Go to Shell

Amazing assortment of seashells found after a tropical storm.

A selfie with the baby junonia I had just found on West Gulf Drive, right before sunset.

Seashells in the Florida Keys? You bet! You just have to know where to go.

If you’re looking for an OK beach in the Florida Keys, Anne’s Beach in Islamorada (or Lower Matecumbe) might be what you’re looking for.

We made this poem into beautiful bookmarks for my nephew and his bride’s Florida wedding reception; guests took them home as a sunny reminder. Ask me how we made place card holders from seashells and a Dremel tool!

The one good thing about rain and thunderstorms is that they produce shells like crazy, AND rainbows.

I live very close to Key Largo so we head that way quite frequently. My favorite place to stop and visit is the Florida Keys Wild Bird Center in Tavernier.

When the winds blow, the shorelines of the Florida Keys tend to get sprinkled with delicate, beautiful purple sea snails known as janthina janthina. That’s not a typo, they’re so pretty, you have to say the name twice.

I love sand dollars. I have been lucky enough to find several washed up on the shore of Sanibel and Captiva over the years, nearly white from being faded by the sun.

As Sanibel and Captiva recover from Hurricane Ian, restaurants and resorts are opening slowly but surely. I recently stayed at the Sanibel Island Beach Resort on Middle Gulf and loved the experience.

The boys went fishing off Islamorada. That’s a dolphin fish (also known as a MAHI MAHI).

Little Palm Island Resort & Spa in the Lower Keys is so spectacular, you’ll be pinching yourself over and over to be sure you’re not dreaming. It’s like going to the Pacific Islands — but don’t need a passport and it’s a whole lot closer!

I took a drive to the Keys to get my feet-in-the-water fix and I’m so glad I did. While wading in the very shallow water at the Wild Bird Center, I found a big True Tulip.