Month: April 2021

Suncatcher’s Dream is a “must see” for many island aficionados!

Owner Dan Thompson’s love of Sanibel is reflected in merchandise throughout the store.  Here, you’ll find not-so-common gems as handmade wood boxes, spectacular glass, painted steel drums, exclusive jewelry, kitchen accessories, tiles, candles, spinners, chimes, their famous catnip, and, of course, suncatchers for the window or garden.

To read more about the “good karma and spectacular gifts”  » Read more

“When your world moves too fast

and you lose yourself in the chaos,

introduce yourself to each color of the sunset. “

– Christy Ann Martine

Should you have any photos you’d like to share,  » Read more

People’s Choice Grand Prize:  Photo by Lorna Littrell

2nd Place: Photo by Karen Blackford

3rd Place: Photo by Amy Tripp

Not only was this year’s Sanibel Shell Show a “virtual” success, it also gave us the opportunity to delight in some spectacular new photography,  » Read more

J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge is throwing a free Earth Day at the Refuge celebration on Sanibel Island on Thursday, April 22.

Guests can enjoy no-fee admission to Wildlife Drive for cyclists and hikers, free guided tours, paint-alongs, and on-your-own activities.

Refuge staff will carefully curate the event for participant safety, in compliance with pandemic protocols.  Guided tours and painting sessions with this year’s refuge Artist in Residence Rachel Pierce will be limited to 10 participants each.  » Read more

“The Butterfly Tree” by Ikki Matsumoto

Excerpt from the Fort Myers News-Press:

It’s been more than four decades since Ikki Matsumoto discovered Sanibel, the subtropical island that would become the muse for the rest of his wildly productive life.

Now, a kaleidoscopic selection of that creative life pulses between the covers of “Captivated: The Art of Ikki Matsumoto,” the first book to celebrate the man and his masterpieces.  » Read more

“Flowers” by Rheannon Hill

Invaluable connections can be created through photography, especially when it captures a chance to see wildlife upclose.

Our friends at the Ding Darling Wildlife Society recently announced the winners of their eighth annual High School Photography Contest at the Refuge.

Students from 19 different Southwest Florida schools submitted 179 images for judging.

First place went to an image titled “Flowers” by Rheannon Hill from Lehigh Senior High.  » Read more

From all of us at Ocean’s Reach,

we wish you a most blessed, radiant and joyful day!

 » Read more

Water is the source of all life and has been an inspiration for artists, writers, and philosophers around the world for thousands of years.

To celebrate the many interpretations to our individual and communal connections to water, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum is joining The Alliance of the Arts to host the “H2O Art Exhibition,” on display until April 30th.

Above, the first place winner:  Heteromorphic Baptism by Mila Bridger and Pamela Beckman.  » Read more

Bristol Bay, Alaska.  Florida’s Everglades.  Two national treasures thousands of miles apart, with one thing in common: the possibility of losing them.

Our local Captains for Clean Water organization proudly presents “Everyone in Between,” a short film that explores the value, wonder and threats to these fisheries.

Click here to watch this amazing film and discover why wild places like these are worth fighting for!  » Read more

Sadly, COVID-19 has brought more than the scourge of disease to our planet this past year.

No April Fool’s joke here.  Of the 52 billion disposable face masks manufactured globally in 2020, marine scientists estimate that 1.56 billion masks have found their way into our oceans.

As the masks are made with polypropylene, which are thin fibers of plastic, the disposable masks have resulted in up to 6,240 metric tons of additional plastic pollution that perilously impact marine life around the world.  » Read more