Tom , Sorry for not getting back to you sooner , just trying to spend as
much time as possible finishing a ship model before i go under the Knife
again . They are reversing the surgery ( making me whole once again) on
March 15th . The new ship is really neat and I'll send you two images in
JPEG format so as to update you on it's progress. Thank you for the
outpouring of support and as you probably know I've decided to stay .
I know that in the past I said I'd send you shells and failed to do so but I
am at this moment putting together a box of shells for you , one is very
unique, a that Peta collected.

Nerita peloronta
33mm
Linne' 1758
Lowtide on 12/06/98 collected above high tide line, coraline stone (hardpan)
bridge abuttment Missouri Key , Middle Keys, South West Florida
OK you say so what ? Bleeding tooth nerite ,,,yea like I don't have that in
numbers too great to count... well my friend thios one is big , it's pattern
PERFECT, 4 rows of black cheverons and all line up perfect , lip perfect  in
fact it's the biggest I've seen and not one flaw that I can find . Usually
when a shell get's abnormally large it get bad growth lines and has so
defect from age (sort of like us ?)
Also there are other shells that were found with in 10 ft of this shell ,
one is a large but ugly cyp cervus , another is a fasciolaria tulipa , red ,
195 mm (19.5 cm)and some hunteria, much smaller , all self collected plus
many others , I think they were all Self collected .  it ws the best
collecting I ever did in such a small area and within only 5 minutes so I'll
get those two plus a few others to you just so I can feel at ease about not
full-filling my promises in the past. Please don't say no , I want to do
this ....just smile .

> Mark,
>
> I hate to see you having problems and truly hope you can battle through
all
> of this.  You have been a bright light in the shell world for me and
really
> sparked me into accomplishing a few things (like the newsletter) that I
> would not have done -- or at least not as soon, if it hadn't been for you.
> I'll still be here when you come bouncing back with a criptic joke and
some
> news about your newest model boat.
>
> Take care and get well,
>
> Your friend (as the Europeans say), Tom
>