Matt And Sara

It was a great morning and half the afternoon with Matt and Sara from the great state of Nebraska. They were first time customers but long time shellers. Matt has been coming to the islands since he was a little boy. He knows his shells and also enjoys the wildlife. Sara has picked up on the shelling and is a very determined sheller. She got into her "shelling zone" and Matt and I let her stay there. She wanted to find an angel wing, and on the walk back pulled one out of an old high tide line. Matt and I managed to obtain a extremely cool stingray barb, the colors on it were unlike any I have ever found. We also found a few fossilized sharks teeth and pieces of teeth. (I think its time to go north and see my friend Karen and find more sharks teeth) We  pulled the anchor and set off for the Tarpon Lodge.  Shortly after pulling the anchor we saw many dolphin. I noticed a new born dolphin that could not of been over 48 hours old. What an amazing sight in the wild.You never know what nature will throw your way. After viewing the mother dolphin and baby from a safe distance we continued over to the Tarpon Lodge. Matt and Sara loved the food and atmosphere at the Tarpon Lodge. I enjoyed the conversations at lunch as much as the food.  On the trip back to Captiva we made a surprise stop at Capt. Brian's secret spot "no number". Sara doesn't like surprises but she liked this spot. Thank you Matt and Sara for a wonderful day on the water and for being troopers at Secret spot "no number".

Janet From Illinois

I enjoyed the afternoon with Janet from Illinois. The weather was absolutely perfect and the water clear. Janet has an excellent shelling eye and a great knowledge of the shells. I was most impressed. The time seemed to fly as we walked and talked. We talked about Ann Morrow Lindbergh and shells from from far away places. Some of the favorite finds were an "almost albino"whelk, an albino cockle, sunrise tellins, and tusk shells. Thank you Janet from Illinois for an educational walk and talk on the beach.

Chicago Sisters

There is nothing like being on the water at first light.  We drifted with the tide and watched the day unfold as a bald eagle graced us with his presence. Then it was on to the beach. The olives were rolling in. (Secret spot number 3) Many great finds were found. After a morning of shelling we traveled to the Tarpon Lodge for a delicious lunch . On the return trip we saw many dolphin and enjoyed the beautiful Florida fall weather. It is always fun with these Chicago sisters that love to shell.

Fun Time Shelling

I had a great time with long time visitors to the islands. Carol, Tom, Dean and the sometimes militant sheller, Bonnie. We started our trip by travelling to favorite spot number one. Bonnie found a great small horse conch. Carol found olives and many minis. Tom was just happy to be wading in the water with his shell net. Dean covered lots of area and found some very nice sun ray venus. After spending time at favorite spot number one we traveled to "Stu and Vicki's Spot". The olives were rolling in and Carol kept saying " I won't pick another olive" then she picked up another one, then another. (I think she is getting the shelling bug). We also found sand dollars, two albino cockles, two tusks,  banded tulips, apple murexs, worm shells and baby's ears.  It was a great trip! I enjoyed the conversations and listening to their stories about earlier years on the island. We also got to break in the shell board today. Carol was the first one to sign the board. I am looking forward to when they return. Thank you for a fun day on the water!

Capt. Brian's New Shell Board

What is a shell board?

I had this idea...why not make a board that I could display and photograph my client's shells on at the end of the trip. I usually put the shells on the fish cleaning table to take pictures.  Many times I want to show how big or small a shell is. You will notice numbers across the bottom that are black and white and indicate inches.  I took this idea from one of my archaeology books. I put a few shells from the back porch on it for a "Test Run" today.  I soon realized that I need the black and white numbers on both sides going up the board.  The back of the board is an area for people to sign after the trip, if they wish.  Yes, we will have a "signing of the shell board". There you have it, Capt. Brian's shell board!

Last Light And Bonus Pictures

 Charlie Robinson was singing about pioneer town people and footprints in the sand as the sun fell into the sea.