my seashells sanibel

Hurricane Sandy is still wreaking havoc all along the east coast of the United States so I feel so bad getting excited about some of the shells that we are finding along our shores of Sanibel because of Sandy’s northwest winds. But… we all need a little good news too in times like this… right? So if you still have power in your home, I hope we can spread a little Florida sunshine and share our treasures with you to hopefully make you smile at least once today.

pear whelk gscp sanibel florida

As I picked up this SHARK’S EYE in the next photo, I realized I snagged it up so quickly because it was in such great condition then realized it would be a good idea to let you know what it looked like when I spotted it so you would know what to look for if it was upside down like it was when I found it.

sharks eye GSCP sanibel florida

See? It is so different looking if it is laying in the sand with the aperture side up.

shark eye gscp sanibel hurricane sandy

There are still oodles of PEN SHELLS lining the beach but I only found a few other shells hiding among them. Down by the water at low tide, there were FIGHTING CONCHS were everywhere!

eric seashells ft lauderdale

I met Eric from Ft Lauderdale scoping out the best spot on the beach scooping up handfuls of shells. Happy birthday Eric! You got plenty of gifts from the sea!

eric ft lauderdale shell sanibel

I found other fabulous treasures besides seashells at Gulf Side City Park as well… like Shelling Sister Judy from PA!

judy shelling sister sanibel

She immediately showed me some of the goodies she had found around the same spot…

judy seashells sanibel

Then Cheryl showed me this big honkin LIGHTHING WHELK she had found!

whelk gulf side city park sanibel

After I talked with Cheryl about her LIGHTNING WHELK, she told me that I had taken a photo of the backs of her with her sister at Blind Pass watching sunset in June 2011. I remembered that photo! They looked so cute sitting on the beach because all I could see was their backs and matching straw hats while they watched the  sun setting right in front of them. It’s the 15th photo down on my post “Sunset, Seashells and Shelling Sisters”… CLICK HERE to see itThen you will know why I took their photo this way (since they didn’t want me to take their faces… silly girls!) Here is Cheryl and her sister Brenda holding their WHELKS…

brenda cheryl seashells sanibel

Joyce and her daughter Kristin had just gotten started filling their shell bags but were so happy to already find some goodies.

joyce kristin mother daughter shell sanibel

There are some good shells to be found at Gulf Side City Park… BUT, it doesn’t even compare to the shells we found after Hurricane IsaacTropical Storm Debbor any of the other storms that brought high northwest winds like this. Blind Pass still is empty of shells- weird. I didn’t find too many good shells on any other beach other than this one… Mother Nature is definitely fickle. She likes to change the rules to stay in control so we don’t ever think we are smarter than she is. You’ve got my respect , Mother Nature!

pen shell wrack line sanibel florida

PS- I did take a few minutes of video so I’ll try to get that downloaded ASAP for you to see on my next post.