Legend Has It …

Southwest Florida is well known for many things, perhaps the most infamous is the folklore that we were home base for the renegade pirate Jose Gaspar, the “Last of the Buccaneers” also known by his nickname Gasparilla.

Legend has it that Gaspar once made his home in Pine Island Sound, reportedly establishing headquarters on Sanibel Island, holding his female prisoners captive on Captiva Island, burying his booty on Gasparilla Island,  » Read more

Think Crafty Thoughts!

You could while away an entire rainy afternoon poking around the islands’ supreme craft store, Three Crafty Ladies.

This amazing think-tank of a craft store is perfect for finding a project for you or the kids.  They have a treasure-trove of items that can be decorated with seashells — from boxes to mirrors to frames — and all the accouterments to put your island object d’art together.  » Read more

Adopt Your Own!

Yesterday we updated you on the success of the Save The Manatee program in which a huge wave of support has made a real difference for these cherished marine mammals.

Today, we wanted to let you know about the Adopt-a-Manatee program where you can further help manatee rescue, rehabilitation, and research efforts, along with manatee education and public awareness projects.

Unlike other animal adoption programs,  » Read more

Save a Manatee

The Florida Manatee is a native species found in many of Florida’s waterways.

In 1975, Florida’s school children helped designate the endangered Florida manatee as Florida’ state marine mammal. Since then, various research, management and educational efforts have helped bring back a species that many people thought was on the verge of extinction.

The Florida manatee population has grown to more than 6,600 animals today.   » Read more

Ride of Silence

What began in 2003 in Dallas as a spontaneous outpouring of grief for a friend and fellow rider, struck and killed by the mirror of a passing vehicle, has rolled across the globe to become an international annual event memorializing and honoring cyclists who have been injured and killed while riding.

The Ride of Silence  » Read more is a worldwide event, with almost all USA States participating, along with 22 other countries.

The many hundreds of events share the same goals: “To honor fallen cyclists,

The Crackerbox

Do you know of this little gem just off the causeway in Fort Myers?

The Crackerbox was recently named one of the “Best Sanibel Area Restaurants” by Food Critic Jean Le Bouef of the Fort Myers News-Press when listing restaurants that are “beloved by us locals for being good, reasonable and oh-so-close to our beautiful beaches.”

JLB writes: “Time hasn’t been kind to Fort Myers’  » Read more

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