Category: Travel

Places to visit, sights to see, in the state of Florida.

Take it From The Pro – The Sanibel Six (Seashells That Is)

Olive shells
Olive Shells

I recently came across a picture on Pinterest and thought it looked familiar.  I clicked on a picture of six tropical seashells with the title “The Sanibel Six” hoping it would lead me to the blog I thought it was associated with, and it did.

Blogger Pam writes the “i love shelling” blog and she has a great post about the six top shells she has discovered that people collect while visiting Sanibel Island in Florida.  She would know, because her blog is all about shelling (as you may have guessed), but not only the shelling she does, but the shelling vacationers to “her” island do.  She lives there (don’t let your jealousy show), and has decided to share with the world what she sees going on at the beaches.  Mainly what the tourists are collecting.

She has a wonderful blog and it’s the perfect idea since she spends lots of time on the beaches too.  Why not get to know the people who are sharing island space with you?  It’s such a great idea and I always learn something when I read her blog.  She includes awesome videos too.

She is my hero, and when I retire to live on the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway), I plan to be spending my time shelling too.  It’s not the same as Sanibel, but the little islands up and down the ICW in Florida contain some great stuff too.  I may not blog about it since I won’t be running into many tourists out in the boonies of the Indian River, but I know I will discover and maybe collect some great stuff too.

Back to the story at hand.  Of the six seashells she chose, I only have two of them.  So what are the six shells that are most widely collected on Sanibel?  I’ll give you a hint, one of them is pictured here.  As for the others,  well according to Pam, they are these.

Personal Stories About Going on a Cruise

English: The cruise ship Celebration when it w...
English: The cruise ship Celebration when it was part of Carnival Cruise Lines docked in Nassau, Bahamas (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Going on a cruise is the best time ever for some people and others just don’t like it. I have only been on one cruise and it was a “surprise”, which means my husband decided we would go and since he figured I probably wouldn’t want to, he made it a surprise.  My kids were young and I did not like the idea of being that far removed from them.  That’s why I could not totally enjoy myself.

But, I did enjoy parts of the cruising experience.  The shows were great and our time off the boat were fun.  We went snorkeling in Cozumel and spent a morning on Key West.  We had a couple of friends to hang out with which made it fun too.  I would have liked to have had time to plan and know what to expect going on my first cruise.  I may have enjoyed it more.  A Beginner’s Guide to Cruising brings up the sea-sickness aspect of the trip and other things that are good to know – like bringing your own drinks (non-alcoholic) on board.

If you really want to get a feel for what a cruise would be like, read a blog or article about a real life experience.   Whether it’s a time alone on a honeymoon cruise, a special holiday trip, or a family reunion, every body may want something different from their cruise experience.  Also be aware that cruise lines, and what they offer, can vary widely. My son just went to Nassau on a Carnival cruise ship and was unimpressed.

Food is an important part of cruising and everyone will tell you that it is available day and night.   I imagine that frequent cruisers could easily gain a few pounds!  But most ships have a place to work out and the sheer size of the ships mean you will be doing a lot of walking, so that would help.

Once you have decided that you must try a cruise, then all that is left is to pick a destination or location you wish to visit, and sail away.

Related articles

Camping at Florida’s Beautiful State Parks

camping trailer art
Vintage RV camper art by arti1st @ Zazzle

Most people I know visit Florida by plane.  They stay at an expensive resort in Disney World or in a condo at the beach (or both) and then head home.  Not only is that type of vacation quite costly, it means that the best parts of Florida (in my opinion) have been missed.

Of course, if you are not an outdoorsy type of person, you may be very happy to skip a trip to a state park, or chance to kayak on a river.  Campers have adventurous blood running through their veins, and they know how to find adventure while saving their cash.

As you get ready to plan your camping vacation in Florida, just remember that it is hot there.  Most of the year it is very hot, with no cool down at night either.  Camping with the luxury of air conditioning is the way to go, if you ask me, but to each his, or her, own.

When planning your trip, a great place to start is the Welcome to Florida State Parks site.  This website is full of great information about the many parks all over the state as well as the variety of campsites available.  Some places have facilities for horses and some are for boat hookups, so you can “camp” in your boat as you travel.  Some are right on the ocean, with beaches just a few steps away.  If you are truly adventurous and prefer seclusion, look for a location in the Primitive Camping area.  (You own snakebite proof boots, right?)

Navigating the site is easy.  View a state map and choose the area you plan to visit, then click on the links there.   More specific information is given on each specific park page.  I like the looks of Gamble Rogers Memorial State Recreation Area at Flagler Beach.  Park the camper right on the dunes with the ocean on one side and the ICW (Intracoastal Waterway) on the other.

** At the time of writing this, there are alert notices for certain parks, and one of them (Blue Springs) is familiar to me, so I looked it up.  The notice is because the manatees have come into the spring area early so the spring has been closed for swimming.  Of course going there to view the manatees is allowed.

Camping is one of the best ways to visit the real Florida.  These are the beautiful places that Disney lovers never venture out to see.   And they are really missing out.

P.S.  Disney has camping too.
(The postcard image is from art1st’s store @ Zazzle)