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)

A Sanibel Turret, Tiny Dwarf Olives of all kinds of colors....

A few small Lettered Olives and the tiniest one I've seen....(on the dime)

A pair of tiny King's Crowns, Gaudy Nautica, and a Dusty Cone!

We had a great time, and I made a new Shelling Friend!! 

Cheri, Cheri and Tina!!!! Safe Travels Tina!

Stay Tuned!

::Shelllady Hugs::

Day 5 Guardedly Optimistic

I am happy to say, the water, and the beaches looked better than they have since I've been here. As I have said, it can change quickly and with a change in wind and/or tide, so I am guardedly optimistic. 

Low tide is not very low these days and after dark, so we were there before sunset.  We did detect a little bit of Red Tide, just a cough now and then, but very little! Is it my imagination or does the water appear to have a little more greenish, and less brown?....at least up near the beach....

There were a few shells there too!

We saw more life too...If you look closely, there is a manatee swimming here along the beach! Just where the water starts to darken, right in the center!

We saw a couple of birds! A Snowy Egret, and this guy a Reddish Egret (Thank you Cheri for this amazing pic!)

There were still bones, and dead fish here and there, but much much less than it has been....I didn't see them floating in the current either....

We ran across a couple of Hermits....

Now you see them....

Now you don't!

The backside of the lightning whelk was covered in moss and yuck...

We saw Periwinkles...alive and well...

and look how clear this water is...and more green than brown!

I don't, for a moment think it's all fixed....but it appears to be improving, at least for this day.....

Still not many keeper shells....but I did find a few worm shells...

and this amazing True Tulip....deep maroon!

Cheri had her radar going for the Wentletraps....

This is what she kept....she gave me a bunch of the littlest ones!!

We each found a Brown Banded Wentletrap!!!!

I could've stayed there for hours,  the minis were so plentiful...but after the sun set, the noseeums came out like crazy....they finally chased me in!!! :(

Here are the minis I came home with....I'd say it was a great day!!

Stay tuned...maybe we'll have good luck again! Fingers crossed!

::Shelllady Hugs::