Christmas time is special in Florida, without snow or cold weather we go all out to make sure Christmas is something to remember. Floridians deck the halls and we deck our boats too for holiday boat parades. We also love a good Christmas light display.

Other festivities we enjoy are Christmas at Disney World like Mickey’s Christmas Parade and Holidays around the world. Holiday events at Busch Gardens are always popular. Festive decorations, strolling carolers and classic holiday music always get us into the mood.

Surrounded by spectator fish and a coral reef background, divers are to plunge beneath the sea to transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jolly jack-o’-lanterns during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest set for Sunday, Oct. 16.

Buddy teams can meet at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort in Key Largo, located at mile marker 104.5, to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the experienced judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

Contestants submerge below the surface to a depth of less than 30 feet with only their creative imaginations and dive knives as tools. Prizes, including a dive trip for two, await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

Entry fee is the regular dive boat cost of $80 per certified diver for the two-tank, two-location dive, including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment. The Amoray Dive Resort also offers specially priced multiple-dive and dive-lodging packages.

Divers celebrating Halloween in Florida are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited.

For information: www.amoray.com or 800-426-6729
Key Largo visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keylargo or 800-822-1088

Motorcyclists from throughout the United States are to travel one of America’s most scenic highways to raise money for charity during the 39th annual Key West Poker Run, set for Thursday through Sunday, Sept. 15-18.

Traditionally drawing riders on up to 10,000 bikes, the popular ride features a unique route down the 113-mile Overseas Highway from mainland Florida to Key West. Offering long vistas of breathtaking sea and sky, the roadway incorporates 42 bridges spanning the waters of the Atlantic Ocean, Florida Bay and Gulf of Mexico.

Beginning Sept. 1, bikers can register to ride at Peterson’s Harley-Davidson of Miami, 19400 N.W. 2nd Ave., and Peterson’s Harley-Davidson South, 19825 S. Dixie Highway. Online registration is accepted before that date at www.petersonsharley.com.

Participating bikers receive poker sheets when they register, and draw cards at designated stops along the route in the Florida Keys. Entrants who draw the 10 best poker hands are eligible to play in a winner-take-all round of Texas Hold ‘Em, competing for a new Harley-Davidson Sportster motorcycle.

A section of lower Duval Street, Key West’s famed main thoroughfare, is to be closed to car traffic during much of the Poker Run so bikers with weekend parking passes can park on the street to display their bikes. Other attractions include a Thursday night “Duval Crawl” for early arrivals, bike merchandise market, “Biker Bash” street party, custom bike show and parties at Key West resorts and watering holes.

The Poker Run is a fundraiser for the Diabetes Research Institute and charities of the Key West Sunrise Rotary Club.

Events conclude Sunday, Sept. 18, with a brunch and “survivors’ party.”

Key West visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keywest

The Cuban Cultural Exposition begins with the debut of “Viva Cuba Libre — The Chugs of Cuba” set for 2 p.m. Sunday, March 13. Conceived by Key West resident Benjamin Curry Bruce, the exhibit features Bruce’s compelling photographs of Cuban refugees’ “chugs,” or primitive makeshift vessels, displayed alongside items ranging from life jackets to medicines that they carried on the boats. It is only 90 miles from Florida to Cuba.

The opening also features mojitos and hors d’oeuvres. Subsequent days’ attractions include a domino tournament, Cuban cooking class, lively dance exhibition and lecture on Cuba’s medicinal herbs and plants. The work of Cuban artist Sandy Rico, whose oils depict his homeland, is to be featured throughout the exposition.

All events take place at Key West Tropical Forest & Botanical Garden, an arboretum, garden, wildlife refuge and educational center. Showcasing flora native to South Florida, Cuba and the Caribbean, the garden features tropical fruit trees, fragrant plants and palms, spices and herbs, champion trees, butterflies and birds.

The celebration’s highlight is Hot Havana Nights, a lavish Latin party set for 7 p.m. Saturday, March 26. Attendees can dance to the sounds of Havana Soul while enjoying mojitos, authentic Cuban cuisine, fine cigars and an auction of handmade Cuban crafts and artistry including a piece by Sandy Rico.

Those who purchase VIP tickets also are invited to a 6 p.m. Cuban dinner and Tropicana show prior to Hot Havana Nights.

