Dear Ellen,  I don't know how else to get in touch so here goes although
this isn't the best.  In Flagstaff there's a shell collector with an
extensive collection by the name of Betty Jo D'Mura. Phone # 520-774-3587.
She's a very private person and would probably be horrified that you got her
name off this site.  I planned to get in touch with her as we live in Tuba
City (80 miles north of Flag).  You can tell her you got the number from me
however if you do contact her.  We live on Indian reservation.  Drop by to
see us if you care to.  You can email me at [log in to unmask] or phone 520 283
5170.  Donna Kirk
----- Original Message -----
From: "Ellen Bulger" <[log in to unmask]>
To: <[log in to unmask]>
Sent: Wednesday, September 26, 2001 10:03 PM
Subject: Fluid to suspend shell in pendant?


> Hello all,
>
> Been on the road for nearly a month now. Was hiking the Norris Geyser
basin
> in Yellowstone when I heard about the attack. Thought the guy who told me
was
> making a sick joke, I didn't believe him. We cried and, like everybody
else,
> called family and friends to make sure they were okay. Then, even though
we
> didn't paste a flag on our bug-splattered car, we did peel the BUSH IS A
PUNK
> ASS CHUMP sticker off the rear bumper.
>
> Lost track of the states we've been through on our trip. Utah is an
> eye-popper, what with Arches and Grand Staircase - Escalante
> (oooooooooooh!!!) and Bryce and what all else. I should be into rocks, I
kept
> thinking, instead of shells. But I'm not, so I hiked instead. Haven't seen
> the Grand canyon yet, on account of the smoke from three not-so-controlled
> burns. Time enough to do that later.
>
> Now we are in Flagstaff for a bit, staying with Carol's family. I love the
> west, but I wish it had an ocean. I miss my shells. I brought a few little
> ones with me, but they're stuffed in a box somewhere in a car so full that
we
> call it the Pinata instead of the Xterra.
>
> I wanted to put my Pterotyphis pinnatus in a locket so I could enjoy it
and
> think of the Bahamas. I talked to a jewelry maker and he measured the
shell
> and is going to talk to a glassblower about making a tiny vial for it.
He'd
> then make a silver cap that would work as a pendant. The cap would be
sealed
> on with a neoprene o ring. But he suggests suspending the shell in a
liquid,
> perhaps mineral oil, to protect it from impact. Will this hurt the shell?
> Will it make its way into all the interior spaces in the shell, or will
the
> shell float? Any ideas, thoughts?
>
> Thanks in advance,
>
> Ellen