Houston Conchology Society The Epitonium Volume XXIV, Issue 3 www.houstonshellclub.com November, 2016 November Program: Busuanga and Coron, Palawan, Philippines By Rusti Stover Two of our members, Alex Chapman and David Diehl, will be giving the November program. They will entertain us with a Power- Point slide show and travelogue about their recent trip to the Philippines, travel on the two islands, and the sites they visited. Also, they will bring examples of seashells acquired from the fishermen there. Please join us for this great program on Tuesday, November 15, 2016, at 7:00 p.m. in our regular meeting room at the Houston Museum of Natural Science President s Message We had another great meeting in October! Russell Renka provided us some great insights into 'Rare Shells'. Thank you all for coming. A reminder: Please submit your ideas for a new venue to hold our May Banquet. You may contact me at: Leslie@harf.org / 713-598-7084 C, or simply bring it up at the meeting. See you at the meeting!!! Leslie Christmas Decorations for Sale By Cathy Betley Ornaments, ribbons, decorations, Oh My! The Houston Conchology Society will make available some decorations and materials, from Christmas trees of previous years, that have been in the HCS storage room and need new homes. Come to the November meeting for 5 bags for a dollar bargains for your holiday decorating. There will be some shell ornaments, rolls of ribbon, garlands and other sparkly materials. 2017 Auction The annual HCS auction will be Saturday, March 18, 2017. Mark your calendars and start saving your money. The auction committee is already working on some great donations. If you would like to donate shells or shell related items, bring them to a meeting or contact Lucy Clampit at: 713-468-0610 or lclampit@comcast.net.
PAGE 2 THE EPITONIUM VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE President: Leslie Crnkovic 713-598-7084 Vice President: Rusti Stover 713-614-4882 Treasurer: Sandy Clark 713-926-6797 Recording Secretary: Tina Petway 713-436-4052 Corresponding Secretary: Jerry Clampit 713-468-0610 Visit HCS online at www.houstonshellclub.com CALENDAR 11-13 Gem & Mineral Show 11-15 HCS meeting 11-19 HCS Field Trip 12-11 HCS Christmas Party 1-28 Sailor s Valentine Class (SSS) 3-18 HCS Auction Christmas Tree Tina Petway and her elves are busy making ornaments for the HCS tree at the HMNS. If you are interested in helping, please contact Tina at: 713-825-9148 or 713-436- 4052. The tree will be decorated on Monday, December 1. October Minutes Respectfully Submitted by Tina Petway The meeting was called to order by President, Leslie Crnkovic, at 7:31 PM. The treasurer s report was given by Sandy Clark and approved. The minutes from last meeting were approved as written. Rusti Stover reported on the upcoming programs. In November Alex Chapman and David Diehl will take us on a tour of their trip to the Philippine islands. Our December Christmas party will be at the home of Nancy and John Mustachio and co-hosted by Sandy Clark. January will feature Alison McHenry who will tell about the use of mollusks by American Indians through the centuries. Rusti reminded us that March is our Annual Auction and will be on the 18 th at Immanuel Lutheran Church again. Leslie asked if there were any suggestions for a change of venue for our annual banquet held in May. Suggestions were forthcoming to possibly return to Monument Inn. Anyone else with a suggestion, please contact Leslie, Rusti, or Tina. Field Trip chairman, Frank Petway, reported on the upcoming trip to Sargent Beach on October 29. Meet at the public park at 8:30 A.M. or after. There will also be a field trip to the lake in front of Joe and Rose Inchaustegui s home to collect the invasive Apple Snails. The date is November 19 th. More details will be available later. Tina Petway reported that work will soon begin, at her house, on the decorations for this year s HCS Christmas Tree. Dates and time will be forthcoming, but anyone interested in helping is encouraged to call Tina to get updates on days to work. This year s tree will be supporting the efforts to save endangered Sea Turtles. The set-up date for the tree at the Houston Museum of natural Science is December 1 st at 9:00 A.M. The Sea Shell Searchers of Brazoria County will hold a shell show in the spring of 2017. No date has been set yet, but start thinking about entries for this fun show. The meeting was adjourned at 7:50 and our speaker Russell Renka talked about what constitutes a Rare Shell.
VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE THE EPITONIUM PAGE 3 Field Trip to Sargent Beach By Cathy Betley Ordinarily, on a late-october trip to the Texas Gulf Coast, you might enjoy warm breezes, shelling, fishing, maybe swimming, or just relaxing at a picnic shelter for lunch. On Saturday, October 29 th, after a slightly foggy drive to Sargent Beach, the HCS club trip was some of those things but not all and was just a little bit unusual. Two members enjoyed a delicious omelet breakfast on the patio at Lefty s, and there was fishing along the waterway but not much catching. On the drive south, to the picnic area along the coastline at about 9 a.m., the sky was covered with small black moths with red heads and white tips on their wings. Thousands were flying generally from south to north, and some stayed at the picnic shelter where the club members gathered. Our trip leaders Frank and Tina were joined by Mary and Dennis, Rusti, Gary, Rachel and John, Janie, Victoria, and Darwin. Not many shells were found but driftwood covered the beaches, along with rocks, oyster halves, and the clay patches with some soft sand that seem to be part of Sargent Beach. Rough waves limited swimming and Tina mentioned unfriendly currents and undertow. After Victoria came back from her beach walk, she struck up a conversation with a couple from Corpus Christi who were quickly packing their belongings into their large pick-up truck. The man was having really bad back pain (he had recent back surgery), so they decided to get him to the hospital as quickly as possible and abandon their two-person tent and inflatable mattress. Victoria thought of her nephew, Elliott, so the mattress was deflated and rolled, and the tent was disassembled and packed neatly back into its carrying case. Victoria probably would have preferred to find the shells in the picture, but that is another trip to another beach far, far away. Including the occasional fluttering monarch butterflies and a bring-your-own lunch at the picnic shelter, the field trip proved to be fun, interesting, and also produced bonus gifts. Besides the tent and mattress, Mary and Rachel hauled a big piece of driftwood that looks like a dolphin to Mary s vehicle and, thanks to Rachel and John, who captured a live moth, Tina was able to take a sample back to the Houston Museum of Natural Science for study.
VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE 3 THE EPITONIUM PAGE 4 Poppe Visit On October 9, HCS members had the pleasure of visiting and dining at Katz Deli with Guido and Philippe Poppe and Sheila Tagaro. They were in town to talk to the HMNS staff about the museum s recent acquisition of Guido s shell collection and to view the new exhibit Gems of the Sea which contains some of the shells. There are several pictures taken by Philippe, Tina, and Lucy in this newsletter.
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VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE THE EPITONIUM PAGE 6 Sailor s Valentine Class Saturday, January 28, 2017 12:30 pm at the Museum Class Instructions, Acid-free Mat and Shells plus 5 Solid Hardwood (choice of Walnut, Cherry shown above or Mahogany) Octagon with Brass Bezel and Glass $75 Or Plywood Octagon to Paint (no bezel or glass) $35.00 Call Patty Humbird @ 979 373 8602 Or Call Museum @ 979-265-7831 To Sign Up By January 15
PAGE 7 THE EPITONIUM VOLUME XXIV, ISSUE Christmas Party By Sandy Clark This year s Christmas party will be held Sunday, December 11th at Nancy and John Mustachio's home on the corner of Bissonnet and Hazard. The party will start at noon and end at 3 pm. Sandy Clark will be co-hostess, and Cathy Betley will give her most able assistance. The HCS will supply the meat, utensils, etc. Please bring side dishes and desserts. If you wish to participate in the gift exchange, please bring a gift of no more than $20 value. Brazosport Museum of Natural Science The museum recently installed 3 kiosks with information about the Flower Garden Banks National Marine Sanctuary. If you are in the Clute/Lake Jackson area, it is worth a stop. (Photo by Rusti Stover.) Apple Snail Collecting Trip Joe and Rose Inchaustegui have invited HCS members to the lake by their house to collect the invasive apple snail. The field trip is scheduled 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, November 19. Their address is: 14243 Ingham Ct., Sugar Land. Collecting may be messy, so you will need to bring rubber boots or shoes that can be thrown away. Wear old clothes. You will also need a bucket or buckets. A long handled net or scoop and long tongs would be helpful. The live animals cannot be transported out of the area, so Clorox will be provided to dispatch the live ones. This is a chance to take as many of these invasive snails as possible out of the population in the lake system. These are large and fun to find, and large ones can be very fine, exhibit quality specimens. If anyone is interested in fishing rather than collecting, Joe has a few rods and reels, but you will need to provide your own bait. Pack up the picnic basket with food, the cooler with drinks, and come join the fun!
The Epitonium is published monthly August through May and is an official publication of the Houston Conchology Society. Items of interest concerning shells and shelling are welcome for publication. Credit will be given to contributors when known unless anonymity is requested. Permission is granted for reprinting articles, provided credit is given to The Epitonium, the writer, and the Houston Conchology Society and a copy of the reprint is sent to the editor of the newsletter. Editor: Lucy Clampit 10532 Hammerly Blvd., Houston, TX 77043 Phone: (713) 468-0610 E-mail: lclampit@comcast.net The Society holds regular meetings on the third Tuesday of September, October, November, January, February and April. There are seasonal events and a yearly shell auction scheduled in the other months. Meetings start at 7:30 PM at the Museum of Natural Science, 5555 Hermann Park Drive. VISITORS WELCOME!!! Membership year extends from June 1 through May 31. Annual membership dues: Family $12; Single $10; Junior (under 18) $6. Make checks payable to Houston Conchology Society and send to Sandy Clark, 2475 Underwood St. #288, Houston, TX 77005. 5555 Hermann Park Drive, Houston, TX HOUSTON CONCHOLOGY SOCIETY Jerry Clampit, Corresponding Secretary 10532 Hammerly Blvd. Houston, Texas 77043