The Eyes Have it!

As usual, time has flown by and Jess and Joseph have gone home, leaving an empty spot here. We had a great time and Joseph loved the beach, pool, sand and wildlife....he got to see so many things!

A Brittle Sea Star....

An Alligator!

And he loved playing in the sand!

So I was solo on my beach walk last night, Beach Therapy, the best medicine....

My first find was in a tidal pool, a small Lace Murex with a pink tip caught my eye....

I noticed the Sand Dollars were all over the beach, just barely covered by the sand....

Unfortunately I saw many families on this busy Saturday picking these guys up and throwing them like frisbees into the Gulf! These are live creatures and should be handled carefully, if at all! Please folks spread the word to protect the life on the beaches so it will be here for a long time to come! (OK, off my soap box now!)

This guy was a hoot! He was running all around the tidal pool!

He was bright red and took up residency in a Lightning Whelk....and was fast as Lightning!! ;)

The highlight of tonight's therapy were the live Shark's eyes! I have seen very few of these guys live, but tonight there were many of them, of all sizes!

<<Back on my Soap Box!! >> I had to make some folks aware on my walk last night that the taking of live shells on Sanibel is illegal and that it can be a $500 fine, for taking live shells.....If people won't think about the conservation of wildlife, they will think about their wallets!! Sometimes they just aren't informed of the rules, so we need to find a way to get the word out!! <<2nd rant over>>

*The only reason I picked this big guy up was because he got washed ashore by a wave so I took him out, dug a hole for him to go into, and set him in it, he immediately latched on to the sand.

I found a few dead Sand dollars to take home, they are so fragile at this stage, I only ended up with one by the time I got home, the other 2 broke into bits!

I found a Tellin also, for some reason I really like these and have found very few...

 There were a few of these Jellyfish out there tonight too, in the past, I have only seen these guys after a storm...This guy is a little larger than a dinner plate...

Then I found a few minis, I love these and need to build up my supply in preparation for making my Sailors Valentine!

From left: Wentletrap, Tusk Shells, tiny Shark's eye, I believe the shell just above is a type of Dove shell, and below is a Mitre, another Wentletrap, tusks, and a Rice Olive

These guys are so small! If you notice in the pic below, they all look like Tusk Shells but the one at the top center is some sort of an Auger....could not find an exact match in my book, but it is similar to the shape of a Turret shell....any ideas?

Tiny Oyster Drill, Juvenile Fighting Conch and Tusk shell...

It was a beautiful evening for a walk, only a few days until we head back to real life, stay tuned!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Making a Post During Nap Time!

Sorry I haven't posted in a while...I haven't done much serious shelling in a few days....the tides aren't great right now....and we have family here for a few days! Our youngest daughter Jess and her son Joseph are here! Joseph is 2 and has never been to the beach. They live in the mountains of Virginia!

He seems to be enjoying himself very much! Running on the sandbars....

 Building Sandcastles....

 Playing in the sand....

Playing in the water with his Mommy....

Exploring sea life...

A tiny Horseshoe crab Molt..

King's Crown egg casing....

He even showed my Friend Cheri this tiny hermit crab!

...and held a tiny live SeaStar...

We visited the Library on Sanibel where he got to see the Biggest Elmo ever....

Played tag with his Mommy...

Played at the beach with Gammaw....C-H-E-E-S-E!

We even took some time and had a little picnic and just chilled out...

We did find a few shells at the beach though!

a few Mini shells, a tiny Button, Wentletrap, mini Horse Conch and Arrow Triton (I think)

Sunray Venus pair

Nice King's Crown

A Bubble and a nice Nutmeg....

Stay tuned....We are so Busy having a lot of fun!!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Favorite Minis and Lots of Life

I got a message that my Shelling Buddy, Cheri was in town and I went to meet up with her on the beach. She too, needed some Beach Therapy, and Sanibel Beaches do not disappoint....

The tide was headed toward low and the sandbars and tidal pools were out, it was a beautiful evening! This awesome live Kings Crown was enjoying a stroll as well!

So was this Reddish Egret...I love these guys, they do a little dance as they are fishing, I couldn't catch it with my camera this time!

Cheri found another live Shark's Eye, so glad to see so many of these out there this trip...

There were a lot of live Olives too.....traveling both on the beach and in the pool...

 Look at the amazing pattern on this guy, his shell and his body!

There were live Lightning Whelks,

Sand Dollars....this guy was huge, but badly cracked, I hope he can fix it!

Live Pear Whelks all over the place!

This guy was using this pen shell as his shelter, but decided to come out swinging when we walked by....

The sky was beginning to look pretty lively too....

It was a great visit, as we walked and talked, ....and of course found some minis!

Just look how tiny....that's a dime in there for size! The white shells on the left are Wentletraps....I love looking for these....!

Yesterday was Shellcrafters day so I didn't make it to the beach, but hopefully the storms will get done early this evening and I'll get there tonight....stay tuned!

::Shelllady Hugs::