SANIBEL ISLAND ~ AVON PARK

A short trip to Sanibel Island. Quiet, peaceful and very nice beaches!  We stayed at the Anchor Inn, an extremely "beachy" place.  All of the rooms have a kitchenette and plenty of space.  I didn't take pictures of it/guess I'll have to go back sometime!  

Great place to stay and a good "deal" too. 

We awoke very early to walk the beaches and look for seashells.  I found an olive shell, which is an elongated oval shape. They rarely grow beyond three inches.  The one I found is about 1 3/4 inches and very

sun-bleached, with small shells imbedded inside of the narrow opening. 

My footprints walking in the sand, at a very early hour, on Friday.  We found many seashells ~ a small selection in the photo below.  The Olive shell I found is not extraordinarily beautiful, it is just hard to find on the beaches.  It's the one at the bottom, to the right of the snail looking one. 

                                                                   

Went to Ding Darling Refuge for birding.  All information I had said it is open 7 days/week. We planned on the Refuge for Friday, but found out at the Sanibel Island Tourist Center it's closed on Fridays!  No problem, a little glitch won't stop us!  We flew out there and got in before closing time.  The ride through turned up the "regulars" as far as birds go.  Roseate Spoonbills being the main attraction. 

Schnapper's Hot Dogs, on Sanibel Island ~ YUMMO!

...of days gone by...

Yes, even tastier than it looks!
Joe had a sausage with onions and green peppers, No time to take a picture, he devoured it quickly.  

BONES - hmmm?  We saw several on the beach, what/who could they be from? 
 An old pirate?
 Al Capone's  era?
Someone that fell off a cruise ship?
An animal?  

Taking the long bridge over to Sanibel Island.
Above - paying the $6 toll to get onto the island. 

JACARANDA HOTEL - Avon Park 
http://www.hoteljac.com/
We stayed at the Jacaranda one night. The interior is full of original antiques, from back in the day when Al Capone, Clark Gable, Babe Ruth, Lou Gehrig, the entire St. Louis Cardinal baseball team, George Burns and Gracie Allen and many other celebrities vacationed in Central Florida. Pictures of visitors to the Jacaranda grace the walls, along with pictures of what the town was like back then. 

Avon Park ~ The Longs/Heating and Cooling Company/their home has a plane in the frontyard and the buildings have dramatic paintings on them.