A 'Mini' Adventure!

I'm back down in paradise! Arrived just before Hubby and my 21st Anniversary! Can't think of a better place to celebrate than Florida, can you?! This trip won't be real long as we have to head back for Thanksgiving, but I'm gonna make the most of it!! 

Today was my first shelling day and I got to meet a new friend, Tina! She is a friend of a couple of friends, and I have to say, she is so fun! She wanted the Wentletrap Whisperer, Cheri to give her lessons on Wentling....so I tagged along! What fun!

Cheri started out with her 'circles' draws a circle in the sand and says...there's one or two in this circle.....it really helps finding them as they lay, so you can sharpen your sights!

If you look closely in this pic, there are three intersecting circles here!

and it worked!

Pretty soon, Tina was finding them! There weren't very many today, we walked all the way around the point and on down toward Colony....

I saw this guy and thought it was a Maculated Baby's Ear!!.... 

Which is a Baby's ear with a higher spiral and Brown smudges....but Alas....it was just a Slipper!!

I know I've said it before, but I really don't like Slippers....they continue to trick me into thinking it's something else!!!

I did find a Baby's Ear though.....

...and gave it to Tina as a 'friend' shell....You can't refuse a friend shell!! It's a rule! ;)

I also found a piece of a Junonia.... 

 The water was super clear and a LOT Less Brown than it has been the last few months!...and I found life!!!

Sea Stars..... like these Thorny Starfish....

I believe this is a Lined Sea Star hiding just under the sand.... 

and one area where we walked there were hundreds of live Coquina!!

...and a few 'plate sized' Jellies!...I believe this is called a 'Moon Jelly'

I did find a Brown-Banded Wentletrap....not perfect, but he came home with me anyway!

and the last thing I found was this Wentletrap...a nice sized...perfect one! SCORE!

I came home with quite a collection of Minis.....!!

A few Wentletraps.... a tiny Keyhole Limpet....worm shells, a tiny Apple Murex...a couple of tiny Sparse Dove shells, and two Waxy Polygyra (far right)

A Sanibel Turret, Tiny Dwarf Olives of all kinds of colors....

A few small Lettered Olives and the tiniest one I've seen....(on the dime)

A pair of tiny King's Crowns, Gaudy Nautica, and a Dusty Cone!

We had a great time, and I made a new Shelling Friend!! 

Cheri, Cheri and Tina!!!! Safe Travels Tina!

Stay Tuned!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Lightning Storm with Friends!

Sanibel's waters are clearing up...daily. Let's just hope it stays that way! It finally seemed clear enough that Team Cheri took to the water yesterday....we actually weren't snorkeling, we were scooping! Before the evening was done, we looked like we had been snorkeling....soaked thru and thru by waves in the face and on our backsides....actually knocking us down. But... what Fun! Plentiful too!!

For the first time in my shelling career, I actually FILLED up my shell bag!!!

I managed to pick up 43 Lightning Whelks!

Besides Lightnings I found Kings Crowns...

Lots of Shark's Eyes....

and a couple of Gaudy Nauticas

They looked so much prettier after rinsing them off, I had to snap another picture...

Cheri did great too....she actually is more choosy than I am, she filters out shells she doesn't want and throws them back at the end...maybe I need to learn to do that, I wouldn't have so many!!!
Here are her finds...

Notice she got Alphabets, a pretty Pear Whelk and Lace Murex and even a Scotch Bonnet!!! Look at the gorgeous color of that Lightning Whelk top left...and the inside of the large whelk in the center is actually purple!!!

Not long after we got there, our friends Donnie (The Shellinator) and Christine (The Shellinatrix) walked up....

From Left: Donnie, Me, Cheri and Christine

They actually snorkeled and did very well also....there were plenty of shells to go around! You can see from their bags in this next pic!

Everybody found Alphabet Cones....but me! I'm gonna have to knuckle down and get me an Alphie!! ;) We had such a GREAT time!! I felt like I had been in a washing machine for a few hours....and I slept like a baby last night!! :)



In other news....from earlier this week, I went back out with Cheri Bird Nerding at Bunche Beach...

These guys get pretty close to her....see how close these are behind her?

We always see such interesting things there....these are called Ice Cream Cone worm shells....they were EVERYWHERE....

and several had these Bubbles attached to the end....not sure what that is about, but I will continue to research it...

These tubes are actually made up of sand....here is one I have in my collection....was afraid to pick it up because I am sure it is fragile as it has dried...

I saw several places that had Kings Crown eggs...like on the end of this log....

there were tiny little Sea Hares....this one has his Antennae out on his head (to the left) they look like a butterfly or bat when they swim....very graceful. This one has his 'wings' wrapped around his body...like he's hugging himself....

Here is one swimming that I googled...

So many cool things to see!!

Since it was low tide at Bunch there was lots of sand...and there were these little fiddler crabs everywhere....they leave these little balls of sand next to their holes...and move so fast in and out of them.  The hole is at the very top and if you look REALLY closely I got a pic of one of them here....can you spy the crab?

Cheri got a much better picture of one! they are tiny!

Of course we saw many live Kings Crown and I always have to snap pictures of them...

 Surprise! This one has a Hermit Crab in it!! I haven't seen this very often...they are usually live with their snails!

Well, one more trip before I leave, maybe two....but Shellcrafters tomorrow! So Stay Tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Bird Nerding at Bunche with Shells on the side

Team Cheri decided to hit Bunche Beach in Ft. Myers. Cheri calls herself a 'Bird Nerd', she spends lots of time photographing the many birds at Ding on Sanibel and recently won third place in their photo contest! It was also posted in Today's local paper...The News Press...a half page picture!!!

She also reads leg tags on birds by zooming in with and then is able to follow their migration on line! Really interesting and Cool Stuff! I decided to tag along with her yesterday (and maybe pick up a shell or two!) 

She found a Piping Plover that had been tagged at Virginia Tech!! 

Small world...that is our daughter's Alma Mater and a football team we had seasons tickets for 12 years!! Go Hokies!

She also got pics of a Royal Tern, taking a bath...

a Willet eating a snack...(crab)

and Marbled Godwit...how pretty are these guys?!

It was so interesting...the Bird Nerd certainly knows her stuff!

 and she has good squat muscles!!! ;)

As we were checking out the birds, we were checking out the beaches and tidal pools too!...Bunche never disappoints....lots of live Kings Crowns...

Cheri even found one snacking on a crab!

I found all three types of Angel Wings!

On the left is a False Angel Wing, Center is an Angel Wing and the right is a Fallen Angel Wing....

It is also known as a Mud-Piddock!

Cheri found a beautiful pair of Rose Tellins....

and I believe these are also Rose Tellins....the book says they go from Rosy white....which are these, I believe to bright pink....

Cheri also found a beautiful Kings Crown that was empty....it's beautiful!

And the Morton's Egg Cockles!!!! First I filled up my small jar....

...and like every shelling addict, I couldn't stop there must have been billions of them out there...all different, a perfect pair!....had to get my larger container out! Here's a video of only a 5 foot area!

I managed to find one little Wentletrap in the group!

I also found a couple of empty Kings Crowns, & Sunray Venus.

Cheri did too!

We decided to stay for the sunset...and it did not disappoint!

What a cool adventure....she just might turn me into a Bird Nerd too!!!

My trip is quickly growing to an end....but Stay Tuned, I have a few more days left!!

::Shelllady Hugs::