Reservations are encouraged since the gala typically sells out.

Event information, costs and ticketing: www.kwbgs.org or 305-296-1504
Key West visitor information: www.fla-keys.com/keywest or 1-800-LAST-KEY

Officials with Florida’s Turnpike Enterprise plan to introduce an all-electronic system Feb. 19 to collect tolls from motorists who travel Florida’s Turnpike between Exit 1 and Exit 47.

That segment of the turnpike, known as the Homestead Extension, is a primary route to the Florida Keys. The new system affects four toll plazas between mile posts 0 in Florida City and 47 at the Miami-Hollywood/Fort Lauderdale line. It eliminates driver stops at booths to pay tolls and officials say electronic toll collection is safer, more efficient and seamless.

Tolls are to be collected only with SunPass, a prepaid toll program, or with TOLL-BY-PLATE, a system that photographs each vehicle’s license plate and mails a monthly bill for tolls to the vehicle’s registered owner.

For complete details about the new electronic tolling system, visit the Keys website.

Key Largo

Key Largo visitors seeking fun, free activities in the area can participate in a new tarpon feeding station off the dock at Sundowners on the Bay, located at mile marker (MM)103.9 bayside. Each afternoon at 4:30 p.m. Sundowners provides bait along with an informational piece about the types of fish that can be found in Blackwater Sound.

One of the Keys’ most popular natural attractions is a sunset celebration. For a complimentary experience, visit the Bayside Sunset Bar, MM 99.5 bayside, where hearty sorts sound the “Conchdown to Sunset,” by blowing a conch shell and live music is featured each night.

Pontunes Marina, Tiki Bar & Grille offers the Keys’ only free sunset cruise aboard the 105-foot-long schooner Queen Anne’s Revenge II, where guests can learn how to hoist the sails or be captain for a day. Weather permitting, the cruise is scheduled each evening. Departure time coincides with seasonal sunsets. For information call 305-453-5007, visit www.freesunsetcruise.com.

Marathon’s Island Hoppers Helicopter Tours

Marathon’s Island Hoppers helicopter tours has added to its menu of aerial adventures. Located at the Marathon Airport, 9850 Overseas Highway, Island Hoppers offers charters and sightseeing tours including the new Scenic Shoreline Flight and Lunch at Cabbage Key.

The tour lifts off from Marathon Airport and soars over the azure waters along the middle Keys and Islamorada before heading on an adventure over the backcountry of the Everglades and Ten Thousand Islands for lunch at the Cabbage Key Inn at Pine Island Sound, Fla. Total tour time is approximately 4.5 hours, including lunch.

Shorter adventures also are available, such as a one-hour Key West Adventure to see the Conch Republic from a bird’s-eye perspective, and a Keys Discovery Tour over the Seven Mile Bridge, Pigeon Key and the waters around Marathon, Bahia Honda and Big Pine Key.

For more information visit www.ravenair.net or call 305-619-9603.

The Pegasus Thruster

The Pegasus Thruster, the world’s first hands-free diver propulsion unit, recently was tested and adapted to use in the waters of the Florida Keys — a fitting “first” for the island chain known as the dive capital of continental North America. The device’s creator, aerospace engineer Dean Vitale, tested the underwater scooter on dives out of Spencer Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center in Key Largo.

The only one of its kind in the world, the Pegasus Thruster is tank-mounted, hands-free and allows the diver to replace its battery underwater. It reduces diver fatigue and increases dive time, with a battery that lasts 45 minutes when used continuously or two tank dives if used intermittently, making it suitable for massive Keys wrecks such as the Spiegel Grove and Vandenberg.

The Pegasus is operated by the touch of a button, which can be pushed by the chin for divers with limited use of their limbs, affording disabled divers more exploration opportunities.

The Pegasus Thruster currently is available for rent on dive trips with Florida Straits Diving in Key West and Captain Slate’s Atlantis Dive Center in Key Largo.

Pearl’s Rainbow

Pearl’s Rainbow, for 20 years a Key West guesthouse for women, recently opened its doors to male guests as well. The award-winning property offers 38 rooms and suites in five distinctive buildings at 525 United St., with two swimming pools, two hot tubs, The Strand restaurant serving complimentary full breakfasts, Pearl’s Patio Bar featuring live entertainment and tropical landscaping with secluded areas for quiet enjoyment.

