Like Tom
I really LIKE shells.... amongst other things (animals,cacti, orchids, fossils,
gardening, silver-smithing, lapidary bla bla bla).
My beaches? -I really do go out to local rivers, ponds and sloughs looking for
local shells (very few of them as fancy-looking as the plainest marine shell),
even in the winter and even when the bugs are out.
I keep living molluscs in an aquarium, just to watch them.
Do I belong to a shell club - no, unless I consider myself the sole member of
the Calgary Shell Club (hey why not).
BUT I have received the newsletter from Tom's shell club and I have to say (and
I am a fairly picky judge of these things) if the larger shell clubs have a
newsletter half as good as Tom's then those who produce it should pat themselves
on the back right now!
Nora
Calgary, Alberta
"Thomas E. Eichhorst" wrote:
> >Do I love shells?
>
> No. I love my wife. I like shells and they fasinate me (well so does my
> wife and she is tougher to figure out after 34 years than most shells I
> know).
>
> >Do I spend each weekend at the beach in pursuit of shells?
>
> No. The closest beach (not counting "Tingley Beach" which is a local
> drainage pond alongside the Rio Grande) is over 1,300 miles away.
>
> >Do I plan each and every hard-earned vacation around moon phases and tide
> charts?
>
> No. Our last vacation was planned around seeing "The Lion King" in New York
> City (a great show).
>
> >Do I belong to a shell club?
>
> Yes I do. We have a very small, very informal club. We decided early on to
> try and go with no officers and no dues (almost works). Our meetings are
> mostly social -- a chance for people with similar interests to get together
> for a good meal (potluck) and talk about shells. We have a program now and
> then, but our shell related activity level is probably the lowest of any of
> the shell clubs I know. The point is, this meets the needs of the members.
> We have evolved and will continue to do so as new members want to add or
> subtract to our limited activity base. We have members who have shelled all
> over the world and we have members who have only walked a beach a couple
> times in their lives. Now after saying all of that, I have to admit this
> shell club is an infant of two years. Ten years from now we will see if it
> has held together. However, after seeing so many clubs struggling, we
> thought that a social gathering might withstand the pressures of time,
> repeated activities, and no real shot at hitting an ocean for an outing.
> Admittedly, we do not have a rule against non-shell related topics and the
> talk is often very far removed from shells. But we center on shells and it
> seems to work. At least it has gotten the few shellers in this high desert
> environment together. I can see Joni's point, but for me, the club fills in
> for the lack of an accessable ocean and has increased my enjoyment of this
> hobby.
>
> Tom Eichhorst in New Mexico, USA
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