Sanibel Island, Florida

After the AWS 50th National Conference we drove south to Harrisburg and flew Allegiant Air to Orlando Sanford International Airport, a pleasantly small airport (rather than the huge package tour destination that is Orlando International), spent the night at the Best Western Plus next to the airport and used their shuttle to return next morning to collect our  Hertz car.

The plane was delayed so we missed having our planned dinner in the steakhouse close to the hotel as it closed early and ended up with hamburgers at  nearby Denny's. Bad news is that it is unlicensed so the 200ml bottle of Trinity Oaks Merlot we'd bought on the flight was appreciated. Good news was that the burgers were the best we had in the time we were in the America's. Had the look and taste of home made, the fries were good and the coffee made freshly for us. Only one other table was occupied.

Our cottage by the beach on Sanibel Island

We spent seven nights on Sanibel Island on the Gulf Coast before heading north to Tampa to fly home. As the nearest restaurant was 3 miles from us we had all but one of our dinners at home which gave the chance to enjoy better wines than most places listed.

Dinner wines

Left to right

2015 Ghost Pines Zinfandel Winemaker's Blend
2015 Dry Creek Vineyard Zinfandel Heritage Vines
2014 Ridge Three Valleys
2015 Seghesio Family Vineyards Zinfandel Sonoma County
2012 Grgich Hills Zinfandel
2014 Bogle Vineyards Essential Red
Not pictured: Kobel Brut California sparkling wine

Sanibel beach where I spent most of the day  on a folding beach chair with

my feet in the water until sunset

Dense schoals of tiny 'bait fish' attracted a feeding fury of pelicans and other birds. The noise they made was intense.

Mangrove

About half of Sanibel Island is preserved by J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge, where mangroves and huge tidal pools house fish, oysters, lobsters, and over 250 species of birds and alligators.

We wondered what the couple in front of were looking at and when we got close we saw this bright green 2 foot 6 inch-long lizard next to the narrow toll-road road that winds through the reserve.

Lizard in 'Ding' Darling Reserve

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We'd last been on Sanibel in the 1970s and a lot has changed. It was more built up with many luxury homes blocking sight and access to beaches. No parking is allowed on public roads so if you don't have private access to the beach, as we did, then you had to park in a $4 an hour car parks at a public beach.

But what hasn't changed is that the island is made of shells and white sand from ground-down shells, and people walk with the 'Sanibel stoop', looking at the billions of shells on beaches and tide line. Some 250 different types of shell are on the beaches and people use metal scoops to lift them from the surf and accommodations have mesh shell-washing tables with hoses for collectors to clean sand from their finds.

After the cold, ran and snow of northern America it was wonderful to go all day in shirt sleeves and flip-flops.
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