A nod, a bow, and a tip of the lid to the person who coulda and shoulda and did. ~Robert Brault, "A Poem Missing the Word Woulda

If you hear voices and they tell you to "go to Sanibel" - listen to them.

The best time to go shelling (if you are not concerned as to whether you find any good shells or not) is "whenever you feel the urge'.  Now, I have to watch my shelling urges as they they break out at some really inconvenient times. Many times I have left work on my lunch break only to return an hour later with soggy squeaking shoes from an impromptu trip to the local beach. More than once my hubby has awoken to a note on his beside table explaining my whereabouts (or lack of) due to a full moon and  an extra low 3am tide.

 From my home base in Englewood, Florida, I can easily get to the beaches of Manasota Key, Boca Grande, & Sarasota in 20 minutes.  Sanibel - not so much. It is an hour (depending on traffic and highway construction) south on I-75 to Exit 121 and then another 30 minutes to the toll booth that leads across the causeway to the shelling mother ship.  The shelling urge stuck me early in the day when I saw a post on my shell sistah Pam's facebook page. The picture of the huge shell pile forming at Blind Pass made my mouth drool. "No can do" I reasoned with myself.  Even as I negotiated with myself about the 6pm low tide inside my head I knew it was too much with my already busy day.

At 2pm Enter Pookie.  She showed up to do her laundry on her only day off from work.  I showed her the pictures of the shell pile and the wheels in her head started turning.  The next thing I know she has weaseled delegated her laundry to GeeGee.  At  approximately 3pm we are donning our bathing suits and skedaddling out the door.  Seventy-eight miles, one bag of Doritos and 2 sugar-free-Mango-with-a-hit-of-Pina-Colada Slurpee's later we are at Blind Pass on Sanibel Island standing in front of the monster shell pile we had viewed on facebook a mere 2 hours earlier.    As it goes with any shell pile, they have a shelf life.  After so many people dig through them and pick over it most of the goodie shells are gone or still buried under 4 feet of shells.  On the other hand we still had some success under the Blind Pass bridge.  We were thrilled to be on Sanibel under the blue skies, salty air, & warm sunshine. We watched a spectacular sunset from Lighthouse Beach on our way home. The key to giving into urges is picking the right ones to cave to.  Shell piles are always a good choice.

A very jubilant Pookie finds her first piece of a junonia at Blind Pass
with hopefully an entire junonia to come soon.

(Credit:  www.iLoveShelling.com)
Unfortunately, my shell pile pictures didn't come out but iLove Shelling has some good shots of the fun.

This is how I roll on Sanibel.
 Ray Charles-esque polarized sunglasses and  a sugar-free Mango Slurpee.  Pookie & I left Blind Pass for the Lighthouse end of the island.

Really!  I navigate through sting rays, sharks, & critters of all kinds to pursue my shelling passion but never  a black bear.

Dusk at the Fishing pier on Lighthouse Beach.

The dimming of the day brings everything to a shadow.

Watching the sunset from the fishing pier. (It's safer from black bears up there too)

The view of the causeway from the Lighthouse Beach.

I found a few goodies.

Till next time.

Blind Pass on Dwellable