Happy Halloween!

I know, I know, I go from one extreme to the other....no posts then 2 a day apart!! Obviously my blog is driven by activity and I had some fun yesterday and wanted to share!

I told you that we had a storm on Friday so I headed out twice yesterday to see what I might find....once in the morning, just after High tide....of course I found Dosinia galore! along with Cockles and many Angel wings!

Nice big Angel Wings too! I just did a photo op with this one and left him for someone else to enjoy....

I found this really cool long spined Sea Urchin, and put him back into the Gulf as he was still alive....

I grabbed a bunch of Dosinia (for painting) and these guys and headed back home with plans to return to another beach at low tide, later this afternoon....

2 pear Whelks a Gaudy Nautica and a Perfect Mahogany colored True Tulip!

The surf was rolling when I came back a couple hours before low tide....believe it or not this guy was tossed onto the beach by a pretty impressive wave right in front of me! A perfect Pony sized Horse Conch! One of my favorites and favorite size!!!

It should clean up nicely!!!

Pretty quickly I stumbled upon an area where there were buried shells....one of my favorite ways to shell, trouble is, it was in the wash of the waves so very difficult to get a picture of.....but I tried....

The waves wash the sand away and there are all kinds of treasures to be found! There were at least a dozen live Lightning Whelks....this one had gotten completely uncovered so I carried him further out and buried him to keep him safe....What a beauty, right?!

Several folks were walking around with these and large Horse Conchs that they had found that were empty...I did find a nice one or two myself!

And you know me and the Shark's eyes....can't resist them!! ...

I got all excited when I saw another pony....but alas, he was live....don't you just love the orange body inside??

If you collect Fighting Conchs or Apple Murex, this was the place for you! I even kept a couple Apple Murex, because they were very lacy!

Can you guess what this is??? 

Underneath that rough exterior is a beautiful Horse Conch....wait until you see him all cleaned up!! It may take a little elbow grease, but I'm up to the task!!

 

It was a lot of fun, though the tide chased me away before I was ready!!! 
Another day maybe!!

I won't be able to go out tonight as I'm handing out candy and shells on a Drive through Trick or Treat at the Community House! That will be fun too!!! 

Enjoy you're Halloween and Stay Tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Social Distancing Florida Style

If I've got to have social distancing...what better place than Florida?! I have taken a couple of nice walks on the beach, and after the holiday weekend, I'm hoping to take a few more before we leave. Most public parking is still closed on Sanibel so it is difficult to get there, otherwise you would be getting more frequent posts! :) These pictures are a group from different places...
My favorite find so far is this horse conch....I know beauty is in the eye of the (be)holder....right?

What do you think now?

I soaked it in bleach water for days, frequently removing it and using a pic, knife, and a strong brush...then putting it back in the water...I'd say it was worth it!! This is my favorite size Horse Conch!

I also love these Atlantic Wing Oysters....they are so fragile and aren't real common, they insides are always iridescent...this trip I found 3!

I picked up a few Wentletraps...another favorite!

Beautiful True Tulip...

and I found this Spiny Jewel box with my foot!!!!!!

Nice one, but would have preferred to find it the 'old fashioned way'!

I got a few minis also....(notice the inside of the Wing Oysters)

That's a penny in there to give you a size comparison...

look at that Albino Sharks eye...my Daddy would be proud...as I've said before, Sharks eyes were his favorite!

I saw a lot of Life while I was on these walks, that means as much...or even more to me than the shelling....

How about this Sea Star??...Sea X??? How cool is that?

There were lots of Sea Stars out there....

I even had the pleasure of seeing a Dolphin slowly swimming and feeding...

and of course, I love my Pelicans!!

I've been spending lots of time painting shells and hiding them either early morning or late evening. It keeps people from seeing me being sneaky and keeps me away from people. Here's a few I've just finished... so fun!!

and of course, I have needed to restock since it looks like we'll be staying in for at least a while longer....

I hope you all are well and I hope to post more soon!!
Back to the paint brush!!! Stay Tuned!


::Shelllady Hugs::