Double Rainbow and an Imperial Venus

Double rainbow

The one good thing about rain and thunderstorms is that they produce shells like crazy, AND rainbows. This double rainbow made its appearance as we were shelling at low tide at Blind Pass. Pretty, right? (That’s my niece, Kaitlyn, making the funny face as she didn’t know I was taking the photo!)

Here are a few of our finds:

fighting conchs
Fighting conchs by the handful

While those fighting conchs are nice (and empty!), here is my favorite: an imperial venus.

Imperial Venus
Imperial Venus

I’m going to do a post on these elusive shells (at least here on Sanibel, imperial venus clam shells are elusive)! This one is super pretty, and glossy, as it must be newly empty. Ever found anything good under a rainbow?

Sanibel Sunsets

Bikes at Sunset

One of my favorite events is watching the sunset on the beaches of Sanibel or Captiva. This one was taken from the Access 5 point on Sanibel on West Gulf Drive.

In the winter, I find it much more enjoyable to take in a sunset as there are no bugs. As soon as it begins to warm up, the no-see-ums will suck the life right out of you! They are less prevalent near the water, so run! The only thing that helps is clothing – wear a long sleeved t-shirt…and pray they bite someone else! There are a few products that my family likes, Skin So Soft from Avon and a no-see-um spray available at Bailey’s General Store on Periwinkle and Tarpon Bay Road.

In the end, the sunset is worth a few bug bites.

Blogging for ‘Tween Waters Inn on Captiva

Bougainvillea

Hey Shellers,

I have some cool news to tell you about. I’ve been asked to be a blogger for ‘Tween Waters Inn on Captiva Island. This is right up my alley as I formerly worked for VISIT FLORIDA as their family travel expert and I currently write for Fodor’s Travel as well.

You can find my monthly blog at their website: Tween-Waters.com/innsiders. Scroll down their homepage till you see the where it says “INSIDERS.”

I’ll be writing about all the things you can do at ‘Tween Waters Inn with your family, and around the island. Whether you’re staying onsite or not, their onsite restaurants are worth paying a visit. My kids love the crab races that take place Mondays and Thursdays at the Crow’s Nest. Maybe we’ll see you there!