Sanibel and the Friends we Met

On my recent trip to Sanibel Island with Traci and Moira, we had the opportunity to meet up with several of my blogging friends.  It's always fun to get a chance to visit or do a little shelling together.

The first person we ran into was Pam from over at iloveshelling.  I know that a lot of you are familiar with Pam and her husband Clark.  We were having dinner at The Fish House one night and who should walk in through the door but Pam.  Traci has been out with Pam on one of her shellabration excursions and we were all excited to get to sit and chat with her about Sanibel and Cayo Costa....

Next up was Becky and Tobias from over at The Shell King.  They are quickly becoming dear friends to me and when they joined us for dinner at The Island Cow, the 5 of us barely stopped talking long enough to eat.  I have never met 2 people who are more enthusiastic about shelling and sharing their passion.  They entertained us with tales about the Florida festivals they attend and their love of Key West.  If you're not already following their blog, I highly suggest you do so.

After dinner we decided to stretch our legs with a walk along the beach.  Unfortunately the no-see-ums were brutal again and we had to cut our walk short.  But since it had been raining earlier, we were treated to a beautiful rainbow.  It doesn't get much better than that!

And finally, we had the chance to go exploring one morning with Capt. Brian from over at Captain Brian on the Water.  Brian runs shelling and boating excursions and for me, no trip to Sanibel would be complete without some time on the boat with Brian. 

We saw some dolphins and had a lovely ride on calm waters after finding some olives, an angels wing, a gaudy natica and Traci made the spectacular find of a maculated baby ear.  Brian worked his magic and found Moira her coveted Kings Crown shell!   It was a good day!

On our last night on the island I was sitting and digging in the water at low tide, and who should come strolling down the beach with her blue shelling bucket and pig tails, but none other than Pam again.  She snapped this picture of me and then ended up walking the beach with me for awhile and introduced me to Clark who insisted on sharing a few of his shells with me.

(photo courtesy of I love shelling.  Do not reproduce without permission)

So the next time you're on Sanibel, just keep your eyes open.  You never know who you may run into while you're down there. 

I have one more Sanibel Island post coming up next week about the off island beaches we visited.  Stay tuned!

Our Visit with The Shell King and his Queen

Another highlight of our recent Sanibel trip was getting to meet "The Shell King" and his Queen - Tobias and Becky. 

Did you get a chance to read the interview I did with Tobias a couple of weeks ago?  You can read it here if you missed it.  Tobias and Becky are my favorite roving bloggers, and they keep me well fed with a steady supply of Florida themed things to see and do. 

We met one morning on the beach at Blind Pass and spent a pleasant few hours talking about mutual blogging friends, family and of course, shells!  Chablis had brought her diving mask along, and tried looking for shells in 3 feet of water, but the clarity wasn't cooperating.   All she netted for her efforts was a couple of rocks and a few scallops.  We ended up floating around in the surf for about an hour, just enjoying the sun, the pleasant company and the engaging conversation.  They were very excited about their upcoming meeting with fellow blogger Karen, over at The Essential Beachcomber. In fact, check out Tobias' recent blog post about it here. 

I'm looking forward to my next trip and getting together with Becky and Tobias again if possible.  Honestly, the very best thing about blogging is the amazing network of friends I have made because of it.

Interview - Tobias- The Shell King

Over the past couple of months I've been following a blog appropriately called The Shell King.  Tobias and his beautiful wife, Becky, are kind enough to share their amazing shelling adventures from around the state of Florida.  They are an interesting couple that enjoys spending time together on the beach and checking out all kinds of different Florida events.  They opened my eyes to all the amazing things the state has to offer.  I asked Tobias to do an interview so everyone could get to know them a little.  Keep reading because I know you'll enjoy it.

You are a transplant from Indiana.  Did you grow up there and what prompted your move to Florida?

Yep, born and raised in Indiana, just East of Indianapolis. I lived in Chicagoland for a few years, too. I traveled all over the country with my job early on, so I’m a well-traveled dude. I moved down here to Fort Myers in 2002 for a spell, back to Indy, then back here permanently in 2006 to be with my lovely Shell Queen. I don’t plan on leaving again. 

I know you spend most of your free time searching for seashells but what type of work do you do?

I’m a Telecommunications Engineer during the day. At night, I transform into the Shell King.

You are also a gifted musician.  What instruments do you play? 

Thank you! I play guitar, drums and bass guitar. It’s been a long time since I’ve picked one up, but I can also play the saxophone. I wish I could play piano. It’s that one instrument that I never took the time to learn.

 

You write a lot of your own songs.  Do you have a favorite and why?

