Sanibel – part 1

My original plans for Sanibel Island, FL were to be in a condo for the first 2 weeks and in the campground the last week.  But after my first week on the island, I decided to check to see if my condo was available for the last week and it was.  So I ended up staying in the gulf front condo for all 3 weeks!   It was rather funny.  If most people left something at home, they would do without or have to go buy it.  But for me, I could just go to the parking lot and get it out of the RV.  I was fortunate that the condominium complex let me park it at the complex.

My mom was there for a week and so was my sister’s family.  I have so many pictures I want to post that I am going to do this in 2 parts.  Note, these are not in date order.

I have to start off with a sunrise picture -

and a sunset picture -

Here is a picture of the crowded beaches -

OK, one of the reasons I love this beach – the real crowds -

It did start getting busier the closer it got to Christmas.  But nothing like the crowds at many beaches.  Another favorite activity is shelling.  Sanibel Island is considered one of the top shelling locations.  I’ve collected so many shells over the years that I didn’t collect many this trip, but I still find them (along with other beach/ocean life) very interesting.   Don’t forget you can click (or double click) on a picture to enlarge it.

Above is a picture of my mom and sister shelling on a chilly morning.  My sister was collecting shell’s for one of her kid’s classmates

The weather was interesting.  For the first couple of weeks it was warmer than average.  It was in the high 80’s for a couple of days, we even had a tornado watch one day (with a warning in the next county).  Then the temperature dropped.  For the last weeks it was colder than normal.  Several days in the low 60’s.  But for the most part we still did the normal beach activities.  Below is a picture of my nieces trying to get a suntan!!

 

Below is a picture following the Tornado watch.  The path led from our condo complex to the beach.   We were under a high tide advisory for a couple of days and because of the storm the next several days brought about some interesting shelling.

  Above is a live Florida Horse Conch (no collecting of live shells!).  This is Florida’s state shell.  This particular one was probably 12 inches long. The day after the storm, there were many (100 or so) large live shells like this within a mile of our condo.  If you’ve never seen a live shell, the animal in this shell is the orange part.  In some cases the animal is black, like the live tulip shell below, this shell is 3 or 4 inches long. 

Above is a picture of a small starfish on an urchin under water. 

One day on the way to the pool, I stepped on an iguana’s tail.  He was on the sidewalk to the pool and I didn’t notice him.  I learned that they have become a problem.  They are not native and have no predators on the island.  He didn’t seem to upset at my stepping on his tail as a few seconds later he posed for the picture!

I also like to watch birds. I don’t know the names of many, but I enjoy watching them.   Some of their behaviors are very interesting, such as the Spoonbills dancing below.   I really don’t know if this was a mating dance, or a way to bathe or what – but it was interesting. 

I watched the Night Heron below go after a crab.  He got the crab and turned his back to me so I have no picture of him with the crab. 

The  bird pictures above were taken at Ding Darling Wildlife refuge.  This is a great place to bird watch.  I rode my bike there several times and drove through a couple of time.  Riding a bike is the best way as you get to see more.

Below is another picture of a Rosetta Spoonbill. 

Stay tuned for part 2 of Sanibel!