Month: September 2018

“Alone time is when I distance myself

from the voices of the world

so I can hear my own.” 

— Oprah

Should you have any photos you’d like to share, please email them to [email protected].  » Read more

Photo by David Hillegas

We ran across this article in Coastal Living, citing “8 Reasons We Love Sanibel Island.”  Personally, we can think of quite a few more, but we do love the list they came up with!

Written by Kara Corridan, the article starts…  

“The very act of arriving on Sanibel Island, off Florida’s southern Gulf coast,  » Read more

Photo by Amanda Auer

It’s almost here!

The 5th Annual Island Hopper Songwriter Fest is the largest songwriter festival in Southwest Florida and offers a unique experience to interact with singer-songwriters who wrote your favorite hits.  Enjoy artists such as Midland, LOCASH, Travis Denning, among the 72 different acts featured.  Hope to see you there!

• Captiva Island: September 21 – 23,

 » Read more

Photo from mtbproject.com

Like mountain biking?  Think you can’t find decent trails in flat Florida?  Think again. Caloosahatchee Regional Park offers close to 800 acres of pine flat-wood, oak forest and cypress swamp, with 20 miles of hiking, horseback riding and mountain-biking trails, rated beginner through difficult.

The trails are located at 19130 N. River Road in Alva, FL, just about an hour away from Ocean’s Reach.   » Read more

Photo by Maxime De Ruyck 

Coloring books are no longer just for kids. In fact, adult coloring books are all the rage right now. Researchers and art therapists alike have touted the calming benefits for over a decade, with researchers at Johns Hopkins University to the editors of Yoga Journal suggesting coloring as an alternative to meditation. Like meditation, coloring allows the brain to switch off other thoughts and focus.  » Read more

We always have our eyes open for inspiring stories about environmental protection, even when they’re found halfway around the world.

Earlier this summer, renowned sand artist Sudarsan Pattnaik created this piece of art at Puri Beach in Odisha, India with a strong message about the importance of curbing plastic pollution in our oceans.   

His 55-foot long, 30-foot wide sand sculpture of a Olive ridley sea turtle was made with approximately 30 tons of sand and a countless number of plastic bottles.   » Read more

Walking a sandbar at sunset,

water ripples, laps at my toes,

soothing soft steps, inner silence.

Simply Sanibel Poems is a treasured collection of poems from award-winning poet, Lorraine Walker Williams, in which she’ll take you on a poetic journey where you will sink your toes in the sand,  » Read more

Hurricane Florence as seen from the International Space Station at 9 am EDT Monday, September 10, 2018. Image credit: Ricky Arnold.  

Our hearts go out to the millions of Americans who will soon be affected by Hurricane Florence.

We know all too well the massive undertaking it will take to recover in the wake of this monster storm. It’s been just over a year since Sanibel Island was largely spared the wrath of Hurricane Irma,  » Read more

As you may know, Sanibel Island was hit with a severe red tide bloom earlier this summer. While the initial effects were indeed harsh, we’re pleased to report that conditions have improved dramatically.

The top photo above was taken at Ocean’s Reach yesterday morning, Sept 10.

At this point in time, the beach outside of Ocean’s Reach has been clean for more than a month now and city officials are reporting good conditions on all Sanibel beaches.  » Read more

 
We love the meaning behind this photo from longtime guest Anne C. from Mahwah, NJ.
 
She writes: 
 
Sanibel is beautiful even when a storm is coming. I have used this photo of mine for anniversary cards as it makes me think of strong, flexible couples who are able to stand together.    » Read more
 
It most definitely does, Anne.  Thanks so much for sharing with us!