In a Flip-Flop State of Mind.

Like we needed another reason to love pasta?

We loved hearing that one of our favorite island spots, Joey’s Custard, has started using pasta straws, instead of paper and plastic, to help reduce the use of plastic on the island.

They call it eco-pasta. It was created by Sammy Ramirez, who came up with the idea because he says he says he’s been a huge supporter of the single use plastic straw ban after seeing the damage and mess it’s left on the beach.  » Read more

Photo from the Naples Zoo

We’d like to tip our hats to the crew over at the Naples Zoo as we begin National Zookeepers Week.  This year’s celebration will be extra special as 2019 represents their 100th year as a botanical garden and 50th year as a zoo.

2019 is also the year that two endangered cloud leopards were born at the facility in late February.   » Read more

Photo from Eric McCandless, ABC

Article by Charles Runnell, Fort Myers News-Press:

It’s time to play “Family Feud!”

Only this time, the game show won’t be happening on TV. It’ll be live in south Fort Myers.

“Family Feud Live: Celebrity Edition” will be bringing the long-running show to Barbara B. Mann Performing Arts Center on Friday,  » Read more

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife on Sanibel reported the recent release of a one-eyed great horned owl in Bokeelia, after it suffered an injury to its right eye and had it surgically removed.

The owl was admitted to the wildlife hospital on July 5 after it was found sitting under a tree and not moving for several hours near Bokeelia on Pine Island.   » Read more

Photo from The Beaches of Fort Myers & Sanibel

Our area was recently featured in Discover Magazine, better known to its readers as “Science for the Curious.”  The article starts:

Florida is known as the Sunshine State for good reason. Sun-filled days, mild nights, and people with happy dispositions make it a favorite destination for families looking for enriching travel experiences.  » Read more

Looking for “extra” things to do on your Sanibel family vacation this summer?

The Clinic for the Rehabilitation of Wildlife (CROW) has announced that they will be adding extra presentations at 2 p.m. on Wednesdays, Thursdays and Fridays through August 16.

Daily presentations, which are also offered Monday through Friday at 11 am in CROW’s AWC Visitor Education Center, allow visitors to engage with a staff member or student while learning more about the patients admitted to CROW’s wildlife hospital.  » Read more

Thanks to our friends at WINK News for this uplifting story!

If you’ve driven around Sanibel at lunchtime, you’ve probably seen the man inspiring people on his daily run.

Art Warner is a custodian at Saint Isabel Catholic Church, and every day during his lunch break the 74-year-old runs along Sanibel Captiva Road hoping his j-o-g spreads j-o-y, which is the word written on the sign he carries for miles in exchange for smiles.  » Read more

Photo from TheTravelingChild.co

Parents don’t frame pictures of their kids playing video games.  Take them fishing instead and reel in some family togetherness!

There are so many options for family fishing and good ‘ole quality time on Sanibel Island.

Take the kids to Lighthouse Beach where the wooden boardwalk and T-dock at the end of the fishing pier are always busy with anglers and fishing enthusiasts.   » Read more

Earlier this sprintg, we featured Wildlife Artist Jim Anderson as he began the first-ever artist-in-residence program at the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge to help celebrate their upcoming 75th anniversary.

He spent eight weeks on Sanibel Island drawing in his travel/wildlife journal, and teaching others how to do so, as well.  In addition, he created several plein art paintings and worked on projects with local children,  » Read more

Look at the beautiful Junonia shell that Daniel Denison and his son found recently on Turner Beach!

The Junonia, of course, is prized for its unique pattern and scarcity, and is a rare find on our beaches as it lives very far from the shore.

The younger of the “Denison Dudes,” annual summer guests from Nineveh, IN, also had an exciting time during his family’s visit here,  » Read more