I have loved collecting shells since I was a little girl.  Anytime we went to the beach, my Oma and mom would take walks and collect lady’s ears, olive shells, whelks, sand dollars, and whatever caught their eye.  I remember shells drying on the deck railing of the beach house and we would spend a quiet evening or rainy afternoon making animal sculptures out of some of the found shells.  When we cleaned out my Oma and Opa’s attic after my Opa passed away, we found about 10 five-gallon buckets filled with shells she had collected over the years.  I kept some, but couldn’t possibly keep them all.  Also, searching for the shells and making memories while doing it is a big part of the appeal.  So, I’ve carried on the shell-collecting tradition whenever I’m at a beach that permits it.  (It is illegal to collect shells, rocks, sand, beach