Shelling on a Beautiful Day with Mary Ann and Michelle

It was one of those days where the shelling was great! (First cold front) The Sanibel sisters would have had a field day (or should I say a tweezer day). Nancy from Minnesota would have been delighted to see so many sharks eyes (don't worry there are plenty for you as usual) it was just a great day for shelling.  Mary Ann and Michelle were most happy by the finds they discovered. I was amazed at the shells that poured in and how the beach contours had changed with the winds .The trip was most enjoyable. We all enjoyed viewing frigate birds ,white pelicans, osprey, an immature  bald eagle and the sounds of being on the water. Thanks for a Great trip!

Backporch Cleaning

The rain has been from here to Cuba for the last 48 hours. I thought," Why not organize my back porch?" It sounded good at the time. Now I need to get more cases to put the shells in. Then putting everything in my own dewy decimal system ( Panama, Everglades, and Cayo Costa) This is going to take a while. Maybe I should have thought this one through better before opening this can of worm shells. Has the rain stopped? Can I go outside now?

Shelling and Exploring

Sheri and her daughter Samantha had booked a trip with me over 200 days ago. I was concerned about the weather. The weekend brought bands of rain and dismal weather in general. Sunny then sideways rain. I was pleased the weather  worked with us on our boating adventure. On Sunday we observed many dolphin playing in small pods as we traveled to an isolated beach. Sheri and Samantha spotted the cockle shells before I had the boat anchored. They had plenty of time to observe because as I was setting the stern anchor I forgot to attach the line to the boat and as I walked with the anchor in hand for what seemed like a long time, the boat drifted off the beach and was held by the bow anchor only. It was time for Capt. Brian to go for a swim. I swam out to the boat then started all over. Sheri and Samantha were soon shelling as I dried off. The beach was empty of people and full of shells. Sheri filled her bag with cockles, fighting conchs, a nice cone, sun ray Venus, and many other treasures. She has an excellent shelling eye. Samantha is also an excellent sheller, she knows many of the shells by name. Samantha swam for a while then relaxed on the boat. I had to almost drag Sheri off the beach. She could still be shelling. There was rain all around except for the beach we were on. We traveled back to the marina seeing more dolphin and many osprey. Thanks Sheri and Sam for a fun day shelling and exploring.

Last Light

This was the last light of the day, the day before the full moon. The weekend was filled with on and off rain, high winds and mixed skies.  The mixed skies are fun to photograph if you can keep dry.

September Photos

September was a pleasant month this year. Some of the winter birds arrived 3 to 4 weeks early this year, like my old friend the red shouldered hawk. The nesting pair of bald eagles were also here earlier than usual. It won't be long and the white pelicans will be here. (My guess is by Friday of this week)