Bad Computer!

Just a quick note from a borrowed computer......My Computer is BAD! Had to take it to the shop. Be back soon! I hope!

The weather here continues to be beautiful. Shelling is so so.

Sanibel Wednesday

We're still enjoying nice weather. The low last night was 64 degrees and the high today was 84, but it really didn't seem hot. This afternoon was grocery shopping off the island, so all I have to offer are photos while leaving the island via the Sanibel Causeway. The water was pretty calm today and there were several sailboats out taking full advantage of that.

Every time I go off the island, I am surprised by more plantings along Summerlin. Today I noticed that they have added more small trees and there were also some Royal Palms in a few places. It's really looking nice and I'm sure will be beautiful when everything begins growing.

A Sanibel Monday

It was a little cool out last night when the temperature dropped to 60 degrees, but today it was sunny and back up to 77, still with a NW breeze.

This evening we made a drive out onto the Sanibel Causeway with hopes of catching a nice sunset. However, clouds in the west, were in the way again.


The most beautiful view, was of a large sailboat with tall white sails, as it made it's way to the highest point of the causeway bridge and passed under.




If you enlarge this photo, you will see there was a pretty swirl of color in the sky, after the sun went down.


After getting back on island, we stopped at McT's Shrimp House. This was my dinner. Fried Haddock, french fries and slaw. It was really good and the servings were huge and way more than I could eat. It was one of the specials tonight and was $10. They have had several things on special each night, since a new manager took over. Their food quality, serving size, service and prices have greatly improved! If you are on island or coming, be sure to make McT's one of your stops.

A Sanibel Evening at Pointe Santo

This has been a beautiful day! It was 75 degrees with a breeze from the NW. The low last night was 62 and is supposed to be a few degrees cooler tonight.

This evening I was on the beach at Pointe Santo de Sanibel, off West Gulf Drive. There were people out walking along the beach and in the water, searching for shells. What I saw on the beach was mostly arks, so I wasn't tempted to bend over, not even once.

There wasn't much of a sunset because of low clouds in the west. The higher clouds were a pretty color though.

I talked to someone who had been further west on the beach and she said they didn't find the shelling very good either, and spent most of the day just sitting in their beach chairs reading. In my opinion, that's a perfectly good way to spend the day. :-)










As I drove into Bailey's parking lot, I noticed that it is Christmas now, in their hardware store. It was quite cheery with the lights sparkling. :-)

A Sanibel Friday

It was very nice here today. It was sunny and the humidity was a little lower. The low temperature last night was 59 and the high today was 72. It is supposed to be a little warmer tomorrow and through next week. The predictions are from upper 70's to low 80's. (Insert a 'Thumbs Up' here.)

We had a late breakfast at the Sanibel Cafe at Tahitian Gardens, while enjoying their Fall decor. The food was wonderful, as usual and it was pleasant chatting with the friendly proprietors.




This afternoon, on the beach at Pointe Santo de Sanibel on West Gulf Drive, there were a few shells scattered along the wrack line. I only saw a couple of small shells that I picked up, but there were a couple of people walking along with quite a few shells in a bag. I talked to a friend has been shelling around the West Gulf Resident Accesses, for the past few days and she told me that she hasn't found much. Hardly anything yesterday and today there were more shells, but she didn't find a lot worth picking up. She said some other people had done very well. It just depends on the conditions and being in the right spot at the right time. If you want to find LOTS of shells, you have to spend LOTS of time on the beach searching.

Captiva Wind, Surf and Shells

The temperature was down to 61 last night and 70 was the high today,with wind from the NW. Many of the island shellers, say that shelling is best on a West Gulf beach when there is a NW wind. It seems to me, they are right. Pam who is also from Florida, and frequents this blog, left a comment about my post yesterday. She was at the Lighthouse Beach yesterday and there wasn't even a hint of Red Tide there. During low tide, from around 2:30 pm until about 5:30 pm, the shelling was wonderful. I think this woman must have a great eye for wentletraps and baby ears, I only find one now and then. I think I need lessons from her. She went home with 307 wentletraps, many of them quite large, 24 baby ears, some venus clams, lots of apple murex, dosinias and other kinds as well. She was told that someone had found a perfect Junonia while they were there. So, the moral to this story is, if conditions aren't right or shelling isn't great at one spot, try another. You just never know what you will find. Shelling conditions can really vary from one area of the island to another. Some of my friends try four or five different locations, looking for good shelling.

