Seashells and sunsets.

One thing we knew we would see during our stay was sunsets... we heard they are excellent.  So did everyone else on the west coast of Florida, because there was always an influx of humans for the show... some just looking, many more taking pictures and then those having sundowners.  Once the sun disappeared - a round of applause. Not sure if is was for the colorful show or that we survived another day. Either way it was a nice sentiment. 

During the day, besides lounging on the beach and taking dips and swims in the Gulf, the hunt was on for seashells of all sorts, sizes and shapes. We didn’t have to look far. All the beaches were thickly and deeply lined with shells. And I would not be surprised if the sand was actually just finely crushed and weathered shells from millennia of high and low tide waves. 

Shells are so abundant in this area that they are used in place of gravel for walkways and mulch in flower beds.  Aniko even noted that she has never seen this many shells on beaches before, and our loot was plentiful with all sorts of colors, types and sizes. We were even fortunate enough to score some sand-dollars.