Thursday, January 12, 2012

Mermaids, Mangroves, and Manatees.......

The gray days of winter made me do it! (post MORE pics of Florida, I mean) I know, I know.....my blog is starting to become a travel brochure, but I promise this is the last of my FL pics.........for now, anyway!
What could possibly be more fun than watching a real live mermaid show in crystal clear bubbling springs through giant underwater windows?

For this aspiring mermaid......NOTHING! (except getting in there myself, but they have silly rules about that)

It's vintage Florida for sure, being one of the state's earliest tourist attractions, and it seems so quaint and low-key compared to the mega-attractions of Orlando, but I'm really glad it's still open and delighting little mermaids of new generations!

My Florida mantra is "off-season...off-season...off-season"! There are such killer deals on fabulous hotels from September to December......and the weather is usually great! The Sanibel Harbour Resort, overlooking Sanibel, Captiva and Pine Island, was practically deserted! (and the pools are even heated....oh yeah!)

Sanibel Island is almost one-half wildlife preserve and the best way to see it is drifting through the beautiful mangrove trails via kayak.

It's beautifully serene to drift along and quietly take in all the amazing scenes of nature as you decompress into a totally chilled-out and mellow state of mind.
Manatees love the warm waters of the Florida inlets this time of year (it's super hard to get pictures of them!).

So much beauty......
.......but the sunsets - with the ever-present seagulls - always steal the show!




6 comments:

Lou Cinda @ Tattered Hydrangeas said...

I have been there and love it too! From the time I was a little girl to a not so little girl!

Glad you had such a great time!

Lou Cinda

sugar Creek said...

If I could go right now I would! It's snowing today!! Beautiful photos!

countrycharisma said...

Hey Nancy! Yes you are working for Fla tourism even if you are NOT paid. They really should pay you though. Pictures are great. I love it too, and wish my hubby did as much as me. He would just as soon be left at home.
I was just doing some catching up on blogging; been doing many other things like entertaining family, cooking, hunting, traveling, and working on jewelry.
Glad you are doing well on Etsy. I would love to go the the MusicCity show this Feb. It is including a Vintage section this year. They moved it from Fairgrounds to Expo Center at Hendersonville. Think that was a wise decision. Would like to have shown, but not enough time to get ready for it after Country Living Show. Let me know when you are up my way! PS check out my living room!

Sea Witch said...

Poo on those silly rules, jump ride in and mermaid away. I'm so jealous of this trip you have taken. I adore Sanible and Captiva. Spent many many winters there as a child, had to take the "ferry" across as the bridge had not been built yet. The shelling is amazing and Capitiva's inhabitants were only nature at that time. Sea Witch

Niftic Vintage said...

Just beautiful...love Sanibel! Welcome to the Vestiesteam!

Anonymous said...

Hi!
My name is Jane and I'm with Dwellable (and I love the name of your blog!).
I was looking for blog posts about the Sanibel Harbor Resort to share on our site and I came across your post...If you're open to it, shoot me an email at jane(at)dwellable(dot)com.
Hope to hear from you :)
Jane