Mnemba Island is a tiny jewel off the coast of Zanzibar in Tanzania, surrounded by the crystal-turquoise waters of the Indian Ocean and colorful coral reefs. In just twenty minutes, you can walk the entire island. Making that walk with my daughter during our trip to Africa, I could hear her quietly saying the old tongue twister: “She sells seashells by the seashore.”
Actually popularized by the 1908 novelty song, “She Sells Seashells by the Seashore,” attributed to Terry Sullivan, the verse goes on with a bit of a silly combination of words but was something fun and amusing for those who tried to sing it:
She sells seashells by the seashore,
The shells she sells are seashells, I am sure.
For if she sells seashells on the seashore,
Then I’m sure she sells seashore shells.
Some believe this song was inspired by the pioneering English paleontologist and fossil collector, Mary Anning (1799–1847). Known for her groundbreaking discoveries in the Jurassic marine fossil beds along the English Channel, she faced severe gender and class barriers despite having no formal education. Her finds revolutionized scientific understanding of prehistoric life and extinction. She was known to sell some of her finds on the beaches of the Lyme region to support her family. We have ancient sea fossils on our ranch in the Texas Hill Country, and I credit Mary Anning with some of the knowledge we have about them.
In doing our research, we found that many of the fossils at our ranch are at least 80 million years old. It’s hard to imagine that we were once covered by the ocean. We decided to name my art studio and gallery after the fossils found along the ridge where they are built. Fossil Ridge is what we fondly call these spaces at our Double Heart Ranch.
I once had a boss who said, “We are all selling something.” Actually, when you think about it, we are. Even if our title does not have “sales” in it, think about all of the times you have tried to sell an idea, concept or theory. We all are selling something eventually. Selling is an art to be perfected.
The beauty of the sea, given to us by seashells, is something I never tire of. The shells pictured in the header of this newsletter are from Mnemba Island and remind me of my lovely walk with my daughter. It is just as much of a thrill to find a beautiful shell as it is to share it with someone you love.
Finding seashells by the sea,
Gay Gaddis
Founder. Author. Artist. Trailblazer.
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