
On Sunday I peered into Balboa Park’s Casa del Prado and discovered a surprising exhibition open free to the public. It was the San Diego Shell Club’s amazing West Coast Shell Show!
There were so many beautiful shells covering table after table it blew my mind. Every shell, I noted, was unique and interesting, and many that I saw seemed like exquisite works of art. Nature’s abundant beauty was spread throughout the room. It seemed I had blundered into a vast treasure of spilled jewels.
When I walk along a beach, I like to search the sand for bright or colorful objects washed up by the tide. But I honestly know next to nothing about shells from molluscs on land or in the sea. So I learned a few fascinating facts during my short conversations with a friendly hobbyist and a dealer.
Among other things, I learned some shells are highly prized for their rarity and apparent perfection, and that a few can fetch many thousands of dollars. I also learned there are relatively few serious shell collectors worldwide. But those who have a passion for shells have a hobby that promises new discoveries at every turn and inexhaustible wonder.










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Hello Richard, my blogging friend GP Cox suggested I visit your site, as I recently posted about plans to visit West Coast USA next year, from Australia. After an organised tour of Western Canada and an Alaskan cruise, we plan to hire a car in Seattle and drive down to San Francisco. I wonder whether you have ever done this drive and have any favourite places en route? Perhaps you have some posts you might like to point me towards? San Diego looks divine, however for this trip we think it will be just that little too far, especially as we have to fly back to Vancouver for our flight home (because of the airline the tour agency will use).
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Many years ago I took a long vacation and drove up the coast from San Diego to Seattle, then back down through the Cascades and Sierras. If you’re going along the coast as far as San Francisco, some great places I remember include Olympic National Park, the Columbia River, Redwood National and State Parks, and Muir Woods National Monument. The drive along the coast is pretty spectacular, with lots of amazing views and picturesque bays and towns. If you’re going along the mountain route, I remember enjoying Mt. Ranier, Mt. Hood, super beautiful Crater Lake, Lassen Volcanic National Park, Reno, Nevada, Lake Tahoe, super amazing Yosemite, and Gold Country east of Sacramento, where there’s lots of history. Whichever route you take, it’s sure to be beautiful. I haven’t posted anything on my blog very far north of San Diego. Enjoy your trip!
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Thank you so much! I have made a note of all that. I’m expecting we’ll do the coast route, but I hadn’t even considered the mountain route. Plenty to discuss with hubby. Thank you again.
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You’re welcome!
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