In a Flip-Flop State of Mind.

Did you know that Thomas Edison and his family had many strange and unusual pets when they lived in Southwest Florida?

They kept alligators, monkeys, peacocks and even a pet pelican named Jerry.  Jerry was a tricky bird who liked to play hide and seek, and he has become the inspiration for a new scavenger hunt for families now available at the Edison and Ford Winter Estates.  » Read more

Grab your binoculars and head to Audubon’s Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary for a rare “Super” Ghost Orchid sighting!

The ghost orchid is one of the rarest flowers in North America.  It relies on extremely sensitive, wetland habitats, and is known to live only in southern Florida and Cuba.

Discovered in July 2007, the Corkscrew “Super” ghost orchid (Dendrophylax lindenii) has drawn attention from around the world as it is the largest ghost orchid discovered to date.  » Read more

Thanks once again to Dave Horton for his great Hortoons!  » Read more

An excerpt from an article from our friends at “The River”; written by Gerri Reaves PhD:

In the last century or so, the number and types of diversions for tourists has skyrocketed. But if you visited Fort Myers in the early 19-teens, what was there to do?

Some activities have remained favorites through the decades; excursions to Sanibel – in the early days,  » Read more

“What I lack in social skills,

I make up for in hiding-from-people skills.”

– Anonymous

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

If you need a break from the beach, head up to the Sarasota area (about a 2-hour drive from Ocean’s Reach) and check out the amazing Myakka River State Park.

At 58 square miles, this is one of Florida’s oldest and largest parks.  The Myakka River flows through a vast expanse of unspoiled wetlands, prairies, hammocks, and pinelands that make up the family-friendly park.   » Read more

The Tarpon House Inn in 1910; photo from Digital FGCU.

One of the last photos of the Tarpon House Inn in 1913; from Florida State Archives. 

More interesting info on Old Punta Rassa, this time from a 2016 News-Press article about “Pioneering Tourists” by Cynthia Williams:

On a blustery day in March of 1881,  » Read more

1882 Rand McNally map of Southwest Florida showing Punta Rassa and Fort Dulany; photo from State Library of Florida.  

“The Barracks” housed an increasing number of weary cattle drivers in Punta Rassa circa 1890s; photo from the Florida State Archives.

“Passing through Punta Rassa on the way to or from Sanibel Island on Florida’s Gulf coast,  » Read more

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In early June, the Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum’s Giant Pacific Octopus began the natural process of senescence, or end of life.  He began refusing food and released spermatophores, a sign of a reproductive phase after which the animal declines over a period of weeks or even days, and their death is imminent.

While he was in the Shell Museum’s care, the Giant Pacific Octopus inspired and educated over 100,000 visitors in person and over 33,000 viewers online through the museum’s unique Octocam.   » Read more