Month: September 2021

Photo from ILoveShelling.com

What exactly is that mysterious “blob” that Sanibel Island guests have been known to run across on the beach?

Is it a plant?  An animal?  Some type of alien spy?  The peculiar blob is known as a sea pork, not to be confused with any relative of Wilbur’s.

Scientifically, a sea pork is a “tunicate,”  » Read more

Lined Seahorses, Hippocampus Erectus, are now on exhibit in the Beyond Shells living gallery at the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum.

Lined Seahorses, as so many of the marine creatures that can be found in our backyard of Pine Island Sound, are truly fascinating.

The outer surface of their body is composed of bony plates, a long snout, and a prehensile tail.   » Read more

Photo from Frommer’s

The Sanibel Causeway is owned and managed by Lee County, not the City of Sanibel.

As of October 1, 2021, Lee County will be switching permanently to an all-electronic toll collection for the Sanibel Causeway (and other county toll plazas) that it has used since the pandemic began last year.  Administrative fees will also resume for pay-by-plate customers at this time.  » Read more

In a recent article from Travel Awaits, writer Heidi Brandes writes that she’s been lucky to have gone fishing in some of the most astonishing places in North America and around the world, and the adventures she’s had on her ultimate fishing bucket list stay with her long after those  forays into the wild are over.

Whether you are an avid fishing enthusiast or an amateur fisherman,  » Read more

Have you checked out the cool online store that supports the Manatee Viewing Center just about 2 1/2 hours north of us?

Tampa Electric’s Manatee Viewing Center is an award-winning, state and federally designated manatee sanctuary that provides critical protection and research for the gentle mammals.  Open since 1986, the Center offers visitors from around the world an opportunity to see manatees in their natural setting from November to April.   » Read more

“The mind is like an umbrella. 

It’s most useful when it’s open.”

– Anna Bolton

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

Today’s Guest Photographer:  Donna Ross

   » Read more

We need to let the cat out of the bag (and the dog, too) about two new unique establishments that opened earlier this year in Southwest Florida:

Cattyshack Cafe

No mochas or mimosas here, but you can order a meow-cha or a meow-mosa, and other cat-themed drinks while you read cat-themed books and hang around in a room full of cats.  » Read more

Conde Nast Traveler / Getty

“We’re always dreaming about our next warm-weather escape, whether it’s jetting off to tropical islands or Mediterranean ports.  And while the idea of traveling abroad every weekend is wonderful, it’s not exactly feasible.  Luckily for those in the U.S., you don’t necessarily have to go far to enjoy some of the world’s best stretches of sand.”

So begins a recent Conde Nast Traveler article which lists the “19 Best Beaches in the U.S.”  » Read more