In a Flip-Flop State of Mind.

 

Did you ever wonder why the Gulf of Mexico is not an ocean?  They are both very large bodies of saltwater, after all.

For those who remember grade school geography, while both oceans and gulfs are indeed large bodies of saltwater, gulfs are smaller and are bordered on three sides by land.  Oceans, the largest bodies of water in the world, have no exact boundaries,  » Read more

 

Outside of Hawaii, Florida is the only state to have extensive coral reef formations near its coasts.

Coral reefs grow only in specific ecosystems with the right depth and temperature of water, and the right mix of nutrients and wave action.

In addition to being some of the most beautiful and biologically diverse habitats in the ocean, coral reefs are also some of the oldest.  » Read more

 

You can call the Gulf of Mexico an “Aquatic Highway” if you’d like!

The Nature Conservancy recently analyzed data on 26 species identifying four major migratory pathways — dubbed “blueways” — that criss-cross the Gulf.

These routes are used extensively by fish, mammals, sea turtles, and birds, with migrations occurring year-round.

However, less than one percent of these aquatic corridors have been classified as marine protected areas,  » Read more

Photo from the NOAA Okeanos Explorer Program

 

As you can imagine, the water surrounding Florida has become a graveyard of sorts for many a shipwreck.   

In fact, scientists estimate that more than 4,000 shipwrecks are now resting on the floor of the Gulf of Mexico, casualties of centuries’ worth of shifting sands and treacherous storms.  

Since a large part of the Gulf is right over the North American Continental Shelves,  » Read more

Photo from Jetsetter

 

Without a doubt, the sugar white sand beaches that line the Gulf of Mexico are among the most beautiful in the world.

But there’s so much more to the waters we call home, as the Gulf is a diverse ecosystem with a long and interesting history.  We thought we’d spend this week learning a bit more about it!  » Read more

Photo from Neapolitan Family

 

By Allison Tibaldi from FamilyVacationist.com:

Skip-gen travel, also called gramping, is a growing travel trend of grandparents and grandkids traveling together without the children’s parents (so it skips the middle generation).

With pandemic fatigue hitting hard, a skip-gen vacation might be exactly the kind of multigenerational vacation that kids,  » Read more

Another chuckle from Dave Horton, the creator of Hortoons!  » Read more

 

Here’s a surefire way to make your family’s summer plans go just swimmingly this year!

The crew over at Sanibel Sea School will offer their extremely popular summer camp at two locations this year — at the flagship campus on the east end of the island and at a new location, the Bailey Homestead.

“With COVID still prevalent, we were in search of a location that could accommodate more campers in a safe capacity,” Director Nicole Finnicum said.   » Read more

“Rise and Shine” by Carol Murphy

 

BIG ARTS is welcoming back “Art by the disABLEd” to its Dunham Family Gallery.

This year’s exhibition once again features works by artists with special abilities in Lee Memorial Health System’s Arts in Healthcare program.  “Art by the disABLEd” displays the beauty of their art and helps extinguish old stereotypes about the capabilities of those with disabilities,  » Read more

 

Our early risers were treated to something special yesterday!

Staff from the SCCF Turtle Research team arrived just after sunrise to verify what has turned out to be the first sea turtle nest on the east end of the island this year.

While it’s hard to predict exactly when a nest will hatch,  » Read more