Captain Brian Exploring and Shell Collecting

Last week I spent two days exploring and shell collecting south of Marco Island.  The tides that far south are tricky and dictate where you travel. The shell collecting was superb and the wind had the tides low. The Kings Crown was my best find. The cones had some unusual markings that are most intriguing. I was more than thrilled to find them. The true tulips were amazing. (Nick Hahn would have been going crazy, and I am sure he would have found more tulips) The albino lightning whelk was also a cool find.  Going off the beaten path is always interesting. I enjoyed the smells, landscapes and solitude of the places just off the far horizon.

The Farm Meets the Sea

It is not to often I get passengers from the great state of Nebraska let alone the county I was raised in. Needless to say it was a wonderful day on the water.  We covered a lot of area shelling and island hopping. Conversations were had about seashells, ranches, Ford pickups, old friends, Red Man chewing tobacco, Lake McConaughy, Panama, camping with the Tjadens, Walking Seven sprinkler systems, and the next time they will be down. I enjoyed the conversations and the passengers from the great state of Nebraska. I thought I would pass along a little Nebraska history. On the state Seal of Nebraska, it reads" Equality Before The Law".  I always  liked that, even when I was just knee high to a grasshopper.

Lace Murex and Olives

Last week I found a large Lace Murex in really good shape. (The largest I have personally found.) The Olives have been showing some unique markings and a pleasure to find. You never know what the sea will wash your way.

Water, Moon, Sunrise, Feathers

The skies and water were inviting the last couple of weeks. The moonlight on the water was measmerizing. I took many photos while cleaning my boat. Then just put the hose away and watched  day become night.

Shelling Two By Two

I enjoyed shell collecting with Marti and her daughter Dana.  The winds were strong out of the northwest. We got sand blasted by the 30 mile an hour wind. Hat's were flying off, sunglasses lost, then found, then lost. It was a shell of a day! Dana has a superior shelling eye. I was most impressed. She not only found cool finds, but managed to find two of each. Like two small horse conch, two turbines, three banded tulips, two sand dollars, two sharks eyes and many olives. We also found a large tusk shell.  It was a fun windy day of shelling.  Thanks Marti and Dana.

Geocaching The Islands

The second day of the year was filled with a beautiful sunrise, the first cold front of the year, and geocaching on Cayo Costa.  Kim at snug harbor sent some friends down to travel with me and enjoy the Island of Cayo Costa while geocaching. I enjoyed the company of Dena, Barry, Margie, Tony, and Mary. The cold front rolled through while we were on the island. This did not slow down the geocachers in finding there cache. However the cache was not in the spot it was supposed to be. So after a little more looking around the landscape we found the cache. I enjoyed learning more about geocaching and listening to there stories.  On the trip back we observed many dolphin. A big highlight for myself was watching Dena see her first bald eagle in the wild.  A great way to start the new year.