Sunset Tonight

Great sunset tonight on the water. John Mayer played his acoustic guitar as the sun slipped into the gulf. He sang Free Falling. Nothing but the notes, words and the sound of the incoming tide on the boat. I look forward to seeing the sun rise in just a few short hours on the water.

Photographer and Shell Collector, Kristen, from Kansas City

This week, I took Kristen from Kansas City out for the whole day.  We left the marina as the moon was setting and the sun rising, then returned to the dock as the sun set.  We started out on the flats taking pictures of the shells and marine life in the morning light. The conditions were perfect for photography on the flats.  I took over 300 photos before 9:00am. After shelling on the flats, we shelled the beach before taking off to the Tarpon Lodge for a delicious lunch.  Following lunch, we walked pre-columbian shell mounds at the Randall Research Center Site. The seas were calm which allowed me to travel near the north end of Cayo Costa in search of dolphin which she photographed for nearly 30 minutes. The remainder of the afternoon was spent shelling the beaches.  Kristen has a talented eye for photography and I always learn something from her perspective.

Thank you Kristen for a fun and educational day of shooting photos and shelling on the water.

Veteran Shellers

Long time Sanibel shellers from Canada joined me for a beautiful day of shelling and wildlife viewing. The dolphins were in a playful mood. I was most impressed by the keen eye of veteran sheller Chris. Chris found the largest nutmeg I have ever seen. The horse conch was a great find.That size of horse conch is hard to find. Great finds, Keep on shelling!

Time On The Water

 

Today I watched the sunrise, the sunset and the moon rise on the water.

Mississippi Girls

 

 

Five adventurous "Mississippi Girls" went exploring with me to a couple of secret spots and a new spot. The shelling was good and the finds of the day were a huge winged oyster, a piece of a lion's paw, a piece of junonia, sand dollars, a large piece of coral and a beautiful sea whip. These ladies were a lot of fun and the weather was perfect. I look forward to our next outing.

P.S. Things are booking up for February and March  if you are thinking of going out in those months you may want to plan ahead.

Capt. Brian in the Amazon Circa 2000

 

Last Sunday I had the opportunity to meet Wade Davis and listen to him speak about his most recent book, Into The Silence.  Wade Davis is the author of fifteen books and an award winning anthropologist who is an in resident explorer for National Geographic. He was also a student of my all time favorite ethnobotanist, Richard Evans Schultes. In my eyes, Schultes is the "father of ethnobotany" and one of the greatest plant explorers of all time. In the year 2000 I had the opportunity to travel to the Amazon Rain Forest in Peru and study plants in one of the many areas that Schultes had studied 50 years before.  It was the opportunity of a life time and it was all brought back into focus last Sunday when I met Wade Davis who wrote One River about explorations and discoveries in the Amazon Rain Forest.

Wade Davis inspires me in how I look at plants, people and cultures. 

THANK YOU Mr. Davis!