Tulip Thursday, Olive Friday

Sorry I have not kept you updated, I only have a few days left here and have been busy working on the house and squeezing in a trip to the beach when I can! The tides are not great, and with it being Turtle season, night shelling is really not an option since you have to use a red light....so I'll just try to make do! ;)

I went to middle gulf on Thursday, the water is looking better and better, it's getting back the tropical green that it had before Irma....

The tidal pools started coming out, and the water was fairly clear so I managed to find a few treasures.... like a tiny Olive....

...and a nice True Tulip....

An Alphabet Cone....woohoo! and of course you know I can't pass up a Shark's eye!

Pretty nice color on these Florida Cones....though not in very good shape!

I found this 'freak' Fighting Conch....(Freak means they have some sort of abnormality in growth)  

Right before dark, I hit an area that was just full of Banded Tulips, I have never seen so many! I finally just stopped picking them up!

This Shark's eye is gorgeous, but look at all those barnacles!!

The birds were out again....I could just watch them for hours....so fun!

It was an okay day for shelling.....but the therapy was Greaat!

Friday I went to Middle Gulf again, but walked a little further....it was much less windy, and the water was much calmer....

The first thing I found was this.....I've browsed through my books, and have no idea what it is! It looks like a pen shell attached to an Ark Shell....but it isn't hard and brittle, it has the texture of leather....Kinda weird, and I opted not to spend a lot of time with it....just put it back after this photo op!

ANOTHER Alphabet Cone!! It's not a great one, but he went into the shell bag anyway!

One of the big changes to this area is that the tidal pool had a bunch of Live King's crowns in it! That's completely different, they generally are in muddy areas, and this are doesn't appear to be muddy....so glad to see SO many live ones!

This one is considered 'live' as well.....

...though it has a Hermit Crab in it....not the original 'snail-like' creature that makes the shell grow!

This is a Live Horse Conch...such beautiful color, underneath that brown coating, (called PERIOSTRACUM). The Animal in it is that vivid Orange color...these are one of my favorites!

And Another live Horse Conch....

 with another Hermit!

It was another beautiful day of beach therapy......

Even the dolphin were out!....

This was Olive day! So many! Hubby and I call these Sheila Shells....not my favorite, but my friend Sheila loves them....so many different sizes and patterns!

I will try to do a short post tomorrow with tonight's finds....

I will be at Shellcrafters tomorrow, so no beach therapy....BUT will get in some Shell therapy!

I fly home, back to real life, on Tuesday night, I'm hoping I will have one more trip to the beach early Tuesday morning! ....Stay tuned!

::Shelllday Hugs::