Annette,
 
Welcome to Conch-L.  Hope you have as good a time with all of this as I
have.  If you are new to the shell game do not be put off if some of the
messages on the list seem a bit technical.  I have learned a lot here,
met some really great people, and had a good time.  If a message was too
technical or not of interest I found this neat little button labeled
"delete."  Seriously, the members of this list include scientists and
professionals (lots of information and great for getting the up-to-date
word out or providing the current, right answer), advanced amateurs
(lots of information on more general subjects), and relatively new
collectors (lots of information on why we all got into this in the first
place).  So basically there is a lot of information and great folks --
nice combination.  Hope you enjoy yourself and don't feel too sorry for
those of us really far from any ocean.
 
Again, welcome.
 
Tom in New Mexico, USA