It’s always exciting to see what Mother Nature has in store for us on the beach when the Gulf Of Mexico is stirring with choppy seas from high winds.
At the water’s edge at Blind Pass Sanibel yesterday morning, there were lots of shells rolling back and forth in the surf … but you had to be fast to grab them! There were quite a few live shells, so we had to be very careful to inspect each one but here are a few of the empties I found…
Then Clark and I went to Lighthouse Beach later in the day…
As hundreds of DOSINIA shells lined the beach, most folks were mesmerized by the family of DOLPHINS feeding close to the shoreline.
I watched the cuteness for a few minutes as well but couldn’t keep from eyes from wandering among the shells and bling.
There were little surprises washing up at this beach too.
It was a fun girls getaway to Sanibel weekend for Kelly (CO), Katie (MN), Amy (MN), Cyndi (Ft Lauderdale, FL) to celebrate Maria’s (MN) birthday… and to find those shell treasures washing up on the beach.
Cousins Helen, Kristine (Indiana) and Kate (from Illinois) have been shelling every year on Sanibel for 20 years. They take shells back to their kids’ schools to teach them about the gifts of the sea.
Clark was out in the water scooping with the shelling backhoe.
He scooped the shells in the water and brought them up to the beach… voila! This one scoop brought up a GAUDY NATICA and an APPLE MUREX.
His fave was an ALBINO FIGHTING CONCH and these…
I went back to the beach this morning just west of the lighthouse to find more bling along the beach.
There were still hundreds of DOSINIAS…
But I didn’t see the TULIPS and MUREXES like yesterday. That’s okay, there were different treasures… like quite a few perfectly intact fragile PAPER FIGS scattered along the beach. Score!
Lovely…
I think the cutest thing I saw all weekend was this sweet baby STARFISH stranded in a pile of shells in the high tide wrack line. I saw a few live SEA STARS at the water’s edge washing out with the tide change but this was the tiniest one I saw. Awwwe- so cute! After I turned her over to see that she was still alive… yay! In the water you go to live out a full happy life.
I love that first picture! And the picture of you holding ‘a few of the empties’ you found – there is one shell in the mix – I don’t know what kind of shell it is – that reminds me of a freshly baked scone! It’s golden brown on one side. And those paper figs are so pretty :)
Its a carrier shell! … Well 3/4 of one but im always happy to c even a part of one :)
Wonderful, wonderful, wonderful blog, as usual, Pam! (Or as Lawrence Welk would say, “Wunnerful, wunnerful, wunnerful! ha) I love the idea of the teachers taking shells back to their classrooms to teach them about the sea. Great idea!!
Oh Kaye- wunnerful wunnerful wunnerful – I love it!!! Brings back memories of my dad making fun. Hahah
Kaye,
I imagine the cousins reading Robb White’s THE LIONS PAW to students…
that wunnerful book led me to Sanibel via my dear 4th grade teacher, Mrs. Sawyer in Miami… 1959 :)
If you added a tiny sand dollar to the first photo of the sea star and scallop, you would have the up-grade charm I chose at Congress. So cute! And constant reminder. So needed the virtual visit to the beach today, a blessing..thanks again.
We found 6 large starfish (of course we didnt keep them!) and several Whelks today! East of Bowman ‘ s Beach. So much bling after the crazy waves we’ve had! !
PAM! Those figs! a SCORE indeed! what a great weekend on the beach you had! thanks for the beautiful pictures.
Pam,
I LOVE your bracelet! That picture shows it perfectly with your handful of shells!
I’m so glad everyone has been having fun shelling because its a hobby that keeps on going as long as the sun is shinning gulf is waving and shells are a plenty on the beautiful florida beaches. just keep coming back and loving the clean air the sand and mother natures gifts we all collect I love shelling—r.g.stein
We will be there Sat…..can’t wait! Leave some shells for me….been coming home to Sanibel since 1986!
I did manage to get to the beach today. I found my 1st wentletrap (hope to find more-only found one live one last year). I found several sea whips and an alternate tellin. There were lots of pen shells ,dosinias and millipede starfish. There were a couple of large live horse conchs that were put back in the water. The water is still pretty rough. Hope a lot of shells show up. Need to rest up for more shells. Pat
Love the first shot with the wave coming in, and the dappled light shot of the beach at Lighthouse.
Great Shelling! Thanks for sharing with us, Pam. As we mentioned when we saw you at the shelling cruise to Big Hickory, you perform an important service to us snowbound-going bonkers folk. Thanks for the ongoing memories.
Muriel
Good finds, Supersheller Clark. :)
I once wrote a story for a college English class that used shelling as metaphor for the beauty of finding those rare, random people that seem to come into your life once in awhile. These are the special friendships that are instantly recognized as ” soul- friends”. It gives me a lot of joy to see you celebrate all the reunions of people that gather on Sanibel and to post their pics, names and where they live. It shows how much you appreciate and value these sacred circles of love.
Oh, and those paper figs…just wow. Thanks, Pam! Enjoy the beaches for me!
I shelled the lighthouse for 4 hours Sunday, I had to do the SANIBEL SPRINT twice!! that’s when the shelling is so good, that you didn’t put enough money in the meter and you have to run back and add more before the time expires because there are still too many shells to leave!
I found over 100 wentletraps – at least four species; bubble shells and Nassarius (live and dead) were everywhere along with various oyster drill
species & many others. My best finds were a superb gem dwarf triton
and a thick lipped oyster drill that was pure mahogany brown, similar
to some I had seen collected at Kice Is. this year. There were dozens of small starfish in the drift.
Today (Monday) I went back and there was less material but still ample wentletraps, keyhole limpets,babys ears, and lots of some kind of vegetation with bivalves attached ( tulip, scorched and chestnut mussels, winged oysters) and most amazing- hundreds of beached starfish in every size and color imaginable, from tiny ones to a few big millipede starfish. Mostly in a small area facing east.
Those NW winds seem to have helped the shelling!
Oh yeah steve A dwarf triton find is fantastic. Ive only found one. Maybe ill see u on the beach this week
As well as three broken pieces, I found a whole dwarf triton in good condition at Blind Pass in December.
Hi Pam… I left you a post on the main site! Check it out when you can! Thanks..
So look for your posts. Seems to be every other day. I am certain all o us ‘shellers’ are addicted to I love Shelling! Just want to pass along a comment from my daughter who knows how much I LOVE to comb the beach and we are lucky to live close to Nj Shore so get to get my fix of beach walks almost all year round. my daughter”s comment refers to the Amazon ad on TV where Gary Busey holds something in each hand and says ïn one hand I hold something that will entertain me for the rest of my life, in the other, a seashell. He unfolds a usb that will fit into a TV port. My daughter said, Mom, the seashell would be your liftetime entertainment!! She is SO RIGHT! I think you and Clark feel the same.
I was at the Lighthouse Saturday and there were thousands of five pointed sea stars both live an not. I threw hundreds back. I finally decided to show everyone I met how to tell if they are alive so they would put them back. Also a huge variety of sea pork colors and different types of sponge. Few shells but a fantastic day.