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A Week of Sanibel Secrets: #5

Photo from ThroughTheLensGallery.com

 

Did you know …

… that Captiva Island’s north end was once connected to today’s North Captiva Island by a neck known as The Narrows?

A 1921 hurricane broke that neck to create Redfish Pass.  The pass was thusly christened when, for some unknown reason, redfish swam through it so at such a profuse rate that the waters looked red.  » Read more

A Week of Sanibel Secrets: #3

Photo from the Sanibel Historical Museum and Village

 

Did you know …

… that in the 1950’s, Lathrop and Helen Brown dreamt of a mega-mansion on 30 acres of Sanibel’s beachfront?  But building such a structure on a then remote island was problematic, so they came up with a novel solution.

In 1925, a Cincinnati shipyard built a workhorse boat was to haul automobiles across the Mississippi.  » Read more

A Week of Sanibel Secrets: #2

Photo from the Sanibel Historical Village

 

Did you know …

… island old-timers oftentimes refer to the years before 1963 as “BC” — or “Before Causeway”?

BC, there used to be a saying, “Sanibel closes at 5:15,” as that was when the last ferry back to the mainland departed from the docks.

The island did not literally close,  » Read more

A Week of Sanibel Secrets: #1

Circa 1950 aerial photo of Sanibel Island from The Florida State Archives Photographic Collection for Historical Photos

 

Did you know ….

… that Sanibel could look very different from the tranquil island sanctuary it is today?

Fifty years or so ago, Lee County planned to build high-rise buildings along Tarpon Bay to house 93,000 people,  » Read more

Award-Winning Firehouse Chili

South Trail Fire Captain Jason Dysarczyk, left, Bailey’s General Store Richard Johnson and Sanibel Fire Chief Matt Scott show off the Lee County Chili Challenge trophy.

 

The Sanibel Fire and Rescue District team were victorious at a Lee County Chili Challenge held recently in Fort Myers. The winning recipe was supplied by firefighter Arian Moore, who has been with the fire district since 2016. He was joined by new firefighter Bryan Clement and Fire Chief Matt Scott.  » Read more

It’s All About the Key Lime

You know what they say:  “When life gives you limes, just rearrange the letters and smile.”

Smiles are sure to abound at the upcoming 7th Annual Key Lime Festival at Fisherman’s Village on May 11 from 10 am – 4 pm.

Village merchants will spotlight specialties like key lime-scented Florida sea salts and soap, as well as key lime goodies of all shapes and sizes, including: gelato,  » Read more

Boy Oh Boy!

 

Now THIS is a shell find!

We were delighted when Brady T. from Java Center, NY, stopped in the office to show us the remarkable Horse Conch shells he found on the beach right outside Ocean’s Reach at low tide.

The Florida Horse Conch is the state shell of Florida and is the largest snail to be found in the American waters,  » Read more

Sharing the Sunrise

Thanks so much to our new friend Ellen J. from Saunderstown, RI, for sharing this gorgeous photo.  She writes:

I started reading the wonderful blog entries every day during the weeks leading up to our stay at Ocean’s Reach.  We are enjoying our time here and being part of this warm community.  We’ve already made reservations to return next year and are looking forward to it!   » Read more

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