Happy Trails

“May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds.” 

~Edward Abbey

The shelling in the tidal pool last night was AMAZING!! There were so many things to see, pictures to take, and yes there good shells too!! Hubby won the prize by finding a huge beautiful Lightning Whelk...with no inhabitant...and an Angel Wing!! I came in to a close second with another Alphabet cone...this one was in much better shape and had beautiful color!! There was quite an array of different shells!!

Shark's eyes, Pear whelks, Paper figs, Tulips, Fighting Conchs, Apple murex, Horse conch minis....all kinds of finds!!

Olives, Augers, Scallops.....Check out the size of that Lightning whelk!!

Hubby's whelk

Top View...it's Beautimous!!

Inside

Angel Wing!

Alphabet cone

Paper Figs

Fighting Conchs...one is less than perfect!!

Top: Buttercup cockle, Left: Pear Whelk, Right: (My Favorite) Horse Conch or Florida Conch...they grow to as big as 2 Feet Long!! The biggest one here is about 3/4-1 inch!!

 I spent a lot of time taking pictures of all the activity in the tidal pool! As I said before, to me it is the best shelling! You have to learn to walk slowly so you don't kick up the sand, while also being aware that there are LOTS of living things there! I got interested in the trails left by the different things in the pool....here are just a few!!

Urchin Trail

Banded Tulip Trail

Fighting Conch Trail

2 Olives Trails

Another Olive Trail....I think he's getting dizzy!!

A Very Confused Olive!!

 The colors in the sky were amazing....the perfect end to another day in paradise!! 

I Love this Place!! :)

 More tomorrow!!

 

::Hugs::

Cheri

 

**Sorry this post looks so different...Blogger has decided to do it's own editing!!

Tidal Pool:Urchins

"...It is advisable to look from the tide pool to the stars and then back to the tide pool again.” ~John Steinbeck

As I told you, last night's shelling wasn't too spectacular, but we had fun anyway.  It's always an adventure shelling in the tidal pools...there are so many live things, and lots of activity....not including all of us avid shellers! Here's our 'catch' for last night...

I did get an alphabet cone, though it was not in great shape...it's top right.

We spent quite a bit of time just chillin' on the beach today, we saw lots of dolphin and something we couldn't figure out....it was VERY long and slender, and swam very quickly, no fin above the water and all we could see was it's dark shadow under the water...we saw the front of it come out of the water twice, but couldn't figure out what it was, it looked like a snout, but was too thin and quick to be a Manatee! We finally decided it was a sea monster, and it was just one more reason not to go in the water above the ankle when you can't see your feet!!  Other than that, It was so pleasant, there was a constant breeze, so we just sat there and watched the world go by.....dozed a little and watched some more.  I'm glad that I do that now, it took several years to realize how relaxing it is to sit there under an umbrella and just take it all in....if you haven't ever done it, just try it once...it really is good for the soul!!

 We sat there until about 3:30 and decided to go ahead and get ready to go to dinner....at Sanibel you eat by the tides, you know! We want to go out shelling around 6 since the low tide is ~8:45 so we will be out there until dark! We went to a place we had never tried before, called Cip's Place.  They had a wide variety of choices, including lots of seafood choices at a fairly reasonable price (another advantage to going early....early bird specials!!) I had Ginger shrimp stir fry on oriental noodles....OUTSTANDING...and Hubby had Grilled Salmon caesar salad, and he said his was great too!!  We will be going back to check it out more thoroughly!! :)

The weather was beautiful and we headed out to the tidal pools just before 6...tidal pool shelling is my absolute favorite....you see so much, and it's just so calming. But you have to take your time and look carefully! It's also so neat because I have this new waterproof camera, so I spend a lot of time taking pictures and videos, so I can share more with you! I took so many pics this time that I will have to make this a multiple 'chapter' post!! Then you will get videos next week after I get home....to a reliable network connection!!

...so here is the first chapter....I'm going to call it Tidal pool: Urchins. Urchins gather items on their spines, I assume for protection, for some reason, to me, they look like a 1950s housewife in those foam hair rollers....remember those? There were hundreds of these little dudes out there with all kinds of hairdos!!

