Tuesday Sanibel Happy



The temperature is my idea of perfect; 68 last night and 81 today, it's 74 now at 9:30 PM.  I hope this will last the whole winter through. 

I got side tracked last night and didn't get my post done.  So here's yesterday's photos.

We had fun taking Pinkerbell for a ride again today, then a stop on West Gulf Drive at resident access 3.  There were a lot of shells, but I only picked up around 5 or 6. 

It was such a pleasant day, we drove on out to the Sanibel Causeway just to see the view.  We made a loop at the turn around and headed back.

Before we went home, we made a stop at Jerry's.  These guys were having a great time!

Now on to today!

It was far to nice to spend the whole day inside.  This afternoon we went out riding around, enjoying the warm weather.  We listened to Christmas songs and when they got to lines like, the weather outside is frightful, it put a smile on our faces.

We hadn't been to the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge in quite a while, so we took Pinkerbell there.  She was so excited and wanted to get her picture taken by the sign.

The refuge consists of over 6,400 acres of mangrove forest, submerged seagrass beds, cordgrass marshes, and West Indian hardwood hammocks. Approximately 2,800 acres of the refuge are designated by Congress as a Wilderness Area.

This area provides feeding, nesting, and roosting areas for migratory birds. It is an important habitat to over 220 species of birds.

This is a nice drive, bike ride or walk,

with some great scenery.  There are plenty of other things you can do at the refuge.  Check out the refuge website for a calendar of events.

We saw one Roseate Spoonbill in a group of birds feeding on a sandbar.  Pinkerbell got excited when she saw another pink bird, but then she realized that it was quite different. 

We saw several different kinds of birds in small numbers, but I noticed a large amount of White Pelicans.

Of course my cell phone photos

don't give you a choice view. 

After we left the refuge, we drove on out to Captiva.  When we got into the village, we drove past the Chapel By the Sea.

As we drove past Jensen's, I noticed that banner about Walgreens was gone.  Another mystery I guess.  I tried to get a picture of the empty spot, but Pinker got her head in the way. :)

We stopped at Tween Waters to say hi to some friends and watch the sunset.

Pinkerbell was enjoying the Christmas lights as we drove away.

Another Glorious Sanibel Day

This is a great time of year for a visit, not only is the weather wonderful, there are many holiday festivities that you can enjoy.


Luminary Festival on Sanibel and Captiva Islands is something we look forward to each year. Friday, December 3rd, on Sanibel and Saturday December 4th, on Captiva. Luminary Festival is a community-wide holiday event for both residents and visitors. You follow the luminary trail stopping at the many businesses that will be open. Many of them offer complimentary food and drinks, along with live entertainment here and there. Periwinkle is usually congested during this time, so complementary trolley service is offered. The route is from Jerry's Market to Bailey's General Store, making stops all along the way. You will also run across Santa as he travels the trail. This provides a great opportunity to do your island Christmas shopping and surprise your family with tropical gifts this year.


During the month of December, the magic of the season comes alive all over the islands, and this year Captiva is having some new and special events that I personally plan to enjoy. There has already been Christmas Tree lightings, musical performances, fireworks displays, with more to come, such as decorated golf cart and boat parades and the festive glow of the holidays. Check out the entire list of these events.

Driving down Periwinkle Way today the clouds were quite impressive.  It was pleasant since there seemed to be a little less traffic than last week.  Plus, it's fun looking at the Christmas decorations as they are going up quickly now, in preparation for the luminary weekend.  I've heard that they are keeping Santa's reindeer at C.R.O.W. while he is here this weekend.  Since the deer need to stay rested for their big night, Santa will be traveling around the islands by fire truck.

We drove across the Sanibel Causeway on our way to do a little shopping.

Yes, it's Pinkerbell.  You didn't think we would go without her, did you?  She was one happy bird today!  She flipped her head and jingled, every time someone waved at her.

I loved watching the sun rays and so did Pinkerbell.

As we started back across the causeway, the sun was going down.

Like the title says, another glorious Sanibel Day!