Cold on Sanibel Island?

Well this has been quite a month for weather, wouldn’t you say?

I don’t ever remember it being this cold down here… and one group that is not liking these frigid temps at all are the fish, particularly snook!

We are seeing huge numbers of dead fish floating onto shore, and even floating dead in some of the canals, which our marine biologists tell us is due to the fish becoming “dormant” when their water turns so cold and then forgetting to eat and therefore, they die… well, that doesn’t happen to me, I eat more when I get cold!  🙂

But, one positive note in the “circle of life” is that the birds are having a feast on the dead fish, which is also thought to be keeping them alive in these chilly temps by eating more.  And so life goes…

It turns out that this is happening all over Southwest Florida, but it’s particularly disturbing when it starts affecting local “treasures” such as the probable death due to freezing temps of our 30+ year old female American Crocodile.  Really sad!  At 12-ft long and 300 pounds, she was found dead on a trail along the Sanibel River.

Well, I’m just glad that things are starting to warm up again and getting somewhat “back to normal”… this truly has been a strange winter “weather-wise” for everyone it seems…

What are your thoughts?  How are you staying warm?

Have a great weekend,

Sandy and Rob

p.s.  Got some great deals over at SanCap One Source Realty… no, seriously, some really great deals!  🙂

Blind Pass Extended 3 More Weeks to July 8th

Well, slowly, but steadily, the Blind Pass Dredging Project is making progress.

Despite some mechanical problems with dear old “Dredge Nate”, who has now been relegated to work in the Gulf;   it seems that they are, in fact, moving at a reasonable rate.

An extension of three (3) weeks up to the date of July 8th rather than June 16th, has been added onto the project deadline for the simple fact that additional material has built up over the three year period between 2005 and 2008 when the two different surveys were taken for the proper timeline to be derived.

There also seems to be some concern with the finding of cement, asphalt and cemented seashells in the area, which has also seemed to add to the volume that needs to be removed.  You can see all of the details below:

Here is the pdf document to download if need be.

Well, that’s it for this week…

Have a great weekend,

Rob and Sandy

SanCap One Source Realty

Most Expensive Pair of “Free” Shoes…

Hey, does everyone know that we have a bit of a celebrity in our midst here on Sanibel Island?

I know, you’re probably thinking, “Only one?” and I would have to agree that Sanibel and Captiva are just full of creative, super-talented people, whether recognized “formally” or not.

But who I’m speaking of today is none other than our very own Derek Fell, now a contributing “illustrative artist/cartoonist” for the Sanibel-Captiva Islander.

Although Derek is extremely talented as an illustrator, he is also a visual genius in another area, and that is gardening and landscaping!  So much so that he’s written more than 60 books on the subject, most of which are listed on Amazon (if you’re interested).

Well, this leads me to the funny story behind the title of this post and that is, that Rob and I met Derek just shortly after he arrived to Sanibel a couple of years ago.  Rob had just purchased a new pair of running shoes and took off over lunch to break them in.

Upon returning, he complained that they were too small and that he couldn’t wear them comfortably and needed to now get a different “new” pair because these just wouldn’t work.

So, instead of tossing them in the trash (just kidding!) he decided to “donate” them to someone who had a smaller foot than he had and he placed them outside of our office on a ledge with a sign that read “If They Fit, They’re Yours”.

Lo and behold, Mr. Derek Fell happened upon them and thought that it was a joke, so he brought them into our office and we struck up a conversation.  He was not actually out that day looking for real estate, but rather just popping into a neighboring coffee shop for a quick cup o’ coffee when he saw the shoes.

Well, one thing led to another and he actually was in the market for a new home on the island. He and his wife, Carolyn, were planning to spend winters on Sanibel away from Pennsylvania, where the couple is from originally.

Derek ended up purchasing a home though Rob and I and we still joke with him to this day that “Those were the most expensive pair of “free” shoes that you’ve ever acquired!”  We are so grateful for synchronicities, otherwise we wouldn’t have met our now friends, Derek and his lovely wife, nor learned of his gardening/landscaping talent.

Derek is the perfect example of someone settling in a new location and bringing so much value to the community as a result.  Now that’s what you call a “win-win” for everyone!

You can certainly google “Derek Fell” for all of his links, but at least here’s the link to his landscaping website to get you started.

Have a great weekend!

Rob and Sandy

p.s.  Don’t forget to make your way over to our main website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  See you soon!

Sanibel and Captiva Islands – What Are They Really Like?

There are many websites dedicated to Sanibel and Captiva Island, but from our long-term, local perspective to someone wanting to possibly relocate here permanently, invest here, or even only spend part of the year here, we feel that it is so important to realize that “living” on these islands is different than anything that you’ve every experienced before… anywhere!

It sounds so cliché, but it’s true. You will see sunsets as if for the first time. You will begin to notice animals, birds and plants as if they were foreign in your previous city or town. The silence… the profound silence and the sound of the waves will leave you speechless. And when you start speaking of different shades of blues or different shades of greens, then you will realize that you have become a true islander and breathe a deep sigh.

Sanibel and Captiva Island are full of life! People don’t mope around depressed or “unfulfilled”, the energy in the air is intoxicating. The community activities, the great schools, the outdoor excursions to keep one in physical and mental shape, and of course the beaches, are beyond words that anyone could ever write…

We welcome you to our islands. We are here for you if you need a local to show you around, or you just need someone to call and answer your questions. Beyond real estate, we are pretty helpful neighbors, as well.

Look forward to your reaching out…

Until next post,

Robert and Sandy

p.s. Almost forgot to remind you to have a great week and don’t forget to leave a comment below! 🙂

p.s.s. Found the incredible video above on YouTube that sums up everything that words could not reach in my text… Pictures and music are much better tools… Enjoy this lovely 3:50 minute tribute to Sanibel!

p.s.s.s.  Also, don’t forget to make your way through our entire website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  Enjoy!

Let the Games Begin… Our First Blog!

Well, we did it!

Robert and I finally got our butts in gear and got this blog off the ground and we are SO excited to post every week and tell you everything that we can think of to help you get to know this entire area and exactly what it’s like to live here on these beautiful islands.

Our goal with this blog is to cover a lot of different topics to help paint the picture of what Sanibel and Captiva Island are all about. We will address things like our beaches, our fantastic shelling, our local businesses, island “culture”, some of the different housing types and neighborhoods, great family activities, local real estate investing conditions and much more.

We look forward to all of your comments, especially if any locals are reading and can add to our posts with their own thoughts and experiences, that would be great!

For now, we’ll leave it at that and look forward to next week with some great new info for you!

Have a great week and welcome to our new communication outlet… 🙂

Robert and Sandy

p.s. To leave a comment on this post, simply press the “Comment” link just below… Comment away!!

p.s.s.  Don’t forget to make your way through our entire website for all of your Sanibel and Captiva Island Real Estate needs.  Enjoy!