didn’t find many shells so they were extra happy to see lines of shells and scoop them up by the fistfuls when I met them at GSCP. I love to see those smiling faces! Joey told me his mom does lots of shell craft projects so he was loading up on the little white ARK shells to take back home to her. Sweet!
The weather was a little hot but it was picture perfect to take a break from shelling under a few shaded palm trees.
I also met Joe and Emilie (a cool blogger at Baby Loving Mama) from MN near Gulfside City Park beach during their very first visit to Sanibel… celebrating their 12 year wedding anniversary. Congratulations!
Or should I say… “Congratshellations!”. This was also their very first time collecting shells so it was fun to see them sitting and sifting through a nice shell pile ooohing and aaaahing over beautiful CALICO SCALLOPS, AUGERS, CERITHS and LETTERED OLIVES. (Of course I was a little proud that Joe had clipped the iLoveShelling Seashell Identification card to his belt loop. Yay!)
To wind down the weekend yesterday afternoon, Clark and I stopped at Lighthouse Beach to see what type of shells had rolled up for low tide. Omigosh! It looked like high season in March on the beach… the parking lot was packed and the beach was loaded with people and umbrellas. Was this a holiday weekend that I missed? Did we miss an invitation to the beach party? Dunno but it seemed unusually busy for what we normally call the “slow season”.
At Lighthouse Beach, Clark and I weren’t finding that many keeper shells… which was just as well since I saw a few pieces of trash that had been left behind by others, so I filled up my bucket with trash and just a few treasures. As with most shellers, we always pick up trash when walking the beach- it’s just what a beach comber does. We are the best stewards of our beaches since we are paying attention to what is washing in and out. We normally see the typical wrappers and papers that get blown out of the open tote bags by the breeze- it just happens. But lots of times a thief gull or black bird raids a beach blanket with totes filled with goodies, then flies away to find a place to open the bag of chips or sandwich but then drops the plastic after the free meal or realizing it was empty or there wasnt food in there after all. I’ve seen this in action hundreds of times- and I’ve chased them away . It’s quite a show to watch!
Since Sanibel really doesn’t have a terrible litter problem like lots of other beaches in the world, we’ll keep on doing what we as shellers do best… fill our shell bags with trash and treasures, stay calm, and shell on!
PS- Lets not turn this “trashiness” into negativity. We all just need to help each other do the right thing, move on and enjoy the sunshine and treasures Mother Nature has gifted us.
Pam, you are so right about the trash and picking it up. That is just what us beach lovers do. We love the beach that much and want it to be there for others to enjoy.
Oh Pam, how I long to walk the beaches on Sanibel! It has stormed here in Tennessee throughout the day! However, through the sprinkles, there is a double rainbow in the sky. I have worn my necklace to school several times and have received several compliments. I never forget to mention the special day when Beth, Joyce, Debbie, and I cruised to Cayo Casta with you. What a great memory!
Hi carol! Our day was special for me too- I’m so happy you can wear your necklace and remember such a Fun time with those awesome girlfriends of urs. Good luck with school this year!!!! :)
So disappointing to see trash on the beach. There are plenty of trash cans to dispose of refuse. True shellers like you will always clean up after those who are not so respectful of beach beauty.
Thank you for caring about the cleanliness of the beautiful Sanibel beaches.
Hi Pam,
I was shelling near GSCP on Friday. Best shelling of the week by far. The shells were abundant! I should say I was dodging lightening bolts, torrential downpours and gusty winds while shelling on Friday. During one of the “Run for Your Lives” thunder/lightening storms, I absent-mindedly left a mesh bag of my shell treasures on the beach. I was quite upset/spit’n mad! Either they went back home with the rising tide or they went home with someone else. I guess it was good Karma for me either way though. And by the way… I am only ever this optimistic on Sanibel Island. hahaha
I wanted to go back Saturday and just sit and sift for treasures. But it was time to leave the island and head back to reality. YUK! My heart actually hurt when I drove over the causeway away from the island.
