How about a special gift to send to a friend back home. The Sanibel-Captiva Nature Wall Calendar comes shrink wrapped and ready for gift giving and mailing. Attach your label and drop it in our mail box for daily pick up.
A monthly reminder of the wildlife and natural beauty to be enjoyed on Sanibel-Captiva–whether you are near or afar. Truly a work of art, featuring many famous photographers, that over the years have become collectors items. Start your collection today!
The calendar retails for $13.95 and is sold throughout Southwest Florida in book stores, gift shops and other retailers including Ocean’s Reach. Mail orders send $13.95 (plus $2 shipping and handling) to: Sanibel-Captiva Nature Calendar, P.O. Box 356, Sanibel Island, FL 33957. For the custom-printed Blind Pass Tide edition (available in the fall), send $16.95 (plus $2 shipping and handling) to the above address.
Billy Kirkland, owner of Billy’s Rentals, seems to have a new toy! Whoa…. and does it look like fun! Just don’t get your hopes up yet for Sanibel super speed bicycling as they are not yet available to the public.
Charlie had a blast with this new high powered bicycle Billy brought by to demonstrate. We’ve never seen Charlie on a bike so you know this new toy had to be something special.
Watch for them in your home town. They are fast and incredibly fun!
On Sunday, December 27, 2009, the lights were twinkling and all eyes were sparkling with merriment as 80 fellow Sanibel neighbors and guests joined together for a holiday musical performance sponsored by Broadway vocalists James Dalfonso, Deborah Jenkins and Mark Malachesky and the owners of Ocean’s Reach.
Our special musical guests have had extensive touring and single engagement performances with national symphonies, opera companies and musical theatre productions. These famous musicians joined us on Sanibel from the East Coast to present a festive Christmas presentation just for us. Ocean’s Reach has been able to present this concert only due to the gift of these musicians who have made Ocean’s Reach their “home away from home” for numerous years.
Delicious beverages and desserts were enjoyed by all before and after the performance.
Our heartfelt thanks goes out once again to James, Deborah and Mark!
The following excerpt was provided to us courtesy of the Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, and is just one more story about the extraordinary shelling taking place on Sanibel beaches this winter. Our thanks to the Museum for sharing.
A Star was Born
More than one star was born on December 25th, the day that Christians from around the world celebrate the birth of their savior.
Nearly every day, avid shelling enthusiast, Jeff Oths, Assistant General Manager of the Sanibel Community House and Vice-President of the Sanibel-Captiva Shell Club, walks along Lighthouse Beach. Angulate wentletraps bring a sparkle to Jeff’s eyes, quite appropriate since it’s a special pre-dawn glow that helps Jeff discover wentletraps at this location.
On Christmas Day Jeff received his first and most treasured Christmas gift before he ever made it to the Christmas tree. While walking at Point Ybel, digging through narrow piles of shells, Jeff spotted something that he knew right away was different. It was a star-shaped shell measuring about 22 mm in diameter. He poured through Florida shell guides, at first to no avail. Until a definitive identification could be made, it would be called “The Christmas Star.” Finally, turning the page one more time, he found a replica of his special Christmas gift. It was a long-spined star snail, a species generally found on other shores of the Atlantic Ocean.
A trip to The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum to visit with Dr. José H. Leal, Director/Curator of the Museum, revealed another exciting facet of his discovery. Dr. Leal concurred with Jeff’s identification and shared that not only had the shell never been documented on Sanibel, but it was the 300th named Sanibel shell to be added to the Museum’s data base. (http://shellmuseum.org/shells/shellspic.cfm)
So come on down to Ocean’s Reach and see what you might discover on our beautiful beaches!
My next destination was to walk by the City Of Palms Baseball Stadium, winter home of the Boston Red Sox. It is only a few more days before the pitchers and catchers arrive for training. It is a beautiful stadium and sells out every game during the month of March. Outside the stadium is a statue of my favorite ballplayer when I was a kid. If you can name the player and his favorite charity you will win a prize to be determined by our expert panel, Charlie and Dru.
Ocean’s Reach is pleased to present an article that has been shared with us by Kathleen Hoover of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum. It is always exciting to have such expert knowledge to share and to know that all of us are always welcome at the museum with our unusual finds.
Illinois Resident Finds Giant Tun Shell
For 38 years, Rob Meyer and his family have walked the same stretch of beach along East Gulf Drive, but his stroll on Sunday with his son Michael was more fruitful than usual. Glancing down into the clear water between the shore and the first sandbar, Rob saw something that looked different. Posed in the typical Sanibel stoop, Rob scooped up a large shell he hadn’t found on previous trips to Sanibel. “This seaweed-covered shell was freely moving with the current. I knew right away it was something different. When I couldn’t find it in any of my shell guides, I decided to bring it to the Museum to get expert advice,” reported Meyer.
“I first visited the Museum the year it opened. It was fun to come back and share this with my children and see how things have changed,” said Meyer. He was thrilled to find out that his mystery shell was Tonna galea (Linnaeus, 1758), or giant tun. The word tun means cask shell or wine jar. This gastropod is found in the deeper waters of the Caribbean and Mediterranean. Usually it is a caramel brown color; thin but strong, with broad prominent ribs or growth lines. It feeds on fish, crustaceans, sea cucumbers, and sea urchins. The animal has a large foot, is yellowish in color with black mottling, and small eyes at the base of the proboscis.
According to Dr. José H. Leal, the director of The Bailey-Matthews Shell Museum, “This snail produces babies that live for a long time in the larval stage, drifting in the water. This phenomenon allows babies to be transported to places that are distant from where their parents generally live. Is not unusual to find them on shores where they haven’t been found before. I’m always thrilled when shellers race to the museum to learn more about the unusual shells they find,” stated Dr. Leal.
Some folks just know how to get the job done! As Andy Kinsman writes,
“Yup, truth be known I cheated by going out last night at 10PM with a very powerful flashlight and found this gem”!
As the Sanibel Causeway rises toward heaven, it is getting a little more heavenly! Lee County is dramatically changing the landscape on the Sanibel causeway, and as you can see from the following pictures, there are many new and beautiful plants and trees being planted. You will love the new entrance to your Sanibel vacation!
The winner of our “Mystery Man” contest, Linda Redman of Titusville, Florida, should soon be enjoying her copy of Alan Maltz’s captivating new coffee table book which is an artistic journey through one of Florida’s premier destinations. Alan’s newest release is now on the shelves, so be sure pick up your copy soon!
Once again our congratulation and thanks to Linda for joining in and correctly identifying our “Mystery Man”, Alan Maltz!
On Sunday, the 20th of December, Andy took a day trip to Naples to see the new Naples Botanical Garden. The Garden originally opened in 1993, however it has been closed for the last few years. A group of 8 people from Naples worked together to raise millions of dollars to rebuild the 170 acre area. It reopened on November 15th of this year and the beauty of the garden cannot be described. The admission is $10 and it is well worth the trip as you can see from the photos. Many thanks to Andy for sharing!
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