This is the bottom side of an Urchin, that area in the center is his 'jaw'

Here is the top of the same Urchin...she's just beginning her 'do'

There were Hundreds of them that looked like this!! Every type and size shell you could imagine!!

This one decided to try dreds!!....or maybe just ribbons

This guy was very cool, had really long spines

Here he is taken from farther away, he had attached himself to a pen shell! He was Very dark Black...they are normally a deep maroon color.

 Today was really a lot of fun out there, we stayed out until nearly dark, and had a great time....we got some neat stuff....I'll post those pics tomorrow!


I always have said that God and I have some great conversations while I'm shelling here at Sanibel, today My Dad joined in on those conversations! I talk to him everyday, but today we talked a little longer, he loved shelling here, and today I felt he was a little closer to me, and I really needed that!


More tomorrow!!


::Hugs::


Cheri

RELAX!!!!

"Your mind will answer most questions if you learn to relax and wait for the answer"~ William S. Burroughs


Today, we were learning to kick back and relax....that sounds funny doesn't it? it's not something that you do automatically... if you are as busy as we have been lately! I popped up early as usual, then forced myself to just sit down and relax!! I sat out on the deck and just stared at the Gulf of Mexico...this is the view!!

After just taking in the view, we put on real clothes and mosied to Jerry's Supermarket! They have a little diner in there that serves great breakfast. I had my usual... a morning BLT (which means it comes with hash browns (the REAL shredded kind)) and Hubby had his usual 'Cakes and Eggs' (of course that's pancakes, eggs any style and bacon! We then stocked up on their pastries for breakfast tomorrow, and bleach to cleanup shells. Headed back to our new abode and I finished up the shells....the shelling was pretty good, we got some goodies here!

Banded and True Tulips (mini)

True Tulip minis and a Cerith

Jewel box...both sides!! Cockle too!!

 Not too bad for the first day...Huh?!  We decided that since low tide was late, around 8:00 we would have dinner about 5 and then go out again this evening and see what new treasures we would find! So after a day of relaxation....(I actually finished a book I started on my last trip here in November) How sad is that? it took me a while to remember what was going on!! We went to Gramma Dot's for popcorn shrimp caesar salad and homemade chips....of course we had to finish it off with the world's BEST key lime pie!! We mosied back to the condo then out to the gulf around 6:00.  Shelling wasn't as plentiful this time, as we have become somewhat shell snobs and won't grab just anything! We did see some amazing things and I took several short videos with my new camera!! Trouble is, you will have to wait until we get home to see those, because the internet connection here is terrible....I'm lucky to get pictures downloaded, much less video!! So that will just have to be an added bonus when we get home!

I found out today that our little Lily (8 month old chihuahua puppy) is doing fine at the vet's and they promise that she will be spoiled rotten when we get home....she is very shy around strangers and I have been worried about her! It sounds like she will be less shy when we return!

Here are some pics I took this evening of some of the live shells, you cannot take live shells on Sanibel, and sometimes they are plentiful, which means they will continue to multiply! Here are some we got pictures of, I spent more time taking videos and pics then shelling tonight....but once again, I'm learning to relax and enjoy!! 

Lightning whelk...live...see the 'door'

Front side of the same lighting whelk

True Tulip...live

underside of a true tulip...the 'door is horizontal across the middle...he's moving back inside

More tomorrow!!

::Hugs::

Cheri  

Finally....Time to unwind!!

Sometimes it's important to work for that pot of gold.  But other times it's essential to take time off and to make sure that your most important decision in the day simply consists of choosing which color to slide down on the rainbow.  ~Douglas Pagels

We arrived at our new home today here in sunny Florida after a trip down on the Auto Train! If you haven't tried it, you should....you (and your car) board the train in Lorton VA between 2:30 and 3:00 to a free wine happy hour with cheese and crackers, veggies with dressing and other snacks until 4:00 when the train leaves the station.  You then kick back and relax in your room until they call you to dinner at 5:00 or 7:00 and you have a very good meal with choices such as New York strip, Chicken, Salmon, or Veggie Lasagna with more wine or your choice of other beverage.  Go to the Lounge and watch a movie at 7:15 or 9:15 or just go back to your room and watch the world pass by! Go to sleep and wake up in Sandford FL (near Orlando) between 8:30 and 9:30 the next day. Within an hour you have your car and you are on your way!!  It's roughly a 4 hour drive from the train station to Sanibel which is not bad at all!!  

