Dear CONCH-L,
Someone close said I usually ask questions, only. Well, here is
something you might enjoy.
While giving a talk to the Nashville, TN, Shell Club about two years
ago I encluded a coiled
okra pod in a collection of shells shown. I had grown the okra pod
that looked very much like
a snail. My talk was on "Ugly But Interesting Shells". Good friend,
Kathleen Powell, was so
surprised when I finally pointed out that the okra was not a true
snail, she vowed to get even with me.

One of the latest attempts was at our June 1999 Picnic. She brought a
polished stone that looked like
a cowrie on the top side and had the length-long slit on the bottom.
She put this stone with some
cowries and tried to pass it off as "one of the boys, or girls". I
don't know how many people she fooled,
but I am ready to call it even.
Also, when giving talks to children I include a very large seahorse
with horns ( fish bones stuck in the top
of the "head", just for a little humor. Oh, I also made a little
tri-valve, before I heard the story of
Rafinesque, and drew one for my newsletter, but got no comments.
Glen Deuel