Club Officers:President - Phyllis BernardVice President - Luke CooleySecretary -Paula MeyerriecksCorresponding Secretary - D. J. MooreTreasurer - Jim BrunnerMembership - Phyllis BernardLibrarian - Gwen LawrenceRaffle - Linda WalkerNewsletter - Linda Brunner

January-February 2018

Upcoming Events

Shell show meeting.........................January 28 2PM at Brunners Regular meeting, regular place.......February 13

President’s Message

Shell and TellThe newsletter of the Gulf Coast Shell Club

Published by the Gulf Coast Shell Club, Inc.

Argopecten irradiansconcentricus Say, 1822

Inside President’s Message..................................................1Club events.............................. ................................1Views from the Judge................................................2Future shows ...........................................................3Inclub Show..............................................................4Sinum perspectivum...................................................5Sailor’s Valentine......................................................6Hot off the Presses...................................................6

Well It is that time of year again. Winter. Around here we are lucky on good days we can go to the beach. So grab you hat, coat and good pair of shoes and go to the beach and have a good time.

Remember, this is the time of winter LOW tides and, quite possibly, our best shelling time of the year for us! Low tides leave treasures exposed for the taking. Phyllis

President Phyllis Bernard

Happy New Year!

Programs/Refreshments

February: Program, L. Brunner Refreshments, D.J., Al, Leanne

March: Program, Bob Stapleman Refreshments, Deborah Gabris

April: Inclub Show

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2018 SHELL SHOWS & RELATED EVENTS Following information is subject to change. Please verify with individual organization.

Jan. 27, 2018FUM (FLORIDA UNITED MALACOLOGISTS), Sanibel, FL Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum3075 Sanibel Captiva Road, Sanibel, FL 33957José Leal Tel. 230-395-2233 E-mail: jleal@shellmuseum.org

Feb. 9-11, 2018 ANNUAL SARASOTA SHELL SHOW, Sarasota, FL(New venue)Potter Building at Robarts Arena, 3000 Ringling Blvd., SarasotaNancy Marini, 5003 28th Ct. E., Bradenton, FL 34203 E-Mail: sarasotashellclub@gmail.com 941-758-9790

Feb. 23-24, 2018 (Friday & Saturday)ST. PETERSBURG SHELL SHOW, Seminole, FL Seminole Recreation Center, 9100 113th St. N., Seminole, FL John Jacobs, 202 Soldier Court , Seffner ,FL 33584 E-mail: johncheryl@earthlink.net Tel. (813) 309-2608 (Evening) Exhibit form available at web site: http://www.stpeteshellclub.org

June 2-3, 2018 (Friday & Saturday)GULF COAST SHELL SHOW, Panama City Beach, FLPanama City Beach Senior Center, 423 Lyndell Lane, Panama City Beach, FL.Contact Jim Brunner jili1043@comcast.netRules will be posted in February at: http://gulfcoastshellclub.weebly.com/

Gooseneck barnacles attached to wood washed ashore at Cape San Blas, Florida

Views from the Judge

Last fall the club was privileged to have Alan Gettle-man speak to us about displays and judging a show. As an exhibitor and judge his words of wisdom were well received. As the time for our show is drawing closer and because some of our members missed his presentation I will share what he said in this article. This comes from a handout Alan gave us during his presentation.

Alan stated that there are 4 challenges an exhibitor has to keep in mind and 10 points to success.

Your challenges are judges, competition, the exhibit/show rules and your presentation.

Judges. There is not too much you can do about the judges. Each judge strives to be fair. We have at least two judges so if there is a difference of opinion there is discussion about the merits of the exhibits and the judges can discuss and reach an amicable consensus.

Competition. You never know what your competition will be. You can only do the best job you can with your material. Because this is a competition there are winners and losers. This is life. It is difficult but not impossible for a 4 foot display to favorably compete with a 24 foot display. Consider the correctness of your labels, the spaciousness inside your case(s) and the idea of your exhibit. Clever showmanship enhances ordinary shells.

Show rules. Carefully consider the categories that your exhibit is eligible to enter. Also make sure you follow the Rules for Exhibitors in the entry forms. If you have a question or need a waiver, consult a show chair-man.

Presentation. Make your idea clear, your display neat, cite your references, and make the presentation “eye catching”. Maybe the title will make you want to know more, maybe the colors make you want to see more or perhaps a picture will catch the viewers’ eye, If these things appear to please the public then they will also please the judges but, if they get there and you have a crowded or messy case, they will be disappointed. In all things KISS is usually the best rule to follow: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

Ten points for making a successful entry:

1. What is your exhibit trying to say or convey? What is your idea or what do you want those who look at your display to take away? Do you want them to leave with: I didn’t know that that shell was foud there or are there really that many shells there or that is a really big family or can I really find that shell in 2 feet of water, etc. Pretend that you don’t know anything and look at your theme and your execution of your idea. Did you say what you wanted to say in a clear and succinct man-ner? Have someone who knows nothing about your idea critique you display or have someone who you think knows a lot give you advice before you enter the exhibit. You can never have too much advice! Some advice you may use or some you may discard but you never know until you ask. New eyes see things you miss.

2. Can viewers who know little or nothing about shells appreciate your exhibit? Keep your informa-tion clear and simple but correct. Don’t get too wordy. If you have too much information the viewer may lose interest. Back to KISS.

