First I want to remind all of you that this is just MY report. I have no
OFFICIAL capacity and I really hope that some of the first time convention go-
ers will also add their impressions of how they felt going to the convention,
sights and feelings. Everyone has different experiences. So when everyone gets
back home I hope there will be a few more reports as many of the
conventioneers did things that I did not.
  The 3rd day started out with the COA representatives meeting. Linda Brunner,
President elect, chaired the session and asked us what we felt that COA did
for the individual clubs as not all clubs are COA members. Some of the things
that were discussed were the political clout that combining forces gives us in
conservation issues, COA newsletter exchange. If your club belongs to COA
there is a newsletter exchange. Publicity for your club on a world level and
the COA award that is given at shell shows. There will be a new feature in
American Conchologist and you can send in your club's news to be included in
this COA feature.
  We spoke about problems in individual clubs and how other clubs may have
solved those problems. These included meeting places and programs for
meetings, how to get new members and how to keep old ones. It was very good to
exchange information and I am sure that everyone came out of the meeting with
at least one idea of how to better their own club.
  Art Weil started off the programs for the day, with his often humorous talk
on how to write a shell book. He has a new book, hot off the presses on how to
Collect Shells. I glanced through it and it is full of cartoon drawings and
witty anecdotes.
  Bob and Betty Lipe spoke to us about their quest for Marginella muralis, (I
hope that's correct) in Grenada and Aruba with Bob's marvelous photography of
live marginellas and Betty's narration of where they actually were and some of
the high points of their trip.
  Doug Jones spoke on Molluscan Photosymbiosis or the connection between algae
and the mollusks that have special cells to grow their own algae. He said
there are two groups that do this, the Tridacnids and the Cardiacium.
  Amy Edward gave us something totally and entirely different and that was a
program on origami shells. She had some directions on how to fold paper to
make different shells, crabs, shrimp and squid. It was very clever. She also
brought some directions on how to make different shells and some shell cases
with examples of the real shell and the origami shell. A great light way to
end the morning session.
  The afternoon brought the COA shell auction and many beautiful shells,
corals some lovely needlework,  and a lot of interesting things to bid on.
   The evening brought the CONCH-L  get together, which had no particular
venue, just a chance to talk some more with each other. Rosalie introduced Amy
Edwards, the administrator of this list, without whom we would not be getting
these messages. Carolyn Petriken again spoke on the need to get organized
before you hit that send button, or the reply button,  repeating that some of
our out of country subscribers have to pay as much as $2.95 per MINUTE to
receive the conch-L postings.
   There is only one program scheduled for tomorrow, that is Shelling in the
Canadian North- Labrador or Bust by Ross Mayhew,  so this may be all till I
get home. The Bourse is scheduled for the afternoon and I know it is going to
be fabulous.
        Bye for now,
                  Carole Marshall