Nancy:
 
I WAS SO GLAD TO SEE YOUR NOTE...I am new too and have been reading the
E-mails for about 3 weeks now and was "afraid" to jump in there.  If this is
not the place for "newbies" I'd like to know too.
 
What I know about collecting consists of four vacations on Sanibel over the
last four years.  I spend many hours back in cold Indiana looking over my
"collection" and it gives me much pleasure just looking at them over and
over.  I didn't know I was supposed to keep all the data referred to
regarding time, location, etc etc so my collection is worthless to anyone
but me I guess.  We did go our to uninhabited islands three times over the
last few years and collected live shells, don't know proper names, Angel
Wings, King Conchs, Tulips and Horse Conchs.
 
If this turns out to not be the place for the uneducated shell lovers, maybe
there are some others like us who could share what we don't know.  Anxious
to hear from someone.
 
Vicky
 
At 02:43 PM 1/16/98 -0500, you wrote:
>Dear Ross and Wes:
>
>     I'm a new subscrber (today).  Being a land-locked, single mother of
>2, and a full-time RN, I collect my shells any way I can.  Sometimes
>garage sales, gift shops, mail-order.  Luckily a yearly trip to Cape
>Hatteras allows me to comb the beaches and collect in what I consider
>the "natural way".
>     I have only just begun to study my collection, I'm not very book
>smart about shells yet.  I was hoping this site would be able to teach
>me  about my  treasures.  To me, shells are the perfect union of science
>and art, and mine mean alot to me.
>     As veterans of this site, I'm asking your advise.  Am I welcome
>here too, or is  this a  place for shell snobs?  I don't want to get in
>over my head, you know?
>
>                                      Thanks for your time,
>                                       Nancy
>
Vicky Zentko