Florida Beachcombing

 

I now have 3 containers of seashells plus several items not in containers. I have done beachcombing at Hilton Head (South Carolina); Amelia Island (Florida), including Little Talbot Island State Park to the south; Gulf Shores (Alabama), with a side trip to Perdido, Florida; Sanibel Island; and several areas around New Smyrna Beach (Florida). The beach across from our condo in New Smyrna Beach was not a good shelling beach. Smyrna Dunes State Park and Canaveral National Seashores were better.

When you first start beachcombing, everything is new and exciting. Usually, you have little idea of what you collected. Now, I have a pretty good idea of what I pick up. I want to find new specimens; I want to find certain items like a cone shell or Scottish bonnet, neither of which I have.

I find it interesting that very different items predominate at the different beaches I have walked. Amelia Island had tons of cockles; Gulf Shores mostly coquinas; Sanibel at the time I was there mostly fighting conchs and pen shells. But Sanibel is a special case because of the way it is situated, and the finds there change with the tides and weather a lot. That is why it is a great place to beachcomb, especially in the winter after storms.

I do not care to join in the hunt for the perfect shell; I pick up pieces if they are colorful or an interesting shape. Still, I imagine it is a thrill to find a shell in great condition. I loved finding some olive shells with high glossy color at Smyrna Dunes.

The Bailey-Matthews National Seashell Museum showed me that there are places in this world that have spectacular shells. That does not ruin my enjoyment of United States beaches. Because I am not obsessed with finding treasures, I enjoy each piece I choose to possess.

The very last shell I picked up on this trip (at Canaveral National Seashores while walking to the parking lot), is a homely thing, but so different than what I already had. That one I had to research to identify. There was a certain satisfaction in ending my Florida stay with a new kind of shell. (Imperial venus clam).

We think we may take a Caribbean cruise next winter; my beachcombing days are probably coming to an end. Yet, if I should find myself at a beach in the future, I am sure I will not just lie in the sun. I will be out there eyes cast down to the sand.

While on Sanibel, a little boy around 7-8 years old showed me his find at Bowman’s Beach. His advice to me was “You gotta get in the muck.” I wear a pair of cheap canvas slip-on shoes from Kmart to protect my feet from sharp objects, but I don’t mind if they get wet or sandy. Heeding the advice, at Smyrna Dunes I was treading the area next to the waveline when suddenly I sank almost up to the top of my shoes. When I tried to get free, I sank even more, almost like quicksand. When I finally escaped, one of my shoes was still stuck in the muck. I had to retrieve it. I don’t think I am a muck person. How about you?

Here are most of the shells I collected during our recent trip to Florida. Starting with the little white plate at the upper left: lettered olives, sea urchin test, seaglass; going clockwise: turkey wings, pieces of shark’s eyes (a type of snail), possibly pieces of ram’s horn squid shells; beneath the turkey wings are broad-ribbed carditas and ceriths, to the right of those, the brown with white streaks is a bittersweet clam, the one with the deep grooves is an imperial venus clam (my last find) and I am not sure about the other two; the far right perimeter includes kittenpaws, spiny jewelboxes, and one auger; working back across the table to the left: slipper shells, the really big shells are quahogs, jingles, and banded tulips (mostly fragments), next to the plate a disc dosinia with both halves attached, angelwings and Campeche angelwings.

Under the quahogs, are lots of calico scallops. All the color variations and patterns fascinate me. There are orange calicos, but I think the little orange one may be a rough scallop because the ears are not quite symmetrical. The larger whitish shell at the edge of the scallops is a prickly cockle. Underneath the large array of scallops is an oystershell with a tiny bubble shell.

To the left of the oyster, are two cross-barred venus clams, pieces of whelks including one tiny whole lightning whelk (with the streaks), coquinas, calico clams, the white channeled duckclam, with two apple murexes. Above that are the Florida fighting conchs, including several juvenile ones. Whew! And there are many more specimens at Florida beaches that I do not have.

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 Other bits and pieces, including arks and whelks.

Lettered olives, scallops, a banded tulip, a kittenpaw, sea urchin test, seaglass.