According to Pearl’s longtime owner Heather Carruthers, the change was prompted by a waning demand for all-women accommodations and guests’ increasing desire to vacation with male friends or children. Plans call for the property to continue offering special women’s weeks throughout the year and family weeks when children are welcome.

For more information and reservations, visit www.pearlsrainbow.com or call 800-749-6696 or 305-292-1450.

Casa Marina

Casa Marina, A Waldorf Astoria Resort, 1500 Reynolds St. in Key West, has introduced a “fish concierge” at the property’s Sun-Sun Beach Bar & Grill beside the Atlantic Ocean. Executive Chef Erik Malzahn will identify, fillet and cook guests’ catch at the restaurant, located in an open-air wood pavilion and specializing in tantalizing seafood and tropical salads.

Based on optimal ways to prepare each species and size of fish, Malzahn advises diners about the best cooking method, such as pan-fried, deep-fried, blackened or grilled, to bring out the flavor of the catch. He also will answer questions and provide tips on cooking with fish.

For visitors who enjoy pursuing prime food fish such as yellowtail snapper and mahi-mahi, consulting the Casa Marina’s “fish concierge” means they can enjoy the fruits of their angling and savor an expertly prepared dinner.

Recently joining Waldorf Astoria Resorts, Casa Marina dates back to 1920 and includes more than 300 elegantly appointed guestrooms and suites, two tropical swimming pools and 1,100 feet of private Atlantic Ocean beach.

For more information and reservations, visit www.casamarinaresort.com or call 888-303-5717.

Truman Hotel

The Truman Hotel, a boutique property at 611 Truman Ave. just a block from Key West’s famed Duval Street, now offers rooms and suites decorated with a bold contemporary color palette and a lively Key West flair.

Accommodations range from stylish guestrooms to suites that sleep up to four people. Large platform beds, tile floors with zebra rugs, tile and glass showers, built-in desks and tables with leather chairs and wireless Internet access ensure guests’ comfort and convenience. Some rooms also feature balconies.

Other attractions include a landscaped courtyard and pool area for lounging, sundecks on each of three floors, covered parking and daily complimentary continental breakfast featuring local pastries and treats.

For more information and reservations, visit www.trumanhotel.com.

Oversea Railway Train

On Jan. 22, 1912, the first Oversea Railway train steamed from the Florida mainland through the Florida Keys to Key West, marking the completion of the railroad connecting the previously isolated islands with the mainland and each other. Ninety-nine years later, the Key West Museum of Art & History at the Custom House, 281 Front St., is debuting an exhibit and yearlong series of events honoring the Oversea Railway’s upcoming centennial.

Conceived by Standard Oil millionaire Henry Flagler, the $430 million rail line was begun in 1905. It was known as the Oversea Railway because its track stretched more than 100 miles out into open water, with bridges and viaducts, including a seven-mile-long bridge at Marathon in the Middle Keys.

The museum’s exhibition and special event series, titled “Speedway to Sunshine, Flagler’s Ocean Railway,” is to kick off Jan. 22, 2011. The exhibition includes a re-created Florida East Coast railcar, a large-scale replica of the Seven Mile Bridge, vintage footage of the journey from tiny Pigeon Key to Key West, rare artifacts and memorabilia that bring alive the fascinating story of the railroad that went to sea.

Celebrations honoring the railroad, which eventually was converted into the Florida Keys’ renowned Overseas Highway, are to continue through Jan. 22, 2012, the 100th anniversary of the inaugural train’s arrival in Key West.

For more information, visit www.kwahs.com.

1860 African Cemetery

The initial phase of construction on a memorial marking what is believed to be the United States’ only African refugee cemetery is now complete.

The 1860 African Cemetery, located on Key West’s Atlantic-front Higgs Beach beside the Civil War-era West Martello fort, was virtually forgotten until historical research and a 2002 ground-penetrating radar analysis revealed the presence of graves.

Experts believe the graves are those of Africans who died in 1860 after being freed by the U.S. Navy from three American-owned slave ships captured near the Cuban coast and brought to Key West for sanctuary.

More than 1,400 African men, women and children were housed and cared for in Key West after being rescued from the slave vessels. Most eventually were returned to Africa, but nearly 300 died in Key West, probably from illnesses resulting from the brutal conditions aboard the slave ships. They were buried in unmarked graves along the island’s southern shore.

