shells

Just thought I'd comment on shell collecting. Shell collecting is not an obsession, contrary to some husbands' notion. It is a hobby and all cruising women need a hobby. It's free, it's quiet and they make good gifts, so it should be encouraged. In the Tuamotus I kept telling myself that I didn't need any more cowries. But on the white coral sand, they look just like Easter eggs and it's impossible to pass them up. I have fine tuned my collecting though, as the water line of "Imagine" sinks lower and lower. Now I save old plastic tubs and jars and fill them up with sorted shells. When the jar is full, I don't need anymore of that type. I filled a glass bottle with all the tiny clam shells that the beach was covered with, and it decorates the bathroom counter next to the 10" spider conch and the two 6" helmets. A pottery bowl that I bought in Mexico is the perfect size to hold the coral piece that Peter found on a mooring ball washed up on the beach. Of course it all has to be put away when we sail, but I'm enjoying the decorations while we are in one place.

Ellie spotted two cantaloupe sized snail shells in about 10 feet of water near the boat. Pete dove for them and luckily they were empty of snails. However, one was the home of an octopus, so we had to dump him out and relocate him to the reef. Ellie has been scrubbing away to make them shiny. We're not sure what they are because they are not in our shell books. I haven't found a place to store them yet either.

I figure that small collections will make good stocking stuffers for the kids in the family and I hope to donate collections to the kids' schools. In the meantime, the "treasure boxes" are getting full and we enjoy the family activity of walking along the beach ooing and ahing over God's creation.

-Kellie