The Essential Beachcomber

(Photo Credit:  Momma Gee) "Spontaneous" is a scary word to some people.  The very thought of flying by the seat of their pants or working without a net breaks them into a cold sweat.  Of course on the  spontaneous meter of life there are two extremes.  The low end would be forgetting your shopping list and grocery shopping without one. Going a little higher up the meter would be the middle-aged woman that goes to the hairdresser for her regular highlights but impulsively decides to go wild & get  aqua blue streaks  instead (you know who you are).  Impetuous tattoos and impromptu  skinny dipping would be on the wilder end of the spontaneity meter. (Note - Adding alcohol of any kind especially tequila can definitely affect your spontaneity.  My sobriety has definitely put the kibosh on my impulsive outbreaks of karaoke. But I can still sing a mean Bonnie Raitt in the shower.)   When life gets too daily you just ha...

The tide was rising at Blind Pass and it was getting a little too crowded for my shelling sensibilities so Jenonia, Pookie, & myself moved south to Lighthouse Beach.  Lighthouse Beach is on the opposite end of Sanibel Island from Blind Pass.  It's about a 15 minute drive.       Jenonia was happy to hold her first sea star or starfish.  Of course, the sea star went back in the water where we found him. After taking my advice to look on the wrack line for what looks like coffee grounds - Jenonia got the eye for Wentletraps immediately.  Lighthouse Beach is loaded with photo opportunities.  We arrived to Little Hickory beach access #10 to find the shoreline littered with fighting conchs left behind by the receding low tide. The fighting conchs were all alive.  They hunker down until the rising tide washes them back to the water. This little spit of sa...

Asking an avid sheller where they found their overflowing bucket of shelling treasures is like asking a  fisherman where he fishes to catch the big ones. The reply to your pointed question is usually answered in a mumbled garbled vague  sort of way. You'll never get specifics and you will definitely get their best poker face.  Most serious shellers will share their favorite shelling spots but don't think for a moment there aren't a few left in the vault for safe-keeping.  A few years back I started seeing some very interesting pictures being posted from the Bonita Springs area on the iLove Shelling Facebook page.   This beach chick was posting pictures of huge horse conchs & stunning alphabet cones, the likes of which I hadn't seen for a while even on Sanibel. She wasn't giving up too many details either but did elude to a tennis court by some beach condo & she always called it "the 10 spot".  So I did what any self-respecting beach combing l...