My favorite is a song called “Hello”, followed closely by a new song I just released called “One Time Before”. Hello has been picked up a couple times for TV. It’s a very cool blessing. The Lord has been very good to me. If your readers would like to hear or download the songs, my music can be found here:

http://fabdaeclectic.bandcamp.com/album/bombshell - Performed under my old stage name

http://tobiasmoran.bandcamp.com/ - Performed under my government name.

Tell me why you started blogging.

I have always loved to write - short stories, songs and whatnot. In 2010, I co-wrote a book with my father in law about his tour in Vietnam and am currently working on a novel about a baseball player. I just like writing. So it came naturally. I’m a talker, so I like talking too. Haha! One day, I just decided to start blogging to share shell finds and life experience - and it took off. We’re having a lot of fun now over at TheShellKing.com and hopefully we keep doing it for a long time.

Does your wife share your passion for shelling?

She’s actually the one that got me so interested in it. She’s been a sheller since she moved here in 2001. Her mother got her hooked, so it was natural for me to get hooked, too. I was always content with just going to swim in the pool. We went out, did some shelling and the bug got me.

 

 

What is your favorite thing about your wife?

Oh, I could go on for pages with that one. But her sense of humor, her smile, her loyalty and her sweetness are my top four favorite things about her. Plus, she’s stunning to look at. She’s the total package, really. My song “Bombshell” is about her. She’s truly my better half and a wonderful person.

 

 

What types of shells are your favorites?

Believe it or not, Olives are my favorite. They were the first shells I really gravitated to, so if I see them and they’re pristine, I grab em every time. Close second would be the Alphabet Cone, and you know I have to say the Junonia. I’ve gotten a taste of some of the shells in the Caribbean, and they’re quickly going to replace the Olive once I spend more time there.

 

 

Do you prefer walking and looking for shells, digging for them, or diving for them?

Diving is my preferred way of finding shells. There are maaaaany interesting things in deep water. If you can quash the fear aspect, you’re in for some killer finds in the deep. Digging is fun too. But after a while, it takes a toll on the ol’ back. So I swim and dive primarily.

 

 

What shells are you on the hunt for that you haven’t found yet?

I want to find a few specifically – a Tun shell, a Loroisi Volute, any Cowrie and a Miter. Unfortunately, they’re not found here so we’d need to hop on a plane and go to where they are. That will certainly happen someday.

What do you do with all your shells?

We display many of the really good ones. Some are in glass containers. Others are displayed in other ways throughout our home. The Queen takes some of them as well and uses them for arts and crafts, which she’s really good at making. The others, we store away to use later.

 

Are any tools essential for shelling?

If you’re planning on digging, three things – a bucket, a small shovel or spade and I recommend a shelling scoop. Around here, Ace Hardware sells them and they’re made by Vietnam Vets. They’re constructed much better than the ones at WalMart and trust me; you need a solid one to combat the waves and surf.

If you’re diving, you certainly need a mesh shelling bag as well as a good, solid mask. I have a Cressi and it is fantastic. A dive knife comes in handy if you’re battling large sea creatures and hungry sharks. I do not carry a dive knife. ;)

 

What should the average sheller look for on the beach?  Is there something that says “Hey, look here, this might be a good spot?”

That honestly comes with experience and knowing the water. It’s really trial and error. Sometimes you may see a huge shell pile and it’s all hash from the night before. Other times, it’s a gold mine. I primarily train my eyes on a specific color and shape. I like orange scallops for example, so sometimes I look for orange. I have probably missed a ton of keepers by just looking for the color orange!

 

If time and money were not a factor, which beach location would you like to travel to?

My favorite beach (and the Queen’s as well) is Magen’s Bay in St. Thomas. We’ve been there a few times and it’s beautiful. I want to live there. However, very few shells there. But if money was no object – three beaches in particular. The Great Barrier Reef in Australia and Playa de la Catedrales in Spain. The Maldives is a close third. I hope to see all three places in person someday!

 

I'd like to thank Tobias for coming by and sharing not only his love of shelling with us, but the joy that he gets from his music and the strong bond he has with Becky.  Please take the time to visit him and start following his blog and his FB page.

And if you missed it, he interviewed me last week.  You can read it here if you like.

 

My Interview at The Shell King

My shelling buddy, Tobias, over at The Shell King was interested in geocaching and asked me to do an interview with him.  It posted today, so please go visit his blog to read it.  And while you're there, stick around, browse his pages and start following his blog.  He and his wife are the shelling king and queen and they can give you the scoop on shelling, beaches and all things Florida!  You won't believe the great shells they find and the fantastic beaches they visit.  They also check out lots of interesting events and give a nice voice to the local flavor.

I've got an interview post that I did featuring Tobias coming up here on Monday, so keep an eye out for it.  He's an interesting guy and I think you'll enjoy reading about Tobias and Becky, his wife.  In the meantime, go check out my interview.

So please go visit The Shell King and see what we talked about.