Shelllady: Wentling

Friday, September 11, 2020

Fall Beach and Shell Painting Therapy!

Hi all! I hope this post finds you well and adjusting to the new way of doing business...i.e quarantine! Hubby and I have stayed home, just trips to the store as needed and I've learned how to be a housewife! I worked full time, so was never home enough to do that! I'm kinda like this!! This housewife and househubby needed a break so we headed down to our place in Fort Myers for some R&R!

Let me start out with a Beautiful Sunset!

Haven't been for a Sunrise yet, but it's coming....

The shelling has not been great, but you know how I am, the beach therapy is! I've only been able to go every other day, due to afternoon thunderstorms...so the last couple of days Team Cheri has gone earlier. There are a couple of small storms...The weather Channel calls them Invests that we should get this coming weekend which hopefully may stir things up a bit, hopefully improving the shelling.

Team Cheri did take a quick trip out looking for Wentletraps...(We call it Wentling) and it was somewhat successful...

I put the penny in there to show sizes...I LOVE the minis! (I forgot to take pics of Cheri's finds)

As usual, every time we go out, we have a little bit of an adventure....Cheri found these eggs...I believe they are Octopus eggs! How cool is that? These haven't fully developed yet, and we don't know if they are still thriving, but we have found them when you could actually see them inside!

We always like to see live stuff during our walks, here is a Live Sunray Venus...

...and a live Lightning Whelk and Sand Dollar!

Most of my time in Virginia, (and a lot of time here) has been spent painting shells and, as we call it, sprinkling them on the island! I came down with 2 boxes full I had painted since last trip...over 200 shells!!

This week I started getting ready for Halloween...and what fun!! I know, I know, it's a bit early...but I won't be here then!!

Here are a few I have been working on!

A Mumingo!!

So fun, and Highly Theraputic...then you get to find new areas to hide them for people to find!! Some areas do this with Rocks....on Sanibel they do it with Shells...of course!

Hopefully I have more adventures to post while we're here....

Stay Tuned and Stay Safe!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Friday, November 9, 2018

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)