It still amazes me how many variations of beautiful shells can be found on Sanibel during a morning walk on the beach during low tide.
Laura drove to Sanibel’s Gulfside City Park beach from her home in Fort Myers Beach to collect a few shells this weekend. She may not have filled up her shell bag but the treasures she found were well worth the trip… especially the fabulous FLAT SCALLOP, MUREXES and gorgeous LETTERED OLIVES she showed me (in the first photo).
Her husband Shannon found lots of those same shells in the high tide wrack line.
And he found oodles of CONCHS, DRILLS and TURKEY WINGS too to fill up his bag.
Our weather this weekend has been absolutely perfect with high 60s in the mornings and low 80s in the day. Love it!
Stacy (Pompano, FL) was having lots of luck shelling the tidal pools where she was happy finding all sorts of shell loot.
She found those glossy colorful OLIVES as well but she loves the minis too so my fave shell of hers was the tiniest and cutest little TOP SHELL (furthest to the left in her hand- cutie!).
I saw Barbara from NJ again but this time she showed me one heck of a beautiful shell she found… a GOLDEN OLIVE!
It was a dark mustard color – almost orange – and sooo beautiful but…. it was still alive. Most of the shells at the shore line were alive but I found most of the empty shells in the high wrack line or in the higher tidal pools. Barbara showed her GOLDEN OIVE to us long enough for me to get a photo, then she returned it to the sea. Breed, GOLDEN OLIVE, breed! LOL
It’s always nice to go on vacation like we did last week but living on Sanibel is sooooo nice to come home to. We are happiest living by the water’s edge on Sanibel just like most of the shells we saw at low tide this weekend… happy, healthy and very much alive.
Join me for a Shelling Adventure! Next one is tomorrow Oct 27, 2014 at 9am with Captiva Cruises. For more info CLICK HERE.
Oh and PS- I have something very special coming up this week… We are shellebrating iLoveShelling 5 years Shellaversary so Stay tuned!
Looks like a perfect morning. Thank you Pam. February can’t come soon enough.
Ah, a great place to be!
Ty this made my morning! Beautiful finds everyone.
Keep shelling & showing!!
Mary Ann
East Granby CT
reading the post this morning made me wish that I was walking on the beach there and shelling, too……………………and the glorious weather, too! AAAHHH! :)
I was at Gulfside City Park this morning and saw you as you arrived! I was 90% sure it was you, but was too shy to say hi. I found so many gorgeous olives, it was a personal record. Also a huge cantharus, which was my fave find of the day.
Oh my goodness, BIRD! I can’t believe you didn’t say hi!!! ???? Were u walking with another person and I was still gulping my coffee in my car?
Actually I saw you when you first walked on to the beach from the parking lot, holding your big travel coffee mug! I was probably standing in a tide pool or at the surf line at the time.
another great day having fun in the sun and filling the shell bucket with more beautiful shells getting exercise doing what you love, cant beat it thanx for another great post sincerely r.g.stein
Pam,
Mom and I had so much fun collecting our treasures. Meeting you was one of the highlights of our trip. Can’t wait to get back there in December.
Smiles,
Stacy
Love these posts! I’m living on Sanibel Island vicariously through you, so please keep up the posts, photos & vids! Thanks!
So much beautifulness, I’m overloading with jealousy! I can’t wait to get out there, but your fabshellous blog is more than enough till spring break!
Wow. Its getting cold here in the UK and I am even more envious now.
Happy anniversary, Pam! My first trip to Sanibel was 4 years ago. I wish I would have known about you then. I have a shell identification question and am not sure where to ask it (I think a forum on your website would be exshellent!) This past March I found what appears to be a deep blue/black pear whelk. It was a crazy windy day at blind pass. I also found a broken queens helmut and a piece of a junonia that day-the wind was really bringing them in. The concept doesn’t seem too odd but I haven’t found anything quite like it on your page or elsewhere. Any ideas? Is this at all unusual? I’d be happy to hear anyone’s thoughts. Thank you so much!
Hi Chelsea, some times shells turn colors after they are empty because of different mineral deposits they are exposed to. Black shells were most likely in iron sulfide. Hope this helps! Btw, I thought about a forum but I would never have enough time to moderate …. I’d rather be exploring the beach to find interesting things to learn about.
Looks amazing, Pam! Hoping to come back over Spring break with I my daughter and Angela (Anshella)! My son goes to school by Crescent Beach and I’ve been trying to go there a couple of times a month. Not the best beach for shelling, but I have found a few really good treasures…to me! Trying to figure out the tide stuff. I hope to see you if we get to come!
Pam, your posts always inspire and excite me! I’m happy to say I’ll be coming down to Sanibel again in 2 1/2 weeks (and bringing my mom this time around)! How’s the weather down there in November? It will be my first time visiting during a winter month. I hope to bump into you again on the beach! :)
My husbands mother found a huge shell on the beach in Daytona over 60 years ago. It is 19″Long 9″ Wide and weighs 5 lbs. We’ve thought it to be a Conch shell but after reading through your info its possibly a Tulip shell. Is there a way to determine the age of the shell? I wish I could post a photo so you could see it.
KBaker