Rainy Sanibel Day

This was a rainy day, as you can tell from the water standing in our driveway.

I think we had around 1 1/4", but I'm guessing there was more in other parts of the island.  There was a lot of thunder and lightning too.

We went out late this afternoon, after it had calmed down to only a sprinkle, to get a couple things at Jerry's Grocery.

Then we decided to drive over to West Gulf Drive to see what the high surf had done to the beach.  We wanted to go earlier today, but didn't because of the rain.

We pulled in at Access 5 to park, and were shocked to see how fast this new house had gone up.  Last time we were at this access, the lot had been cleared and an area marked off for the house.  I've always thought this was the prettiest beach access on WGD, but I'm afraid that's changed.  This house is huge and it goes from one side of the lot all the way to the house on the other side.  Maybe it will look different after landscaping is done.

Small pool for such a big house??

Seems the high surf brought in a lot of sand instead of eroding the beach.

This turtle nest appears to have been washed over with the high surf. :(

This rock caught my attention because it looks like a prehistoric fish fossil to me. :)  I even had to carry it home with me.  Yes, I pick up some strange stuff.

There were shells up at higher tide lines and much of that had been there for quite some time. 

Right in front of Access 6, people had dug deep holes at least a couple months ago and folks are still digging there, making them wider and deeper.

The rain got heavier and it was time to go.

Sad Day For Sanibel

It's a very sad day for Sanibel Island. One of the island natives, Sam Bailey, passed away last evening at the age of 86. The Bailey's are one of the pioneer families and have owned Bailey's General Store, here on the island, since 1889.
I just saw the Bailey brothers, only a few weeks ago, in the general store. They were walking together through the store, just looking around. I spoke to them both, they smiled and said hello back to me. But I remember thinking at the time that they didn't look happy, they didn't seem to have their usual enthusiasm. After leaving the store, it was still on my mind and we talked about it on the way home. It just made me feel very sad, because I felt like the brothers were thinking it might be their last walk together through the store. I'll never know the answer to that, but what I do know, is that Sam will be greatly missed.  

Interview (video) with Sam's brother, Francis.

More about Sam. 

I also enjoyed reading this article and especially loved seeing the picture (all the way to end of article and on right) of Sam when he was a young man.

A Sanibel Tuesday

After checking outside for rain clouds this afternoon, seeing a lot of fluffy white ones and plenty of sunshine, we made our way to the beach.






Walking out to the beach at access 5, we literally ran into a spider web and these spiders. The one in the middle was very strange. It had red peaks on it. After searching for it on the net, I found out what kind it is, a Crablike Spiny Orb Weaver. All spiders have venom, but these are non violent. Their mouths are so small, they cant inject the venom into you, and there spikes are only there to protect them from predators. They catch whiteflies, flies, moths, mosquitoes, and beetles in their webs, so they are not all bad. :) I just wouldn't want to run into it's web at night. I think that could cause a heart attack!


When we got near the beach, we could see the clouds looked a little different than the ones we saw from home.






There weren't many people around, only a few in either direction.


Not a lot of shells this afternoon, except at the high tide line.












Why do you build me up, buttercup, baby just to let me down......


This piece of an Angel Wing made me think it was huge, when intact.


I ran my hands through a few shells and came up with a Mac 'n cheese! Oh, happy day!




Despite the 92 degree temperature today, it was very pleasant on the beach, when I was there. There was no hot sun and plenty of cooling wind.


Walking back to the access path, I noticed the Inkberry (Scaevola plumieri), otherwise known as beachberry, Bay Balsam, fanflower, half flower, gullfeed, and waxy bush, had lots of berries on it. It is one of the flowering plants that form along the shore in loose sand just above the high tide line, trapping and stabilizing the sand. It also provides food for wildlife, who in turn spread seeds to grow more plants. The native plant is tolerant of drought, salt, wind, and sunlight. I think you can tell from the picture that the small white flowers are only one-half of a normal flower, which is what first caught my attention and the reason for a couple of the names it's called. The shrub grows to 3 feet high, but its true size may be hidden by a mounds of sand, covering parts of it. small whitish flowers that


About half way through the path...........


this two to three foot, Black Racer crossed in front of us.


Other than running into spiders,a snake, and feeling a few raindrops off and on, it was a perfect beach visit.