Archive for Driftwood
Brit Discovers Concord Jet on Sanibel
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The Brit that discovered the Concord
Is it a dolphin? Is it a Whale? No! It’s the Concord! Of Course Robin visiting from Manchester, England would find a DRIFTWOOD replica of a British Airway’s Concord jet. Doesn’t it look just like it? LOL It’s like looking up at the clouds and naming the shapes they form. “There’s a dog! …or… “There’s Mickey Mouse!”. I’ve found a lot of driftwood on our beaches in the shapes of fish, boats or snakes but never have I found “The Concord!”. I need to open my mind a little more I guess, right? 
He found a few shells too around East Gulf Drive on Sanibel but really likes to collect driftwood…… and his driftwood jet was killer.
“Wash” Bucket
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Beach wash bucket
I saw Judy that lives on the east tip of Sanibel by the Lighthouse and she had this bucket filled with a little of everything she had found from the wash line. It was loaded with SPONGES, DRIFTWOOD, URCHINS and EGG CASINGS. I asked her what she would do with it and said she was going to add this to her garden. It made me wonder….. sculpture?… fertilizer? ….mulch? I need to stop by her house to see what she’s growing in that garden.
Sargassum, Parchment Worms, Sponges, Urchins and Driftwood at the Lighthouse
Dolphin in the surf
I couldn’t believe how close this dolphin was to the shoreline. He was either playing, enjoying a snack or just giving us a show with 3 of his buddies this afternoon. 
The Shells are Bubbling Up
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Driftwood and shellers on West Gulf #7
Bubbling shells on West Gulf #5
A little candy for me (baby Horse Conch)
2 baby Horse Conchs, Pear Whelk, Auger, and a Jingle
Purple Sea Fan
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Purple Sea Whip
The north winds are blowing pretty good today so we thought upper West Gulf Drive would be a good spot to get some good shells. Not so good. There was nice DRIFTWOOD and PEN SHELLS but the only thing that I picked up to bring home was this gorgeous purple SEA WHIP. I can always find something good on the beach, even if it’s not a shell.
Warming to 49 On Sanibel
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West Gulf Dr #6, 10- 15 mph NNW winds
Millipede Starfish
It’s 49 degrees and I can’t believe I think this feels nice compared to the winds by the water. On the beach, it was mid 40s and the wind chill felt like 30 but I’m so glad I was fortunate enough to dig for shells instead of digging out a snowy driveway.
I got a phone call this morning from a friend, John, who got to Captiva early this morning to find a bare beach. He then headed to the Lighthouse to find about the same thing…no good shelling.
So Clark and I headed to West Gulf #6 after catching George Clooney’s new movie Up In The Air at the Island Cinema (it was pretty good…..but no Academy winner).
Jane (Restin, Va) and Judy (Sanibel)
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Lots of WHELKS, OLIVES, URCHINS, MUREXES, COCKLES, SCALLOPS, TULIPS and FIGHTING CONCHS
nice new shell pile on West Gulf Dr #4
Clark met Judy on this new shell pile that just formed around West Gulf parking access #4 and found out the she has found a total of 13 JUNONIAS. That’s thiiirteeenn! She didn’t find much out there today but she only picks up the cream of the crop. She was out there on that sand bar (shell bar) getting her little white tennis shoes, socks and pants soaking wet……with that wind chill of 30s. She’s a trooper….along with Clark too. Yep, I’m a wimp when it comes to the cold and maybe that’s why I haven’t found my JUNONIA yet. Like Jane from Virginia said “We should get extra credit for just being out here today”.
Margye (Albany, NY) with a tiny bright orange HORSE CONCH
Broken HORSE CONCH on drift wood
Excellent Shelling!
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Today's favorite finds
It’s a wonderful life on the beaches on Sanibel today. Hundreds of MUREXES, WHELKS, URCHINS, FIGHTING CONCHS, HORSESHOE CRABS, STARFISH, TULIPS and PEN SHELLS. It’s a shmorgish borg (no, I don’t know how to spell that!) of shells. If you go to any beach in southwest Florida today or tomorrow, I don’t think you will be disappointed. Pictured in my favorites above that Clark and I found are clockwise, HORSE CONCH, SEA FAN, BABY’S EAR, smaller HORSE CONCH, PAPER FIG, PEAR WHELK, larger PEAR WHELK, WORM SHELL, COLORFUL MOON SNAIL and underneath is a cool piece of DRIFTWOOD. After I took this picture, a little while later (since I couldn’t get Clark off the beach) he found an ALPHABET CONE and a very cool WORM SHELL….it was still a purplish color so it hadn’t died long ago.
