Although these photos were taken a week ago, the fact remains that it is a perfect season to be at Ocean’s Reach on the “best of the best” Sanibel beaches! The temp of the gulf is 77 degrees, just perfect for swimming Give us a call and come on down and enjoy our weather and the glorious Gulf!

KOR Provisions, located at Bailey’s Center, is just one of several new businesses opening on Sanibel recently. We welcome them all!

There are many reasons to open a business on Sanibel, the main one being that we are a unique sanctuary island with beautiful weather all year long, wonderful wildlife to view and shells to collect . The famous travel editor, Arthur Frommer, named Sanibel his #1 place to visit in 2012! Many this season are following his advice and bringing families and friends and dollars to spend on our local economy.

Stop in and say “hi” to the proprietors of this new gallery project and design store. KOR “Provisions for Island Living” showcases a beautiful array of paintings on glass and aluminum by Sanibel artist, Lisa Brown.

Protect yourself under the hot Florida sun with our commercial grade umbrellas, rented from Ocean’s Reach and with Reef Safe Suncare, available at Jerry’s and Bailey’s grocery stores.
Reef Safe Suncare offers skin care and protection that is biodegradable in oceans and non-toxic to sea life. Wear yours and be worry free in the gulf waters and out on the beach!

Bring the whole family to the beach! Bake in the sand at 90 degrees or cool off in warm 80 degree gulf waters.
View the water temperature here at this website to help plan your day!

Bowman’s Beach is Sanibel’s largest public beach!

Frank Mason, who has been spending winters at Ocean’s Reach for several years, has made cards from his paintings and photographs. There are several to choose from and they have proven to be very popular with our guests. A selection of his Ocean’s Reach Art, is available for sale in the office.

Frank is standing in front of the design he displayed at BIG Arts two years ago, titled “Knife, Fork Spoonbill”.

Thanks for sharing your special talent with all the Ocean’s Reach family!

Ocean’s Reach is perfect for Kiteboarding. The condominiums, located on the SW side of Sanibel Island, offer year round kiting and some of the best conditions in the US. The gulf side allows the fun and challenges of the surf and the causeway between Fort Myers and the island produce near slick conditions from multiple directions.

If you are staying at Ocean’s Reach and get a nice S, SE or SW wind, you can kite from the beach directly out front. The beautiful 100 foot (?) beach allows for room to rig up, launch and land without the busy beaches. If you need to do a downwinder, there is easy access south at the lighthouse, (don’t miss it or you will have to land at Fort Myers) and to the north you can land at Tarpon Beach.

Ocean’s Reach also has a perfect grassy area for washing the sand and salt from your kite and letting it sit and dry for the inevitable ride home. If there is no wind – bikes, a tennis court and basketball court are on site for you to enjoy. Still want to get on the water? The gulf on a calm day is perfect for the SUP and you might even get to ride with a pod of dolphins that seem to pass each day. If you still need something to do, kick back by the inviting pool and read a book. Ocean’s Reach is one of my favorite spots to visit and I will be back again in October, with my kites.

There is always something fun to do while staying at Ocean’s Reach. Check it out.

Dale Chilcote

President Roosevelt interacted with “Ding” Darling visitors and refuge staff last week during an impromptu visit. A crowd gathered around the flagpole Thursday morning to hear impersonator Joe Wiegand bring history to life of the National Wildlife System.

It was on March 14, 1903, that President Theodore Roosevelt established the first National Wildlife Refuge at Pelican Island, Fla., to help protect a colony of brown pelicans. Over the past 100 plus years, more than 540 National Wildlife Refuges have been established in the United States. The Refuge System is the world’s only network of lands dedicated primarily to protecting wildlife and their habitats. National Refuges comprise over 94 million acres of land in all 50 states, with a refuge within driving distance of most major cities.

“Ding” Darling was originally established in 1945 as the Sanibel National Wildlife Refuge and was later renamed in 1967 to honor pioneer conservationist Jay Norwood “Ding” Darling.

Sometimes a day trip is just the thing you need for a new perspective on life — especially one from 68 feet high in the air! One of our Ocean’s Reach families just returned from an unforgettable zip-lining adventure at the Forever Florida Wildlife Conservation Area, where they enjoyed a most unique taste of Old Florida. They “zipped” their way over a network of seven sky-high platforms that offered incredible vistas of the pristine 4,700-acre nature preserve, home to nine distinct Florida ecosystems including alligators, black bears, white-tail deer and nearly two hundred species of birds.

“Our group had an incredible time,” said Dina Craig, who brought along her husband and two teenage daughters. “We had several grandparents just zipping along, having more fun than the kids!”

Forever Florida is located about four hours away from Sanibel Island, approximately one hour southeast of Orlando. If treetop thrills aren’t quite your style, you can sit back and enjoy their relaxing open-air coach safari, a pioneer-styled horseback adventure, or the new “Cypress Canopy Cycle” where you can pedal your way over densely forested wetlands.

Osprey watching is an all time favorite spectator sport, from near or far. While Ocean’s Reach is still working on the installation of a secondary camera, the use of a telescope is a great replacement. Watch from your front door or move closer to the Grove to get a bird’s eye view.

In the summer of 2010, we planted many Butterfly Bushes and other plants in the grove area and around the entire complex. It has been a successful venture, as we have been rewarded with many butterflies. This past week I was delighted to see my first Zebra Swallowtail in our garden!

The Butterfly Bush is a perennial that has deep green foliage, with the blooms varying in color from white to red or purple, and resembling Lilac blooms. The flowers grow in clusters a foot or two in length, and have side branches and blossoms. The Butterfly Bush in a garden acts like a magnet to the butterflies, as they swarm to the brightly colored and fragrant blooms. Bees and Humming birds are also lured by this bush to gather the nectar.

The Butterfly Bush is fast spreading and will supposedly survive almost any soil and weather conditions. This might be a planting you would like to consider for your own garden at home. It’s so much fun to watch the beautiful butterflies gather!