The Johnson Family without Melissa Take Two

Brian and Nancy went out for another exploring trip.The seas were a bit rough when we left the marina. Once we were on the gulf, the seas calmed. We went to secret spot 11 then favorite spot number one. We walked for miles, ( did I say miles) We started the day at 6:45 am and got back to the dock at 4:00. My feet still hurt. But it was worth it. Nancy found a beautiful Whelk. We observed bobcat tracks, a stellar sunrise and...... to be continued

The Johnson Family Once Again

 

Brian, Nancy and Melissa have been long time clients. They are like family. We go out every year around Thanksgiving. I look forward to this trip every year. Melissa is a great photographer and enjoys taking pictures of the birds and wildlife. Brian has a good shelling eye that seems to get better every year. Nancy is always fun to walk and talk with on the beach. She enjoys hearing about all my close calls and my boating follies of the year. I enjoy hearing her laugh. We went to a new spot they had never been to before. It was peaceful and empty of people. Next it was time for lunch at the wonderful Tarpon Lodge. The food was delicious and the service excellent. We made one more stop on the way back to Captiva at secret spot no number.

  Thank you again to the Johnson Family for many years of fun times!

 (Melissa I will see you in a few months)

Exploring Plants and Shells With Susan

Susan and I covered a lot of ground on this trip.  Susan has been exploring with me before and has a background in botany and much time spent in the woods. We both enjoyed talking and exploring the plant life of Northern Cayo. I need to brush up on my Latin for our next trip:) After exploring in remote areas on the north end we traveled to secret spot no number and went for a nice walk on the beach. Susan found a large alphabet cone, a lace murex, worm shells and many minis. The light on the beach was stunning. It was a nice sunset. I enjoyed the conversations and time exploring with Susan. The time flew by. Susan brought down one of her plant books for me.  Thank you for an enjoyable day and a great book!

Capt. Brian's Shelling Finds Today

Great finds today at the Goodwill Bookstore! First I saw one shelling book, then another, then another and another. I bought all they had in the store. Two books were by Tucker Abbott. It was a great day for shelling books. I also had to throw in a picture of one of my favorite shelling books, Capt. Mike Fuery's Shelling Guide. Mike is a great writer and I enjoy his writing from a guide's perspective. His book to me is an island classic. It was printed in 1982 and is hard to come by, like the elusive junonia, but with enough searching... you may find one.

Shelling With Beth And Russell

I enjoyed shelling with the humorous Russell and veteran sheller Beth.  Beth has excellent shelling eyes. She found an interesting formation of the fighting conch (Second photo from the top). Much to my surprise and hers, she found a piece of a deer cowrie. WOW, this is only the second piece of deer cowrie I have seen in 18 years. (The first was by my Cayo buddy Carolyn, this summer.)  Beth also spotted this beautiful horse conch. It was one of those days when you could have just kept walking the beach and looking all day. Great finds! Hope to see you again in a couple of months.