Monday, November 2, 2009

Back Home Again At Sanibel Island

It was a wonderful weekend, visiting with my three daughters and their families. But, it all went by so quickly! The three days began by leaving Southwest Florida International Airport in Ft Myers on Friday morning. It was raining and a little chilly on arrival at Indianapolis International Airport in Indianapolis, IN. From there it was an hour drive to meet with the family. We had a great time and we all had our turn holding the new addition to our family. I now have the cutest and sweetest Great Grandson ever! :-) His name is Kaden. He was eleven days old and has already turned himself over. I'm thinking that my Grand Daughter is going to have her hands full. The only time I heard him cry, was when he was hungry.

Luckily the weather was pretty good, Saturday and Sunday it was fairly warm, even though we did see people scraping frost off windshields very early in the morning. Brrr! It was a great time, but I was sad as I left on Sunday, early in the evening. But, it did help a little when the pilot announced the temperature in Ft Myers was in the 80's. It helped cheer me a little more seeing the welcoming blink from the Sanibel Lighthouse on the way back across the Sanibel Causeway.

Here's a little peek at the baby. :-)


After arriving back home, it was an unpleasant surprise to hear that there are reports of Red Tide in the Sanibel area. For those of you who might be coming here in the near future, you can get reports from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission to find out the current conditions or from the City of Sanibel.

I got an email report from The City of Sanibel's Department of Natural Resources after they had inspected Sanibel beaches this morning. I've copied it below.

Lighthouse Park
The beach side was virtually free of any dead fish and no respiratory symptoms (sore throat, shortness of breath, coughing) that are normally associated with red tide outbreaks were noted. On the bay side of the park, numerous, mostly small dead fish were noted, primarily several species of grunts.

Between Lighthouse Park and Gulfside Park
Approximately 1 small dead fish was observed for every 100 feet of shoreline and a very slight degree of respiratory irritation was noted at Gulfside Park.

Tarpon Bay Road Beach Access to West Gulf Drive Beach Access No. 1
No evidence of red tide was observed from Tarpon Bay Beach access to West Gulf Access 1.

West Gulf Drive Beach Access No. 5 and No. 7
Dead fish were present on the beach at accesses 5 and 7 at a density of approximately 1 per 20-25 feet. Fish were primarily 6- 8" grunts, a needlefish, catfish, and 2 spider crabs were also observed.

Bowman's Beach west to Blind Pass
At Bowman's Beach west to Blind Pass, approximately 1 small dead fish per 100 feet was observed, with a higher density, of about one (1) fish every 10 feet' were observed at Turner Beach on Captiva Island. A few mullet and Spanish mackerel were also observed. No respiratory irritation was noted at west end beaches.

For questions regarding today's, November 2, 2009, beach field report, please contact the City of Sanibel Natural Resources Department at (239) 472-3700.


I went to Resident Access #2 off West Gulf Drive this afternoon to see for myself. When there is any Red Tide present, I usually start coughing before I get onto the beach, and it gets worse as I get near the water. My eyes usually burn too. Today I wasn't bothered at all. I only saw a couple of dead fish from where I was standing, but there was a slight smell from dead fish in the air. It was not bad enough to keep me away from the beach if there were good shells lying about. :-) But there weren't, so after taking a few photos, I left.





6 comments:

Unknown said...

Congrats on your adorable new Grandson, Tootie! That's too bad about the red tide; I hope it will clear quickly. Of course, I don't think a red tide will keep me away from shelling; but if it were bad enough I'd wear a filter mask.

Deb said...

congratulations on the new baby, he is adorable.
I am glad Indiana cooperated with the weather while you were here. It was a chilly 34 degrees this morning. Enjoy your warm weather, wish I was there.

Little Black Scrap Cat said...

What a beautiful little boy!! Lucky you!! Rolling over already? Yes, your daughter will have her hands full with him!

Kim Frydrych said...

Your Great Grandson is so sweet. Congrats to your family. How often does Red Tide Occur, it's seems like not a fun time!

gpc said...

He is so sweet, such a pretty baby. And it was nice to hear how welcoming your family was to the birthday boy - but not surprising, because you are that way, too!

Snowbird said...

What a cutie. I'm so glad that the whole family could get together. It may have been a short trip but it sounds like you had a great time.