We got settled in and had dinner and wandered out to the beach at about 5:30 PM after dinner! We are staying at a different place than usual as Hubby found a deal he couldn't pass up....and it is right where Hubby got his Junonia a few years ago!!! We are staying at the last building of Sundial West. We walk right out to Junonia territory, complete with tidal pools!!  Here is how the beach looked this evening....just beautiful and very peaceful....and the water was so clear!!

The Gulf was as calm as a lake!

You can see the sandbar the water is so clear

This was taken with my new camera, through the water

There were patches like this with little treasures all through the tidal pool

If you look closely, you can see a beautiful Lightning whelk....live, with the animal out walking along the bottom of the tidal pool, he is the black material under it.  This shell is probably 7 or 8 inches long!

Here he is out of the water, I took him out for a quick picture then placed him back into the pool....

Here is the underside of him, he has a 'door' to protect him, it is shut now....notice the beautiful pink surface around the 'door'! It is nearly iridescent...like a pearl!

This is the 'Wrack Line' it is the high tide line with all sorts of pen shells and egg cases for all kinds of shells!  So many places to investigate...This may take me several days to check through thoroughly

This was from the tidal pool, see the dark spots in there, it was so clear!! I LOVE this type of shelling! There was a storm approaching!!

Notice the small white arrow? That's our new home for the next few days!!

Closer view...Hubby is sitting there!!

 

 We are going to love our new home for the next few days, I hope to be able to send you great reports....Today's shells will be in tomorrow's post!! 


It really is so beautiful and peaceful here....Truly paradise!!


::Hugs::


Cheri

I'm Finally Back!!

We must embrace pain and burn it as fuel for our journey.  ~Kenji Miyazawa

As many of you know, it has been very tough times here the last few months.  My Daddy, my hero, passed away on March 15th.  He had so looked forward to my upcoming retirement on April 3 to go fishing together, but unfortunately that didn't happen! My Mom and Jess and I were there with him when he took his last breath and we were able to verify that it was a peaceful transition for him which is everything we hoped for.  Jess and I did the Eulogy at his funeral, it was tough but was something we both felt driven to do, and thanks to the tremendous support of our hubbies, we were able to do a pretty good job of it I think!  He was tagged as Mr. Christmas in his neighborhood due to his Christmas decorations, (I always knew he was the real Santa) and the community has been so thoughtful!! We miss him so much, but we know he is in a much better place, fishing with his fishing buddies that went before him, and flying with his pilot buddies. 


A day has not gone by when I'm not talking to him, and I feel confident that he is always here with me as he has been all of my life!


Hubby and my plans to rent a place on Sanibel long term were put on hold in February when my Dad took a turn for the worse.  They have just been delayed, hopefully, while we regroup with our family. I finished out my last 3 weeks at work and have been working on the next chapter of my life....called RETIREMENT. So far, I have been working with my Mom to help clean-up things, and 'work on the nest' as she calls it, organizing and going through Daddy's things.   We do have a trip planned starting this Friday to go down to Sanibel for a much needed trip of R and R! It has been a rough few months for us both, and to be able to take time to relax and reflect on life in general will be greatly welcomed!


I intend on keeping everyone up to date with my 'shell reports' here and with pictures taken with my BRAND NEW waterproof camera that Hubby gave me for Christmas! I can take it with us and show you all the wonderful things we see on our shelling journeys!


I still need to get caught up with all the blogs I follow, but intend on 'getting back on the horse' with updates here and sharing life as we know it, once again!




Here is a video I took of my Dad last December....he loved those animated figures that sing, so this year's was appropriately a Santa hat!

::Hugs::


Cheri