The memorial, whose recently completed phase was funded in part by a $118,500 grant from the Florida Keys Tourist Development Council, includes a series of pedestals adorned with African Adinkra symbols and topped with engraved bronze plaques, a concrete base with a rendition of the slave trade’s maritime route, a tile mural inlaid into the platform riser and ornamental fencing that encloses the site on three sides. These elements combine to reflect the cultures of the people buried in the cemetery and how they came to be so far from home.

The final phase of the memorial project is to center on the construction of a traditional African-inspired shrine structure and an obelisk that functions as a sundial. Other components include a landscaped meditation garden and informational panels.

Keys LGBT Blog

Gay and lesbian travelers interested in the Florida Keys & Key West now can get insights and information via the island chain’s official LGBT travel blog. The blog offers personal, authentic accounts from the internationally acclaimed gay and lesbian visitor destination.

Steve Smith, the longtime gay-market destination sales manager for the Keys tourism council, is the blog’s primary writer. Smith is a multiterm board member and former president of the International Gay and Lesbian Travel Association and an award-winning leader in promoting LGBT tourism.

The LGBT blog, a facet of the successful “Keys Voices” mainstream blog, is written in a friendly tone with feature-style content. Topics include festivals and events, atmosphere, water activities, attractions, favorite hotspots, unique characters and more.

The blog can be accessed at www.keysvoices.com/lgbt, or through links on the www.keysvoices.com home page and Keys website’s gay-market splash page.

Morada Bay Art & Cultural District

To showcase the fine arts, music and culinary nuances of the Purple Isles, a group of Islamorada galleries, restaurants and shops have formed the Morada Bay Art & Cultural District, whose mission is to feature monthly casual gatherings for residents and visitors to enjoy.

One highlight of the newly formed coalition is a monthly Art Walk to be held the third Thursday of each month. The cultural stroll features the national and local artisans who are showcased in galleries at Morada Way between MM 81 and 82, as well as live music from 5-9 p.m. Participating galleries include the Redbone Gallery, Gallery Morada and the Pasta Pantaleo Signature Gallery that opened in September.

A schedule of music and culinary events sponsored by members of the Morada Bay Art & Cultural District is to be developed over the coming months.

Rounding out Islamorada’s artistic flair, nearby Gallery 84 also opened recently at MM 84.7 oceanside on Windley Key. Open daily from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., the gallery specializes in fine art and offers art classes for kids and adults beginning in January. Classes are to be scheduled Saturday mornings as well as Monday, Wednesday and Thursday evenings through season. For details, call 305-735-4596.

The Lionfish Cookbook

The Reef Environmental Education Foundation has released “The Lionfish Cookbook,” designed to encourage the removal and consumption of the invasive Indo-Pacific red lionfish. It features 45 recipes for preparing the mild-flavored white meat of the lionfish, considered a delicacy.

Authored by personal chef Tricia Ferguson and REEF’s director of special projects, Lad Akins, the cookbook describes how the rapidly growing populations of this non-native marine fish are out-competing native fish for food and territory due to lack of predators and its prolific, year-round reproduction. Many countries are encouraging consumption of lionfish to create demand and incentive for lionfish removals.

REEF is a nonprofit marine conservation organization based in Key Largo, whose mission is to conserve marine ecosystems for their recreational, commercial and intrinsic value by educating, enlisting and enabling divers and other marine enthusiasts to become active stewards and citizen scientists.

To learn more or to purchase a cookbook, call 305-852-0030 or visit www.REEF.org.

Key West’s Tropic Cinema

Key West’s Tropic Cinema, a 10,000-square-foot film center and multipurpose theater in historic Old Town, now features a redesigned lounge and café, and an iconic sculpture by renowned American artist Seward Johnson.

Outside the entrance to the 416 Eaton St. cinema, film buffs encounter a life-size sculpture of Marilyn Monroe. “Forever Marilyn” is Johnson’s depiction of the legendary actress in a white dress with a flirtatiously blowing skirt.

Inside, the Zabar Café offers an expanded selection of popcorn and seasonings, beverages ranging from gourmet coffees to beer and wine, healthful and/or indulgent snacks and even Key lime pie. The Sussman Lounge has been redesigned to feature a curving banquette, seating areas and an art-deco living room ambiance.