I put some of the smaller shells inside big cockles to display. The round white shell in the right cockle is a baby’s ear I found in the beach hash (piles of broken up shells) on Amelia Island. The deeply grooved shell in the right cockle is the imperial venus clam.

Several large pieces and one almost whole whelk found at Little Talbot Island State Park several years ago flung ashore during an extremely windy gray day. We were going to eat a picnic lunch, but had to eat in the car.

Thanks for letting me share my shells. I learned a lot doing beachcombing and enjoyed walking the beaches. Maybe you will give it a try?

New Smyrna Beach Florida

We recently spent two weeks in a condominium at New Smyrna Beach, Florida. I wasn’t sure how we would like a large complex of high-rise buildings, but the unit we chose fit us well. It backed up to a boardwalk winding through trees so we had a pleasant view. My husband enjoyed the spa tub in the master bathroom several times. The kitchen was well-equipped, and beach towels and chairs were provided.

Ocean Walk has nineteen 6-story buildings (the bottom floor is a parking garage), two recreation buildings, 2 pools, tennis courts, an ocean access boardwalk across the street.

We had a mixed bag of weather (rain, sunny but with a biting wind, beautiful perfect outdoors days). On cold or rainy days, we explored the public library, visited antique and thrift stores, or went to a mall (this time in Daytona). We did have several warm days to lay out at the pool or the beach.

Our first Sunday we attended an art fair in the Canal Street area of New Smyrna Beach. New Smyrna Beach claims to be the second oldest city in Florida. Except for a few ruins, one doesn’t get the feeling of age like in Saint Augustine though. We bought our lunch at some food booths and on the way back to the car stopped at a shop on Canal Street to buy ice cream cones.

The next day we drove to Blue Spring State Park near Orange City. Here the manatees winter in the warm water, grazing the St. John’s River. The water is crystal clear so one gets good views of the bulky beasts.

The northern section of Canaveral National Seashores was just 3 miles from our condo. We went there many times using our Golden Age Passport card for entry. The first time, I looked for shells while my husband basked in the sun watching the surf fishers with their poles planted in the sand. One of them told me he had caught a sea bass and a pompano. I was surprised to see so many people on a weekday. On another day, we “climbed” Turtle Mound, an Indian midden of shells. The trail was actually a raised boardwalk. The view was great.

Also, hiked an interior hammock trail and Castle Windy Trail where I got bitten by mosquitos. Yikes! Zika! The Zika cases in Florida were in the news then, but I didn’t have any reaction other than my usual swelling and itching.
At the end of Apollo Beach, the horseshoe crabs were busy making baby crabs in the lagoon, the coupled crabs being buffeted together by the gentle waves, never parting from each other.

Another day we investigated the Flagler Avenue area of New Smyrna Beach. For $10, cars are allowed to drive and park on the beach.

The beach near our condo was a non-driving section.

We ate shrimp quesadillas on the patio of the Salty Dunes Restaurant after perusing souvenir shops; then crossed the street to the candy and ice cream shop. Some of the chocolates were molded to look like alligators; most of the candy was old-fashioned “penny” candy of the 1940’s-1960’s era. We sat on the porch benches enjoying our ice cream while folks walked by on Flagler Avenue.

On our second Saturday, we went to the farmers’ market in a park near to Canal Street. We bought some sour dough bread and locally-made cheese, a grapefruit and an avocado. My husband caught up on newspaper reading at the public library while I browsed seashell books. I bought two books and a small white plate with a seashell motif on the rim (fifty cents) at the Habitat for Humanity thrift shop.

Sunday we ate at AA Fusion Garden restaurant on Flagler, a small cozy place. It was sunny but very windy. The many types of tea and the Asian inspired dishes were delicious. I had pork fried noodles which had an abundance of veggies and mushrooms. Highly recommend.

We rooted the Broncos to a Super Bowl win; go Peyton.
 
On February 8th, we drove to the southern section of Canaveral National Seashores near Titusville. We drove through the Black Point Wildlife Drive on Merritt Island. The roseate spoonbills were beautiful. We saw only one alligator.

