The "Homes from the Sea: Part 1" Story

It was an ordinary day. Carol and I just got home from a vacation to Sanibel Island in Florida and are unpacking our suitcase of shells we brought back with us. Our next job will be to put the shells in our antique cabinet we have in our family room. Found the cabinet on one of our trips to State College, PA to visit with our friends Sue and Jerry. The cabinet has 11drawers, in three different sizes. And, they are stuffed with sea shells. Some shells are too

large to fit in the drawers and occupy other spots in our house. OK, some info about where we vacationed. Sanibel and Captiva Islands are off the coast of Fort Myers, Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. Sanibel Island is world renowned for its shelling beaches and the "Sanibel Stoop".More on the "Stoop" later. With over 400 species of shells, Sanibel beaches are considered the best shelling beaches in North America. These shells wash up on Sanibel beaches because unlike other barrier islands which run North to South, Sanibel runs East to West. That's why we decided to vacation there. When tropical storms hit the Gulf of Mexico, the hard-core shellers quickly make their to Sanibel to roam the shell covered beaches. I make stained glass window panels for sale and incorporate shells into them whenever possible. And, now it will be more possible, since we have an entire suitcase of shells. Took bubble wrap with us and a small empty suitcase to bring the shells back. Wow, what a collection of shells. We didn't find all 400 varieties, but certainly quite a few. Probably our favorite is the Angel Wing. The Angel Wing is a type of Piddock shell. Despite the delicate beauty of this thin, brittle shell, the clam is able to bore into wood, clay, and even shale and gneiss rocks. This boring or abrasion is accomplished by the anterior end of the shell which is rocked back and forth by the suction like foot. The elongated shell may reach a length of an impressive seven inches. Angel Wings are usually white, though occasionally a pink-tinged one is found. The surface of this bivalve shell has approximately 26 radiating ribs; the ribs near the front end of the shell (the boring end) are taller and have sharper fluted scales than those which cover the rest of the ribs. Growth lines (slight furrows) run horizontally over the surface of the shell. Most of the Angel Wing shells we found were 2-3 inches in length, until we searched the areas that had been reached by an extremely high tide. There we found a beautiful 6" Angel Wing. We also found some very large Vanhyning's Heart Cockles known as Florida's Souvernir Ashtray as well as American Augers, Channeled Whelks, Florida Prickly Cockle, Crown Conch, Florida Fighting Conch, Florida Spring Jewel Box, Cabrit's Murex, Kitten's Paws, and Tiger Lucine. Sanibel is truly a sheller's paradise. The "Sanibel Stoop" refers to being constantly bent over with your eyes on the sand, looking for your favorite shells. Following are photos of the shells listed with a scale next to them so you can judge the size of the shells for yourself. I'm sure you probably have some of the same shells we have, but the fun of shelling is in finding a new variety and displaying them for others to share with you. It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.

One of my favorites and also one of my biggest finds is the Angel Wing shell. The one on the top is almost 7" long, a true find for this type of shell.

These shells are called the Turkey Wing and look similar to the Angel Wing, except for the color. It can be found on beaches from North Carolina to the West Indies, and also on Bermuda's shores, as well as in the Mediterranean area. In Bermuda, the Turkey Wing clam is used to make seafood pies.

The Paper Fig Shell is a very fragile, shapely beauty. The Paper Fig Shell is the delicate home for a gastropod and the thin, pear-shaped shell may reach a height of 4-5 inches.

The sampling seen here are Florida Spiny Jewel Box shells. Shell specimens will have more distinct erect tubular spines on the 7-9 rows (ribs) across the shell.

The American Stiff Pen Shell can grow as long as two feet, and occasionally contain black pearls.

This colorful shell is called the Sunray Venus. The shell may reach a length of 6 inches, and the clam inside can be used to create an excellent clam chowder.

These shells are extremely small and are called the Cayenne Keyhole Limpet. The Cayenne is found on beaches from Maryland, south to the Gulf coast, in the West Indies, and down to Brazil.

This shell is called the Olive Shell. In 1984, the shell was designated the official state shell of South Carolina. It may be found from there to Florida coasts.

The Kitten's Paw looks like it's name. The color often is more pronounced on the shell's six or seven folds, which look like the toe joints of a paw.

The Banded Tulip Shell is one of my favorites. I have quite a few and they come in all colors. Tulip shells are home to black snails.

These are examples of Florida Fighting Conch. This active gastropod lives in shallow water from North Carolina to Texas and northeast Mexico.

This is the Channeled Whelk which is found along the East coast of the US.

These shells are called augers. They are elongated and narrow to a point They come in a varitey of sizes.

This shell is referred to as Vanhyning's Heart Cockle or Florida's Souvenir Ashtray! We found many of these is all sizes. The one on the left is approximnately 4" long. These shells used to be sold as an ashtray with the name of the town painted on it.