Sanibel Sunrise

The advancing waves washed into fill the moat one of the biggest sandcastles that 
I had ever seen.   

We hadn’t noticed it earlier in the half-light before the dawn. .

  It was quite a work of art with the battlements and turrets liberally adorned with shells.   We had just experienced a touch of ‘early morning magic,  sunrise on Sanibel Island on south-west Florida’s Gulf Coast. Surprisingly tame sea birds had strutted along the tide-line with us giving us a chance to admire their distinctive plumage. 

A squadron of brown pelicans drifted effortlessly in the sky sweeping towards the sea. They glided with scarcely a wing beat. It was hard to believe that a bird that looked so elegant in the air could be so ungainly on the ground. 
The pelican’s webbed feet are situated far back on it’s body, designed more for paddling than for walking on land.

With it’s large beak and pouch it is the most widely recognised coastal bird. Their comical appearance never fails to raise a smile. “Yes a marvellous bird is a Pelican, it’s mouth can hold more that it’s belly can…though I don’t know how the hell-he-can.”

A few other folk had appeared and began to stroll along the waters edge. With the exception of a couple of healthy characters intent on a brisk walk, they all moved slowly along with eyes cast down at the carpet of shells that the sea had recently deposited at their feet. Billions of shells are cast up during the winter.  Figures seem to vary but they reckon that there are about 275 different kinds of shells found in the shallow waters of Sanibel and the neighbouring Captiva Island and another 500 species live far out in the Gulf of Mexico at depths ranging from 80 to 2000 feet

‘Shelling’ seemed to be a major preoccupation when visitors when they were not soaking up the sun or swimming in the hotel pool or the sea. 

"Shells" sounded pretty boring but how wrong could I be.
 Until I had visited the  museum of Shells on Sanibel I did not realise that the dull sun bleached shells that we crumpled under feet,  were,  in their natural state, i.e. under water, all the colours of the rainbow.  

A good time to visit the island is the first weekend in March when they have an arts and crafts event at the community centre where the local enthusiasts set up * they often have a touch tank that the children have brought  shows people the creature that live inside the shells   

Exploring on a bike there’s a chance to smell the pine trees or take the side lanes that run through the woods past old wooden houses with verandas and swinging seats suspended beneath the bough of an old oak tree  

A number of inns and apartments were set back from the shore and happily all seemed to be largely concealed by the lush vegetation.  A couple of palm trees climbed high above our balcony at the West Wind Inn on West Gulf Drive. There were bikes that you could hire and go exploring.

 There were cycle tracks and where not the law was that cars gave way.  Occasionally you could pedal up grit drives and pause to enjoy the wild life like woodpeckers at work or view some really expensive real estate.  If you had money there could be few more agreeable places in the States to live. 

The few roads on the island were busy (in spite of the $3 dollar toll at the causeway) the island draws people with most of the traffic heading up to Bowman’s Beach. It gives public access to the sea and has picnic areas, showers and parking (75c an hour).

FACTFILE

Virgin Holidays, feature west wind inn

Lee Island Coast Visitor & Convention Bureau
Roebuck House, Palace Street
London SW1E 5BA
England

 web site: www.LeeIslandCoast.com .