There were several boardwalks with side blinds where you could observe the birds unseen. All along the walks, you could hear little peeps under the overhanging mangrove foliage as waterfowl sheltered there.

Our next stop was Playa Linda Beach. I found an angel wing and some bittersweet clam shells, the bittersweets being new to me. We found a nice picnic area near the Eddy Creek boat launch dock. We sat on the table so we could look out at the waves which provided a steady roar while we ate the lunch we had packed.

Near the dock was this plant with pods I found interesting. At home my internet search told me these are nickernuts on a warri tree, a kind of seabean.


On February 9th, I dropped my husband off at the library while I went to an antique store and back to the thrift store. I bought a cylindrical clear vase for $2 to hold my now-growing seashell collection. Also, The Not So Big House by Sarah Susanka for $1. I read this maybe 20 years ago, checked out from the library. I am happy to have my own copy to reread. There also was a decorating book which I bought and cut out photos to add to my decorating folders.


I read 4 books (one on my ipad) and colored 2 pictures in the coloring book my husband gave me for Christmas, using my colored pencil set which is over 50 years old. I have decided that coloring is not calming or relaxing for me. In fact, I find it kind of boring. Anybody want a coloring book?


My husband wanted to go to EPCOT, and our time in Florida was growing short. We braved the cold wind on the 10th. We had made an earlier trip to Orlando to a Woodcraft store and to Ikea on a cold windy day.


EPCOT was better than I expected. Really expensive ($103 per adult), though I guess the multipark multiday passes and hotel packages even out the cost some if you go that route.

We rode Test Track, not realizing this was going to be a roller coaster type of ride when we boarded; Mission Space; Finding Nemo; and as we were leaving the park about 7 p.m. Spaceship Earth. When we entered the park in the morning, there was a 70-minute wait for Spaceship Earth so we skipped it until later. At 7 p.m. there was a 5 minute wait. Timing is everything. We ate at a fast-food cafe in Morocco, but I guess a lot of people were in the more formal dining venues early evening.

We visited most of the country exhibits (not Canada), had a pain au chocolat in France, saw the Japanese drummers, Chinese acrobats (which were moved inside because of the wind), Mexican mariachi band, Italian flaggers.

Our last activity before eating supper was the America animatronic show. The wait was inside the building, and everybody was commenting on how this was the warmest they had been all day. We didn’t wait for the fireworks show as when the sun went down the wind was brutally cold.

On February 11th, we explored Smyrna Dunes State Park. Dog lovers are crazy about this park as dogs on leashes are allowed. The parking lot is maybe a mile from the Atlantic Ocean beach, though there were side trails to Ponce Inlet.

The lighthouse so close yet so far. Since it sat on a spur of land divided from our beach by the inlet, we would have had to drive north to Port Orange maybe 10 miles, then over to the barrier beach.



Low tide so good time to beachcomb. One should always look for a tide chart when visiting a beach area.


Our last day before heading home, the weather was perfect. We went to Eldora House (preserved 1913 house) in Canaveral National Seashores where I sat on a bench in the sun writing in my journal and reading a book while boats went by in the lagoon.

We went back to the condo for lunch. Late afternoon was low tide. Back to Apollo Beach where I hunted for shells. A very nice man gave me several pieces of seaglass that he had found; I found one later myself. We sat on our beach chairs and chaise lounge reading books and people watching until 5 p.m. It was a great end to our Florida stay.

Florida Trip With Sanibel/Captiva Highlights

I rose early on my birthday January 26th so we could get on the road and head towards Florida. We ate our packed lunch in the car in the parking lot of a Cracker Barrel restaurant in southern Indiana, then used its restroom facilities. The Hampton Inn in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, was very nice, even had a manager's evening reception, but to celebrate my birthday we headed to a nearby Outback Steakhouse. After a steak, I shared with my husband a fudgy brownie topped with ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whipped cream. Now it seemed like a birthday.

Our next night in Valdosta, Georgia, was fine, however, we had a big surprise the next morning. As we drove to get on the freeway, the entrance ramp was blocked by a police car, and the freeway traffic below was at a standstill in the southbound lanes as far as we could see. Fortunately I had a paper map with an inset of Valdosta. We ended up heading east toward the airport which was on a road that circled around again to the freeway further south. It worked! It was eerie though because we drove for several miles with no other cars behind us; finally in Florida a few cars entered I-75.

