Sanibel Beach, Florida, in the Winter

A short drive from Ft. Myers, Florida, brings you to the pleasant Sanibel Island.

Ponce de Leon landed north of here, at Charlotte Harbor, in 1513. Eight years later he brought Spanish colonists to the area. They interacted with the Calusa tribes and, later, the Seminoles. In 1832 the Peninsular Land Company created a settlement on the island and developed successful farms. As a transplant from New York, Judy and I were especially interested to learn that the first residents of the settlement were from our home state. Since 1945 the island has been a National Wildlife Refuge with a quiet residential area dedicated to maintaining a peaceful contrast to the city life on the mainland.

Our son and daughter-in-law, Joseph and Kalyn introduced us to the pleasant beach late in January, 2014. We look forward to other visits which will let us see its character in all the seasons. 

Scroll down and enjoy a few of our discoveries.

The Lighthouse is nestled in an artfully chaotic nest of trees, shrubs and palms. 

 Every where you turn sandy paths tease you to explore just a little farther.








You may be lucky enough to see dolphins; and if they are especially frisky, and you are quick you can get some good pictures of them. We were...they weren't ... I wasn't.















Pelicans, were another matter. No luck required, they were very active, and I actually caught a picture of one in flight.






Some birds will actually pose for you.

And, who knows, 
...you may even make a new friend.