We went for a drive out to Captiva this afternoon and on the way back, stopped at Blind Pass, we walked out on Turner Beach to see if any shells were piling up by the rock jetty. The waves were certainly in the right direction to carry them in there. As we walked from the parking area, I could see a bunch of people all bent over, so I knew there had to be shells. There were some shells piled there and people had been digging through them. I just quickly looked around and only saw a couple of shells that I picked up, a scallop and a turban. It was very windy and a little chilly with water spraying around from the waves, so not seeing much of interest to me, I left. I'm sure for those with the stamina for it, there may have been some treasures to be found. I didn't notice any signs of Red Tide there.









This was all that I could see of a sunset this evening. But, it was very nice.

Windy Sanibel Wednesday

This evening, when starting to walk up the path at resident beach access 2 on West Gulf Drive, I started coughing. It got worse as I neared the beach. I knew right away that the lady with a home on WG Drive, who left a comment on a previous post, was absolutely correct about there being Red Tide in the air. I was coughing so much by the time I went onto the beach, I had a hard time staying there long enough to take photos. I only walked straight out, saw one dead fish on the beach, turned around and hurried back up the path. My eyes and nasal passages were burning before I reached the parking area again. I don't know if there is Red Tide in the water here now, but it is definitely airborne. There was a strong NW wind and the surf was rough. I can tell you that I won't go back to the beach until the wind changes direction. Other than that, it was a great day here. We had some heavier rain, very early this morning, that measured a little over a half inch. There were a couple of lite showers later today. The low temperature last night was 71 and the high today, 78 with around 85% humidity. I can certainly live with that. You just know when something unpleasant comes to this little island, it isn't going to be here long.





There were very few shells to be seen anywhere.

The clouds were so pretty, I had to turn around, two times to get another photo
as I was going up the path.





Best when viewed in HD on YouTube by clicking on the screen below.

A Cloudy Sanibel Tuesday

The photos below, even though they were taken while driving, should give you an idea of what the day was like on Sanibel. A little gloomy, windy, and the humidity was a little high, but the temperature was just right for me. :-) I didn't see any rain drops where I was, until late this evening, then we had a little rain. I doubt it was enough to measure.

Captiva Wind and Waves

Today we went for a drive out to Captiva and stopped at Turner Beach to check the waves. They were fairly large and quite a few people were trying to surf, the most I've ever seen there at one time. There is a high surf advisory in effect, due to Tropical Storm Ida out in the Gulf. The high temperature for today was 81 degrees and the low was 72, the water temperature in the Gulf is 76. It was cloudy today, but I only saw a couple of drops of rain.

I keep forgetting to mention that the parking area on the Captiva side of Blind Pass has been open for several weeks.

Best watched in HD on YouTube by clicking on screen below.

There were some shells left at the high tide line, but it didn't look like there was anything new coming in. There were a lot of kitten paws there, as usual, but nothing else that I would have picked up.

This couple was relaxing as they watched the surfboarders.

This lady was on a mission to find some special shells.





There were several large holes dug into the sand, which exposed shells underneath, but again, there was nothing of interest to make me want to look through them. I'm sure that if you took the time to search long and hard, there would be a few that would be worth taking. Remember, I have to be very selective because I have too many at home already. To others, I'm sure some of them would look pretty good.





The water was coming up all the way to the row of shells. I kept thinking maybe a Junonia would be left behind, but no such luck. :-) Hopefully the rough water will stir up some shells in the Gulf and they will start rolling in to shore soon.

An Especially Nice Sanibel Friday

Just about the time you think the weather couldn't be any better, you get surprised with more sun and even better temperatures. Last night it got down to 63 degrees, which is great when you are sleeping. Today it was a very pleasant 79, a little windy, and 62% humidity.

It was a nice evening for stopping by the West Wind Inn Pool Bar, where a friend, Robby was entertaining. The noseeums were bothersome, even though the wind was blowing. After a couple of sprays of Deep Woods Off, they didn't bother me anymore.

There was a wedding at West Wind Inn on the beach, just before sunset.




A sample of what kinds of shells were on the beach.






There are a couple of events going on here this weekend.

Saturday, November 7th 2009 - 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cast Net Rodeo at the Bait Box, 1041 Periwinkle Way
This event is open to the public. No admission fee. A family fun event featuring free cast net lessons. Kids, youth and adult cast net competition.

Sunday, November 8th, 2009 - 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.
Sanibel Island Farmer’s Market at Tahitian Gardens,1975 Periwinkle Way
This open air market features 30 vendors including baked goods, live plants, honey, pasta, cheese, sausages, fresh fish, fresh produce, and organic veggies.