As we got closer to Fort Meyers, it began raining, and we had rain all the way to Tween Waters resort in Captiva, Florida. When we checked in, the clerk told us the electricity had just come back on, and her computer and key card system were not yet available. A young man in a golf cart escorted our car to the proper building and unlocked the room with a master key.

This resort has a long history. I can see why people might rent a cottage (for the week or month), but the motel facilities were not worth the price. Both Sanibel and Captiva cater to the wealthy, and that is reflected in rental rates and restaurant menu prices.

 

We drove to the village to get some supper. It was still raining and with no street lights it was hard to find a restaurant. We ate some clam chowder which was not very good, then crossed the street to a pricier place where we ate crème brulee and key lime pie. The desserts were scrumptious, and the restaurant staff treated us well even though we were not buying the $20 and up dinners. A musical group played under a canopy in the patio where no one sat since it was raining, but the dining room had doors and windows open to the patio so we could hear the music.

The free continental breakfast served in the Captiva House restaurant which was part of the resort included fresh fruit, juices, coffee, tea, cereal, and pastries. The pastries were baked at the resort and of excellent quality. The fresh squeezed orange juice was a treat.

After breakfast, we crossed the road to the resort’s beach.

I picked up a few shells including a Florida fighting conch. I tried to determine if what I saw was debris or part of a live animal. It looked kind of like a leaf, but I sure wasn’t game to touch it. I plopped it in my plastic bag, but when we got to our room I had some niggling doubts and put the shell on our screened-in balcony. After about 5 minutes, the mollusk emerged and rocked back and forth. The "leaf" was its foot. It is against the law to collect live specimens in Florida. We scooped up the conch in the plastic glass from the bathroom and returned it to the water, actually the lagoon which our room abutted.

Later, we headed to Bowman's Beach on the western part of Sanibel Island. The public beaches on Sanibel and Captiva Islands charge $4 an hour to park, but I was glad to beachcomb there. I found some empty conchs and collected other shells new to me. I saw the most beautiful shell I have ever seen lying in wet sand as low tide took place. It was a large spiral shell with squarish purple polka dots in bands on three-fourths and golden tan dots on the remaining turretted fourth. Though it had some resemblance to a junonia, the pictures I had seen had brown spots. Unfortunately for me, the shell was still occupied. We also picked up a large live horse conch as did many other people. The operculum (a hard "door" to protect the mollusk when out of water) was interesting. I finally decided after later internet searches that the beautiful shell probably was a junonia, the typical mahogany brown looking more purple in the specimen I saw.

This is not my photo and not the coloration I saw; the dots looked more purple. It laid with the aperture buried so had a skinnier look.

We ate lunch in Sanibel, then went to the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.

They had a nice display of Florida specimens, but the spectacular shells came from the Indian Ocean and off of Australia and New Zealand. I don't see a trip to those places in my future. A movie about mollusks was interesting to view, seeing the siphons and other parts, means of propulsion, etc. Scallops have hundreds of eyes along the rim of the body. Some

mollusk babies look very different from the adults, but the conchs are miniatures of the parents.

Sailor’s valentines, the plaques seamen made from shells, whiling away time at sea, to give to their sweethearts at home were well represented.

I bought the illustrated book Florida’s Seashells : A Beachcomber’s Guide by Blair and Dawn Witherington at this museum.

I always find the flora in more tropical climates interesting, so different from the upper Midwest. I had to do some internet searching when back home to figure out what some of them are.

Coontie plant, sometimes called cardboard palm; a cycad.The seeds are toxic, but Seminole Indians used a leaching process to make the also-toxic roots into a flour.

On January 30th, we stopped at the Lighthouse Beach on the eastern end of Sanibel, near the causeway to the mainland. That beach had hundreds of fighting conchs which were obviously alive as they rocked about. I found a few shells, but I was not interested in the pen shells. This beach was quite smelly and unpleasant. We crossed the causeway headed east across Florida to our main stop, New Smyrna Beach.