So thanks for your website. I think I’ll be cyber shelling a lot this fall.
Cayo Costa was an awesome experience. My set of Angel Wings are well on there way to recovery. I have a lot of TLC to give them while gingerly picking the tee-tiny barnacles from the tips. I’ll be sure to post a pic for you.
Thanks again,
Rhonda
Texas
Rhonda is was such a pleasure to meet you! I can’t tell u how happy it made me to see your face after snorkeling so long to find that angel wing. I’ll be posting lots of cybershelling photos this winter for you!
;-)
I like to do at least some beach cleanup wherever I am. I often carry a plastic bag specially for trash, or ask the lifeguard (where there is one) to give me a trash bag I can fill up. It’s a satisfying feeling to leave a beach more beautiful and more natural than you found it, even if all you picked up is a few plastic bottle caps. :)
In La Jolla last week I found a very beach-worn red plastic button at the tide line. I wonder whose piece of clothing that fell off of, and how long ago?
This winter I lost my good new sunglasses on the beach. The next day I mentioned that I lost them to a lady shelling. She told me a little girl had found them while picking up trash and when she couldn’t find the owner, left them on the steps. There they were, without a scratch. This inspired me to write a kid’s story involving a little girl who lost her sunglasses and involved a crow, an osprey, Ibis, shark, dolphin, and pelican. The point of the story is that the creatures helped her because she knew that litter harms wildlife.
Every time I find sunglasses in the water I imagine that someone was reaching for a Junonia when a huge wave caught them.
Thank you so much for taking the time to teach us about shelling. I really enjoyed chatting with you, and loved watching my husband taking the digging and identifying the shells so seriously. We both had so much fun. Thanks for sharing your knowledge and enthusiasm for shelling!
Everyone should look up the great eastern Pacific garbage patch. If people could see what happens to trash dropped on an Easter US beach, where it ends up, the damage it does, and the harm to our oceans they would hopefully think twice about leaving their trash behind. I know it impacted me!
Please pass the information on to all the beach lovers you know.
I was shelling at lighthouse beach last february, and hit a crazy good shelling spot. While crouched down grabbing some sweet minis, the flimsy mesh bag i had slung over my shoulder accidentally opened and the ziplock bags inside it fell out without my knowing. At least 10 minutes goes by, and my husband asks for the camera….i casually reach over my shoulder, and then lose my breath…..the camera is gone, along with everything else in the bags… two of our cell phones, our wallets, etc… I just burst out crying!!! My husband dashed back to the room and started calling credit card companies, and i start scouring the ground frantically. About 15 minutes of running up and down the beach, i hear someone calling out to me!! A family had found the entire bag and was actually looking for me!! Imagine my relief, i cried again and couldnt stop hugging the family!!! They saw my frantic face and figured it was my face matching the drivers license in the bag. Sometimes shelling can almost be TOO good. Thank goodness for the kindness of strangers…
Once we were at Lighthouse Beach, at a neighboring chair a gull was pulling cigarettes out of a box one by one. Being non smokers it was kind of funny. I did go over and cover up their stuff. Those birds are bold! The blackbirds come to the pool where we stay and they’ll steal anything out of peoples beach bags. We warn newcomers all the time.
We have been shelling on sanibel for 6 years now but never stayed on the island. We would drive over from Indian rocks beach. But this year we decided to stay on sanibel for a week. Big mistake. The smell is awful. And it’s pretty constant. Very strong sulfur smell on multiple beaches and the tap water wasn’t drinkable it also has a strong odor. We have been looking for a place to buy on the island because we do love the shells but other than the shells and the friendly people sanibel is not the place for us. We visited lighthouse beach and while we were setting up our stuff a sanitary napkin came floating to the shore. So gross.
Also they do not tell you about the bugs. No see ums . The pharmacist at the cvs was very compassionate to our plight.
My mantra is for each shell, a piece of trash. I take a shell, and by removing a piece of trash, it’s my way of giving back. Last nights storm didn’t produce the results I hoped for, but there were friendly shellers and fishers on todays stroll.