Evening on Sanibel shell collection

In the last several weeks, most of our SanCap beaches have been surprisingly sparse for finding The Sanibel Six or any of the larger shells washing up on the shore. The only beach we have been finding good shells like GAUDY NATICAS, LACE MUREXES, NUTMEGS and ALPHABET CONES is Gulfside City Park. Clark found a sweet little mix of those and more (top photo) this weekend at low tide in the evening. Mid days have been sizzling hot but absolutely beautiful with bright blue skies and pretty calm gulf waters.

coconut palm tree on the beach

To avoid the heat in the last week, we have preferred to only go out to the beach in the early evening which just so happens to be low tide anyway. This is the time of day in the summer when the clouds blow in to cool things down and reward us with a few beach treasures like a few of my faves…

fave shells collected on Sanibel

While at Gulfside City Park beach I had the pleasure of meeting Josh, Heather, Tiffany and Brian visiting from Ohio and Washington DC. With every beautiful shell Heather and Tiffany collected, they had sweet memories of their grandmother June, who taught them the art of shelling.

Josh, Heather, Tiffany, Brian find seashells on Sanibel Island Florida

June sure taught them well! These are just a few of the beautiful shells they found.

Find shells and beach bling on Sanibel Island

George and Beth from Long Island, NY were making new memories collecting shells with Lauren who already had the art of shelling mastered as well. She knew the names of every shell in their shell bag.

George, Lauren, Beth From Long Island visit Sanibel

 

Even the sizzling summer days on Sanibel there are treasures to be found, memories to be made and sights to behold. Clark and I can attest to this… we celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary this weekend! Since day one together, beachcombing has been a constant routine in our lives. No matter what, witnessing the strength of the sea and the beauty of the beach always reminds us what is important in life.

Sanibel sunset laced with seashells