If you ever want to go seashell hunting, Sanibel Island should be your destination.  Goodness, the shells were deep as snow on the beach.  Soon as we went across the ($6.00 toll) causeway, we stopped at the visitor center and asked which beach was best for shell hunting.  They gave us a magazine with a map and told us where the best beach was for today.

 

Driving down the island we saw many little shops (including the obligatory “She sells sea shells”) and restaurants.  It reminded us quite a bit of Hilton Head, SC, only on a slightly smaller scale.  We parked (free for us, $2.00/hr for you able-bodied folks), sun-blocked up, and headed to the shore.  The first glimpse of shells on the beach was surprising.  Tons of shells just baking in the sun.  The wind was a bit strong so we headed out for a dip.  Not too long into the swim, I decided to hunt for sand dollars, but I found several compass starfish... living compass starfish at that.  Jennene found them both fascinating... and gross.  I found a few more, but didn’t dig them up.  I figured once you’ve seen three, you’ve seen them all.

 

Then the tide came in, and so did the shells.  Shells were washing up so fast and thick it was astounding.  They were clinking together like masses of ocean coins.  I just stood in one spot and watched as they washed up and down past me with the longshore current, occasionally picking a gem out of the cacophony of shell music.  We stayed until well after sunset, picking shells until darkness prevented us from seeing the gems in the rough.

 

As we packed up, a thunderstorm provided a light show in the distance.  We took our time and savored our last moments on vacation.