Tropic Cinema is a nonprofit independent film multiplex dedicated to showing new, independent, alternative and foreign films. Its lobby and theaters also are the site of community cultural events ranging from jazz concerts to theatrical performances.

For more information, visit www.tropiccinema.com.

For more travel information about the Florida Keys & Key West call, toll-free in the U.S. and Canada, 1-800-FLA-KEYS (800-352-5397) or explore the destination’s website at www.fla-keys.com.

In January, Real Music kicks off classic sounds of the ‘30s and ‘40s big-band era:

Jan 19-22: THE TERRY MYERS ORCHESTRA with THE SWING SISTERS

Jan 26-29: THE TOMMY DORSEY ORCHESTRA

Then, starting in February, relive some of rock ‘n roll and disco’s greatest moments with the artists who defined the ‘50s, ‘60s and ‘70s:

Feb 2-5: DEBBIE REYNOLDS

Feb 9-12: PAUL REVERE AND THE RAIDERS

Feb 16-19: THE VENTURES

Feb 23-26: HERMAN’S HERMITS starring PETER NOONE

Mar 2-5: THE 5TH DIMENSION

Mar 9-12: THE OSMOND BROTHERS

Mar 16-19: TONY ORLANDO

Mar 23-26: CHARO

Showtimes are 11:30 a.m. and 1 and 3:30 p.m., with the theater opening a half-hour prior to the show. Reservation tickets are required to guarantee a seat, and are available at the front gate until 11 a.m. each show date. The complimentary reservation tickets are also available near the Stanleyville Theater prior to each show.

The Real Music Concert Series is included with regular park admission or any valid Passport membership. Concert series dates and artists are subject to change. For more information, call 1-888-800-5447 or log onto www.BuschGardensTampaBay.com

Christmas time is special for Floridians, without snow or really cold weather we go all out to make sure we make the Holidays something to remember. Floridians deck the halls and we deck our boats too for holiday boat parades. We also go all out for Christmas light displays.

Other merry festivities we attend are Disney Christmas events like Mickey’s Christmas Parade and Holidays around the world. Holiday events at Busch Gardens are always popular. Strolling carolers, festive decorations and classic holiday music always get us into the mood.

Right after Christmas we plan for the New Year. Many Florida New Year’s Eve events include activities for the whole family like the Downtown Countdown in Fort Lauderdale. For the wild and loud crowd there’s the Big Night Miami in Miami Beach.

Last night the US Air Force Space Command launched a spy satellite for the NRO. The Launch was the fourth for the Delta 4 Heavy, A United Launch Alliance rocket.

Launched at 5:58 pm, the rocket lit up the night sky of Cape Canaveral, it was spectacular. Unfortunately there was such a heavy cloud cover, the view of the spaceflight was blocked shortly after liftoff.

Coming up in the next couple weeks will be the second to final launch of the Space Shuttle. Space Shuttle Discovery will launch to the International Space Station to deliver spare parts. Check the Space Shuttle Launch Schedule for up to date launch times and dates. Discovery is currently scheduled to launch on Dec 3.

Surrounded by spectator fish against a coral reef background in the Florida Keys, divers are to transform hollowed-out pumpkins into jolly Halloween jack-o’-lanterns during the Underwater Pumpkin Carving Contest set for Sunday, Oct. 24.

Buddy teams can meet at Amy Slate’s Amoray Dive Resort, located at mile marker 104.5, to compete during the 8:30 a.m. dive in Key Largo. Their mission is to create pumpkins worthy of praise and prizes from the experienced judges, who double as the crew of the Amoray Diver dive boat.

One of the top annual Florida Halloween events, contestants submerge to a depth of less than 30 feet, with dive knives as their carving tools and their imaginations for inspiration. Prizes await the top three pumpkin sculptors.

The regular dive boat fee of $80 per certified diver applies for the two-tank, two-location dive, including tanks, weights and snorkel equipment. The Amoray Dive Resort also offers specially priced multiple-dive and dive-lodging packages.

Divers are encouraged to sign up for the contest early because space is limited. For more information about the contest, call 800-426-6729 or visit www.amoray.com.

To find out about area accommodations, call the Key Largo Chamber of Commerce at 800-822-1088 or 305-451-4747, or visit the Florida Keys & Key West website at www.fla-keys.com.

