I got to the beach this morning, and as always, it was beautiful...But as I pulled into the parking spot I realized I had forgotten my shelling scoop and bag! I looked in the back of the car and there were a few of those plastic shopping bags with handles...that'll do in a pinch!
The sunrise was absolutely wonderful....
I walked a long way, nearly half a mile....with my escorts (a pair of Snowy Plovers)of course...
I saw no shells to pick up...so I decided to do something different! :) The water was clear and I was just before low tide so I walked over in the knee deep water and started looking. Actually this is like shelling a tidal pool, except you have to look 'between' the waves coming in...but the water was crystal clear...
Notice that there are several shells buried....if you look carefully, sometimes you can see some buried treasures....like here...
and Voila...there it is!!! SCORE!!
I love this shelling, you have to take your time and look carefully....I always look for piles of pen shells that are buried....you never know what has gotten trapped in those piles...
Voila again!!!!
An Angel Wing!!! Nearly perfect!
Both sides of a calico Scallop and a sea urchin...Also a shark's eye...all in this same spot among the pen shells!!
While I was digging here, I looked over and a couple of feet in front of me was this....
Do you see it? Here it is zoomed in....(it's a little distorted, because the pic is taken through the water....
I'm thinking NO WAY....it must be just an edge....
But NO!! VOILA and SCORE again!! It's a PERFECT true tulip....and it's huge!!!
I can't help but think of my Shelling Buddy Cheri from Chicago...this is her favorite! This one's for you Cheri! <3 <3
This was all in just a few minutes! The tide began to come in after this, but I did find a few more little treasures....here are a few!
Do you see them?
An Olive and juvenile fighting conch...See this little guy?
A mini lightning whelk!
You really have to be careful doing this kind of shelling, frequently you find that the shell you pick up is inhabited!!
This little horse conch has a hermit crab in it....
I found another alphabet cone this way too....he had been there too long, I shoulda found him sooner!
It was another beautiful day, with a great walk on the beach...I really need this Beach Therapy thanks for coming along!!
Stay tuned!!
::Shelllady Hugs::
Touched my heart the way you wrote this. I have only been to Sanibel once, but my heart misses it daily.
ReplyDeleteThank you Brenda, That is such a nice thing to say! You need to get back for some Beach Therapy soon!!!
DeleteOMG that tulip is AMAZING!!!!
ReplyDeleteI know, right?! To be honest, I really didn't expect that tulip to be whole when I saw that edge!! I was SO pleased!!
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