Oops! Realized last Thursday night I had forgotten to post a Wordless Wednesday image last week. The holiday weekend and business travel threw me for a loop. Sorry! But hope you enjoy this one taken at Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Fla., Saturday. It’s of colorful lichen on a trail fence.
Just like Florida tourists, manatees probably didn’t appreciate this year’s cold winter. Last week while my parents were in town, we visited the Manatee Viewing Area at Tampa Electric (TECO) in Apollo Beach where we saw hundreds of manatees – big ones and small ones – basking in the warm water discharge from the Big Bend Power Station.
As you recall, last October I ventured down to Sanibel Island for a solo, mid-week getaway. In addition to a kayaking trip, walking the beach and soaking in the pool of the Holiday Inn Sanibel Island Beach Resort, I spent a good portion of the getaway eating my way through the island and everywhere I ate was gooood.
Here’s an article I wrote listing four places to eat on Sanibel Island (with one being on nearby Captiva Island) but by far, my fave was The Bubble Room on Captiva Island. What a trip! (more…)
ICE! ICE! Baby! Sorry, couldn’t resist…
Gaylord Palms (6000 W. Osceola Parkway) in Kissimmee, Fla., has a pretty COOL exhibit running since Nov. 14 through Jan. 3, 2010, called ICE! It’s two million pounds of frozen water carved into amazing sculptures in which visitors can admire but not touch nor lick. (There was a sign warning about this bad behavior.) Although in its seventh season, this is the first year I’ve been able to enjoy the balmy 9 degrees Fahrenheit temps in the resort’s convention center. It’s what my friend Annette and I did during her fourth day in the Sunshine State. (more…)
During my friend Annette’s Florida visit, I created an itinerary for a first-time Florida visitor that could be done in four days. Following is day three of her visit and check out day two here.
Disney adventures began at the Magic Kingdom. My friend has never visited Florida and EVERYONE visiting the Sunshine State needs to spend at least one day at Walt Disney World Resort. While most adults suggest Epcot as being the best park (for reasons I’m not sure of), everyone’s first visit to Disney needs to be the Magic Kingdom. (more…)
My friend came and went last week and although some time was spent locally in Southwest Florida, most was spent in Orlando at Walt Disney World Resort. Okay, I know Disney really isn’t in Orlando but if I said in Lake Buena Vista, would you know where that is? (more…)
No sleeping in for me and I don’t count 7:30 as sleeping in. Decided it was time for me to hit the beach and do what other tourists do, the Sanibel Stoop, the act of stooping over the beach hunting for seashells. I live in Florida and collecting shells is so…touristy…but this was my vacation so I indulged in the activity but first sprayed down with my 22% DEET repellent.
I encountered one little bird, a plover of some sort, maybe? He’s pictured below.
Shore Bird, Sanibel Island, Florida
A little bit further down the beach came across a flock of seagulls. No, not the ’80s band. There were maybe hundreds of my new feathered friends. Turns out I disrupted their breakfast, check out the video:Breakfast with the Birds of Sanibel Island, Florida.
Between slapping no-see-ums (as I later learned on my journey, these gnats with teeth laugh at DEET) I found some gorgeous shells. One of the coolest things I found were these bird prints on among the shells on the sand.
Bird Footprints in the Sand, Sanibel Island, Florida
After cleaning up was a trip to J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge. Was going to save it for a Friday visit but remembered the Wildlife Drive is closed on Fridays in order for wildlife to get back to nature, so to say. It’d been a very long time since I last visited yet it still seemed new. Although there were amazing birds and loads of mullet jumping, the coolest thing was this hole in a tree on the Shell Mound Trail. This boardwalk trail was somewhat interesting not just for the foliage and shell mound but the odors. It smelled of skunk, coffee, orange blossoms and jasmine. Indeed, an interesting mix of aromas.
Hole in Tree, J.N. Ding Darling National Wildlife Refuge
The afternoon consisted of yummy lunch at Captiva Island’s The Bubble Room, lounging in the pool – in which the tiki bar was tuned into the unfolding Balloon Boy saga – followed by dinner at the hotel. Work was interspersed with down time (just couldn’t escape it). Sanibel dining deserves its own posts so stay tuned because The Bubble Room was a trip! Can’t believe I’ve never been there and can’t wait to share? Check out “Budget Travel Tips for Bird-watchers to Sanibel Island.”
“Head to Jerry’s and in aisle six you’ll find the repellent.”
The front desk clerk of the Holiday Inn Beach Resort, Sanibel Island, Fla., did precede this with, “Welcome” but followed the salutation with, “You’re from Florida, you know about no-see-ums.”
Um, yes, I live in Florida but didn’t think I needed to worry about biting insects once I left the Everglades almost a decade ago.
I checked in around 6:45 p.m. just as the sun was setting and the mosquitoes and no-see-ums (tiny beasts related the gnat and carry an itchy bite) were ready to feast. The hotel map showing where my room was located had a Sanibel Island map on the back and the front desk clerk wrote out directions to Jerry’s and gave me an FAQ sheet about mosquitoes and no-see-ums. (Bottom line, pest control is kept to a minimum for the environmental protection of Sanibel Island.)
Sunset on Sanibel Island, Florida
Before heading to Jerry’s, a local grocery store, I unloaded the car and luckily found my Everglades repellent with 22% DEET which meant, no trip to Jerry’s (at least not that night). After a spray down it was off to the beach to do what every other tourist was doing: watching the sunset, engaging in the Sanibel Stoop (the act of gathering shells in a bent over position) and swatting bugs.
Dinner followed at the Mermaid Restaurant & Bar (Tel: 239/472-1242, 2055 Periwinkle Way; formerly the Mermaid’s Kitchen & Cake Factory) and driving in what seemed like congested traffic along Periwinkle Way, I questioned my choice of Sanibel Island for a quick getaway to decompress. My doubts diminished upon arriving at the Mermaid and being the solo diner, at least for the first half-hour or so. While I felt bad for the restaurant since empty seats anywhere isn’t a good thing, I reveled at being the only patron and the serenity.
Mermaid Restaurant & Bar, Sanibel Island, Florida
From that point, I did my best to disconnect from the world – poor Internet service helped with that – and tried to decompress, which completely happen on the third and final day, but that’s for another time.
Planning a Sanibel vacation? Check out “Budget Travel Tips for Bird-watchers to Sanibel Island.”
Christopher Elliott spoke at TBEX last month about using video and when he speaks I (and everyone else) listen because he’s the guru in travel social media – among his other talents. He said he experiemented with video lengths and found 30-second videos were the most popular so here’s my go around at a 30-second 47-second video from last weekend’s scalloping trip in Homosassa Springs, Florida. Enjoy!
Would you like to go scalloping in Citrus County, too? Check out “Scalloping in Citrus County.”
Snorkeling for Scallops
I’m back from a trip to Homosassa Springs and Crystal River, Florida, for scalloping. More to follow (hopefully this week – including photos and video) but enjoy this self portrait of me with my bag filling up with sweet, Florida scallops.
Check out, “Scalloping in Citrus County: Why Hiring a Crystal River or Homosassa Guide is a Smart Idea.”
