Tellin about Sanibel

Today was a lot different, it was overcast and it sprinkled on us a couple of times, but to me it's still beautiful, and they really need some rain here! As soon as I walked out on the beach I found this False Angel Wing!! A rare find for me on Sanibel Beaches!

Then I began to find Tellins! I really like these, and very seldom find them. Today was a little different, I'm tellin you! ;)

These were found by both Cheri and I...
I also ran across some HUGE jingles...have you ever seen them so big?

The Gulf was pretty rough today, Cheri said there was even a riptide warning out, there was a lot of seafoam too...

I hoping it's going to 'stir thing up' out in the Gulf and bring in some shells...I only have one or two more shelling trips to go! 

I didn't go yesterday, but did join some of my Shellcrafter ladies sorting shells....as long as shells are involved I'm happy! Have you ever seen such amazing smiles? So fun!

The shelling has not been very good, and I try to leave no <shell> unturned! I found some buried in the sand, and it was worth a look between waves...

I found a couple of Banded tulips and a Keyhole Limpet,

 there were a few other bits and pieces...

Nothing super special, but I did keep this pretty colored Fighting Conch with a sharp point and another Apple Murex....I've got to find a craft project that uses the murex! I have way too many! ;) Once again, I can't just leave them...though I am getting better about it!!

Several times this morning I saw huge Squadron's of these pelicans, I love to see them flying together, sorry for the out of focus pic, but it's hard to catch them overhead!!

It looked like I was about to really get wet, so I headed back in, 

and ran across this Alphabet cone!  .....  

                                     

 ...or NOT!!

I couldn't resist this colorful, tiny, spiny Jewel box just before I headed in...

and surprisingly the only live thing I saw today was this tiny little guy, a baby apple murex..who was way up on the beach attached to this white ark shell, so I put the whole thing back into the Gulf...

I stopped and pick up a couple of bags of white arks and venus shells for a craft project and saw this guy in the pile....for just a second, I thought it was a small Lion's paw! Alas, it is not, just a beautifully colored Kittens paw.

Although it was cloudy, the water was still a Beautiful Turquoise when I went back over the causeway...!

Stay tuned, hopefully tomorrow's trip will have some special treasures...tides aren't great in the mornings now, but we always manage to have fun anyway.

::Shelllady Hugs::

A Beautiful Morning

The weather here has been just beautiful, and dependable! Low to mid 80s during the day, and middle 60s overnight! How could that be more perfect? The shelling has not been great lately, but who cares...the walk on the beach is so therapeutic! Cheri and I headed out this morning, and noticed right away that the water is crystal clear, I immediately saw these 2 guys in fairly deep water...An Olive and a Shark's eye ....The olive is normal shaped, this angle makes it look short and stubby, but it isn't!

 Cheri found this Awesome looking Blonde Shark's eye, nice size too!

 This Millipede Sea Star was nearly perfect...

 Notice all the little fingers, or feet on his underside, this is what he uses to move around...Cheri gently put him back in the Gulf.

 I thought this was a neat picture of 2 crows and a Snowy Egret...

I found this pretty little Nutmeg...

 and a 'blonde' Horse Conch that was in really good shape...

 This live Apple Murex had some beautiful colors...

 and had apparently lost his operculum, but he made do with a jingle!! How cool is that!

There were also beautiful colors on this Jewel box pair...

 Look how purple the inside is!! 

I just thought this live Sea Urchin was amazing! He has some sort of 'jelly' on his top, look how LONG those spines are!

 And who could resist this orange Scallop?!

 I tried to get a picture of the crystal clear water...this is the deeper water, notice the turquoise color....looks tropical doesn't it?

 This is shallower, you can't even tell there is water there!! Just amazing!

My time here is growing short, I only have a few more days left. It's very late so this post is fairly short, but I wanted to keep you all up to date....Stay tuned!!

::Shellady Hugs::

Pieces of Spots and MicroMinis!

The shelling lately has been pretty slow, but today we found some Micromini's to go through...some so small, we didn't even try to get them!! We were greeted to the beach first thing by this guy...a Ghost Crab, he came up and just sat there so we could snap his picture....then very quickly scooted on down the beach, in fact he moved so quickly he went between Cheri's feet as she was taking a step! I love these guys!

I found a mini scallop that nearly glowed in the dark....

Then nothing for a long time....but we had a sunrise that never disappoints!

I did find a perfect Banded Tulip...

I had a little heart palpitation as I saw this peeking through the sand....

 But alas....only a piece of an Alphabet Cone!

Cheri and I always say "Look for Spots" hoping it will make us find and Alphabet Cone or a Junonia....one can always hope! Well for the second time today, I saw spots, but only pieces!  There is also a small Jasper cone (bottom) a Rice Olive (or dwarf olive) and a teeny little Lightning Whelk Micro Mini, a Tusk Shell and a Well-Ribbed Dove shell.

We did see a Manatee on the beach!! :)

Then we started finding micro-minis...another Waxy Polygyra on the head of a Penny!

 Dwarf Olives, (Rice Olives)....

And I believe this is a Micro-mini True Tulip and Lightning Whelk...must be newly 'hatched'!

 From the left, 2 Coffee Melampus, and a Green Erato! (Never found one before, and it was recognized by someone who read this!...Not in my books!)

Cheri found a Scotch Bonnet!! Not perfect, but he went home with her anyway!

She found this Live Lightning Whelk also, aren't they beautiful?

Here is the mini's I found today....One day I'll collect enough to try a sailors Valentine!! That's one of my dreams, and I will need many more days like today to have enough! Nice group though, don't you think?

As slow as the shelling is, I'm going to keep checking things out and reporting back to you, so Stay Tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::