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