I too am wrong then , But to be a beginner is to have wide eyed views,
optimism and open to new ideas. I never want to lose the zeal and plan to
stay open to opinion even how unorthodox. I was wrong about experts too, Dr.
Harry Lee , R. Tucker Abbott and several others are definite experts and
many others are great sources of information. It was Tuckers books that
brought me to shelling and i wish i would have had the opportunity to meet
him. As for common names, i remember that he used them when conducting
interviews as i read many .
Bobby, as for remembering  shells and where you found them i believe that
these small packages of beauty we find imprint upon us the place , time ,
weather, smells in the air and other sensory data at the time of discovery
as i can still pick up many in my collection and by just holding them i can
take myself back to that place where they were found. mark
 
-----Original Message-----
From: Bobbi Cordy <[log in to unmask]>
To: [log in to unmask] <[log in to unmask]>
Date: Wednesday, April 29, 1998 9:56 PM
Subject: Re: Aren't we all beginners?
 
 
>mark wrote:
>>
>> Bobby you wrote:
>> "Common names are fine for children and beginners..."
>>  I must reply that we are all beginners, who amongst us can consider
>> themselves an expert. I do know many who claim this but it's a fool who
>> would boast "I know it all"...
>> The wisest man once replied "I don't know, teach me "
>> Please don't take this as an insult , I 'm just stating that we all have
>> much to learn and if using common names along with Latin names helps when
>> communicating with others then this is beneficial to all concerned.My
wife
>> says that she considers herself a beginner as she learns something new
>> everyday. mark
>
>
>I am saying after several years of collecting (over 30) we do not
>consider ourselves beginners...we are at least advanced collectors.  I
>do realize we will never know it all...and neither will anyone else.
>But our goal in our club and as mentors to many beginning collectors is
>to teach them.
>
>I have to admit my husand is a wiz.  In our collection of over 7,000
>species he can not only call them all by their latin names...but can
>usually tell them where they came from and the author and date...we
>could never have done that 25 years ago!
>
>No...sorry I don't think we are ALL beginners.   A beginner is just
>starting to learn...like a beginner swimmer.  After a certain amount of
>time he becomes an intermediate and then advanced. We consider ourselves
>advanced...but again that doesn't mean we are not STILL learning because
>that is something we expect all our lives is to continue to learn...or
>become stagnant.
>--
>Jim & Bobbi Cordy
>Specializing in Self-Collected
>Caribbean & Florida Shells
>