shelling

Take it From The Pro – The Sanibel Six (Seashells That Is)

I recently came across a picture on Pinterest and thought it looked familiar. I clicked on a picture of six tropical seashells with the title “The Sanibel Six” hoping it would lead me to the blog I thought it was associated with, and it did.

Blogger Pam writes the “i love shelling” blog and she has a great post about the six top shells she has discovered that people collect while visiting Sanibel Island in Florida. She would know, because her blog is all about shelling (as you may have guessed), but not only the shelling she does, but the shelling vacationers to “her” island do. She lives there (don’t let your jealousy show), and has decided to share with the world what she sees going on at the beaches. Mainly what the tourists are collecting.

She has a wonderful blog and it’s the perfect idea since she spends lots of time on the beaches too. Why not get to know the people who are sharing island space with you? It’s such a great idea and I always learn something when I read her blog. She includes awesome videos too.

She is my hero, and when I retire to live on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), I plan to be spending my time shelling too. It’s not the same as Sanibel, but the little islands up and down the ICW in Florida contain some great stuff too. I may not blog about it since I won’t be running into many tourists out in the boonies of the Indian River, but I know I will discover and maybe collect some great stuff too.

Back to the story at hand. Of the six seashells she chose, I only have two of them. So what are the six shells that are most widely collected on Sanibel? I’ll give you a hint, one of them is pictured here. As for the others, well according to Pam, they are these.

If I Was On The Beach Today

(This post was written while I was living in New Hampshire. Eventually I moved back to Florida, but for a time this was only a dream.)

If I was walking along the beach today I would be looking much more intently at the treasures beneath my feet than I did twenty years ago. Shelling and beach-combing has taken on a new meaning for me now.

Going to the beach was a regular activity years ago, as I lived only thirty minutes away. I’ve never been lucky enough to live on the beach but in Florida you are always fairly close to a beach of some kind. And like so many things we get used to, we don’t appreciate it nearly enough.

In my beach-walking dream it would be low tide – and hopefully that timing would coincide with few visitors to the area so I’d have the place mostly to myself. With a stick or piece of driftwood in hand, I would check the seaweed washed up along the water line for hidden goodies caught there.

With my pants rolled up I’d shuffle through the soft sand near the surf, peering out into the water looking for signs of any sea life just off shore.

Maybe I’d find some seashells like the ones pictured, or maybe I’d find something more interesting and beautiful – like a living whelk or dried up sand dollar. I only know that I would be looking more closely knowing that it was not an activity I can do all the time any longer.

If you are walking on the beach today, enjoy every moment and happy treasure hunting!

(Photos courtesy of Pixabay.)

Finding Shells (and Other Creatures) on The East Coast of Florida

Sanibel and Captiva Islands on Florida’s Gulf coast is a popular tourist destination for the serious seashell collector. It is possible to find some quite rare shells there, and it’s impossible to not find any. Some of the beaches on Sanibel Island are nothing but shells!

But if you travel to Florida’s east coast – which is very long – you’ll still find your share of seashells. Just don’t expect them to be as plentiful. You will probably also see some very interesting sea life, dead and alive along the shore.

One of the best times to get out looking