I have a dear friend who I’ve been friends with since we met in Atlanta, Georgia in the sixth grade and we graduated high school in 1985, so we’ve been friends a while. Anyway, as life goes, I moved to Florida and she moved elsewhere but we remained in touch then, about 3 years ago, I was thrilled when she told me she was moving to the west coast of Florida. She ended up moving to Fort Myers and loves it there.

She was always the tomboyish, outdoorsy type and one of the things she was pleased to find out one of the things to do in Fort Myers is great flats fishing. She went out and bought herself a little 16 foot or so boat to tool around the flats in, and every now and then I’m amused to get pictures of her latest catches of snook, redfish and trout. She does well and is able to eat a lot of what she catches.

We try and get together at least once a year usually during the spring, meet in Orlando to go to a Braves Spring Training Game, but that’s not nearly enough. So I was happy when she ended up buying a house in Fort Myers and was even happier when she invited us over to see it and celebrate with her. I had never been to Fort Myers before and was anxious to see it. I must say I was pleasantly surprised, when you first drive into the city it doesn’t look like much but then you get into the heart of the city and you realize why Thomas Edison and Henry Ford fell in love with Fort Myers, Thomas Edison even said, “There is only one Fort Myers, and 90 million people are going to find it”, sounds like love to me. The neighborhoods here really have that old time Florida feel from the style of the houses to their tree lined streets, like I said it’s really beautiful.

The first night we were there we decided to go out to dinner with my friend and had a little time to kill before she was available so we went over the bridge to the beach. The water is Emerald green and the beach is made of sugar-white sand and at dusk, when we were there, it’s absolutely breathtaking. While we were there the sun was setting now, I’ve never just stood and watched the sun actually set so I was amazed but how quickly it went down, it truly was spectacular. Fort Myers Beach, dubbed has been ‘the world’s safest beach’ because it has small waves and calm seas. It also has gentle slopes and sand bars in the waters near shore which make it a great place to teach a child to snorkel. Ok, in the interest of finishing my story, we did meet up with my friend that night and ended up at a great little neighborhood BBQ place, Famous Dave’s for a great meal and even better company.

The next day we went to visit someone else’s house, two other homes actually, those of Thomas Edison and Henry Ford. In 1885 Thomas Edison first visited Florida and as I said he fell in love with the area so much so that in 1886 he built a winter home here called “Seminole Lodge”. The Edison Museum and surrounding 14 acre estate were used in the winter by Edison until his Death in 1931. In 1947 Mrs. Edison donated the estate to the City of Fort Myers and in November of that year, the estate was opened to the public.

In 1915 the Edison’s invited their close friends Mr. & Mrs. Henry Ford, yes the car maker, for a visit and THEY loved it too. They bought the house right next door to the Edison’s and called it “Mangoes”. For the next 15 years the Fords and Edisons spent their winters together welcoming family and friends to thier lovely Fort Myers estates. In 1988 the Ford Home was brought by the City of Fort Myers and it too was opened to the public, in 1990.

The grounds really are beautiful, the landscaping and the houses are quite a sight, and they have a rather famous Banyan tree there. The laboratories are fascinating and everything has been left as if Edison or Ford just walked out of the room, at least they tried to keep it as true as possible. It’s wonerful that these joint estates have been opened up to the public they really are something to see.

We also visited Sanibel Island, renown for it’s spectacular shelling beaches where you can learn to do the “Sanibel Stoop”. What makes this such a great shelling place is the islands unique positioning, it runs east to west, which is different from most islands which run north to south, this allows it to catch the many different kinds of sea shells. As you search the sand looking for that perfect shell be sure to put lots of sunscreen on your neck and wear a hat so your head doesn’t burn. You will also need a bucket, net bag and scoop or shovel. Shelling at low tide after a storm is best and remember is illegal to take “live shells” from the sea. While on Sanibel Island be sure to visit the J.N. “Ding” Darling National Wildlife Refuge and enjoy one of the many bike paths, go bird watching, snorkel or walk along the beach.

We had only gone to visit my friend for the weekend so all too quickly it was time to go but I did enjoy my time in Fort Myers, what a nice little place. I was also glad my friend had found a place she felt good living in and am looking forward to an invitation back.