3. If this is a competitive exhibit, know for what you are competing. Stay on subject, do not wander with what you may think is an interesting bit of trivia. Keep that information for a social setting or share if someone wants to talk about your wonderful exhibit. Keep your exhibit on subject and make sure you stay within the category description. There are some cat-egories that allow totally different exhibits to compete (examples may be Educational, Novice or Worldwide Multi-family). Just remind yourself to stay within the parameters of your category and display title.

4. Consider something unusual. Are you interested in a family that you seldom find exhibited or find infor-mation about. It may be interesting to investigage the group and do a display. What about a place you visited that is off the beaten path?

5. Have a clean exhibit i.e. not too much informa-tion. Keep your exhibit spacious with clear, concise information of your theme or title. If you wander and have too much not-pertinent info the viewer’s mind may wander and lose interest.

6. Use a reference for your scientifc names. As the club tries to keep an up to date of local species and the ever changing names of local shells you may think this

is an impossible task but, not so. We all try to use the latest published information but it is not always pos-sible. If you cite references and use them judges will accept what you use as long as you list what you use somewhere on your display. It is customary to list any reference you use on a backboard or on an easel at the end of your display. If your list is small you may also put it in one of your cases.

7. Spell, at least the title of your display, correctly. Have someone else proof your labels and backboards. Fresh eyes see things we don’t just like this newsletter. I always find typos after I send it to you that neither Jim nor I saw. Some judges are particular about spelling. The club has books and most of us have the internet. Do not make spelling errors.

8. Size does not matter (mostly). To do a winning display you do not have to have huge, world record specimens. Some collectors only want exceptionally large examples of shells. It is not necessary to win awards. All you need is good quality representatives. Frequently, an exceptionaly large speciman wins a single specimen award such as Shell of the Show but winning is more what you do with what you have than having big.

9. Do not have your name visible on any visible part of your display. The shell show chairman will take care of this after the judging. This mistake can cost you dearly.

10. Get feedback from the judges, knowledgeable club members and/or other exhibitors. People who have exhibited for many years have gained experience. They have not always won awards. You learn to win by losing. There are always unpredictable situations that you have no way to avoid. I know of no one who would not be willing to critique an exhibit and offer sugges-tions. You only have to ask.

Al Johnson and his wagon dur-ing a super low winter tide finding treasures at the sound.

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An award winning display by our own Charlie Meyerriecks.

Atlantic Deer CowryMacrocypraea cervus (Linne, 1771) found while diving off shore sent in by Bob Stapleton. No, it’s not the spiky black thing!

The late Betty Lipe, a friend of our club and craft mentor with some of the handmade mirrors in her shop.

http://www.jaxshells.org/0560.htm http://www.jax-shells.org/images%20snail4/0547.jpg

AN IDEA!Here’s something you can do on a cold rainy winter day.....make a shell picture/collage and enter it in the

show! If you don’t know haw to make shell flowers we can show you. Let me know before the February meet-

ing and I’ll teach you then.

Sinum perspectivum (Say, 1831)White Baby’s Ear

One hundred 87 years ago Say named the White Baby’s Ear. This is one of the most common shells we find during winter low tides. We find live blobs on exposed sand bars and discarded shells in beach drift. I say “blobs” because a live, exposed Baby’s Ear looks just like a white blob!

The soft parts of the animal cannot fit into its shell like most other gastropods. Baby’s Ears are agressive carnivores and because they have little protection from their shell they are also tasty food for other molluscan carnivores and some fish. It feeds on bivalves are other gastropods. First it bores a hole in the shell of its prey using its rasping radula teeth. When the hole is com-plete it inserts its proboscis into the shell and eats the flesh of its prey.

The photos are from the Jacksonville Shell Club’s web site.

Looking down on the top of the shell with the ani-mal extended.

Below: the bottom of the animal thus the white “blob” description.Above and left pictures

sent by Walt Baldwin from the Ace Hardware shell dump on Back Beach Road (HWY 98) and some of the treasures he has found. Are all the Junonias gone?Pay $5 and find a gallon of shells. Actually it is $5.40. The Tax Man cometh.

In Club ShowIt is not too early to start work on our INCLUB Show. This will be at the April meeting. The divisions will be scientific, snail parade and craft. Get those projects going! A lot can be accomplished inside on cold rainy winter days.

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A Baby’s Ear bur-rowing under the sand.

Another type of shell we frequently find during the win-ter months are tusk or Dentalium shells. There are two pictured on page 20 of the club book. I find them in beach drift and in the sand and or muddy sand shallows of local bays.

Below: From Suncoast Shorelines a shell we also find in winter on exposed sandbars an Atlantic Giant Cockle, Dinocardium robustum (Lightfoot, 1786)

Hot off the Presses!

The new version of the Northwest Florida Species List has just been released and is available at the clubs website (www.gulfcoastshellclub.weebly.com) Revision 9 is the latest issue with Revision 8 included so you can compare them for changes. This is of interest to those of you working on displays of local shells because it has the scientifically correct names for all our local species.If you do a display on local shells this list can be a refer-ence.

Enjoy!

An easy craft idea using the shells/shell pieces you find at Ace Hardware and make your Valentine a shell heart!

Happy Valentines Day!

No sunset but, in honor of shell lovers everywhere, a Sailor’s Valentine!

The lore is that, before mail and phones, when sailors were on long voyages and away from sweethearts they would use shells they found to make a romatic collage for their loved one. These are known as Sailor’s Valen-tines.

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