Tilley's Hat

Sanibel Island has been on my list of places to visit for a long time and today that was our destination. White sand beaches, opportunities for biking (we didn't take ours), and great nature preserves makes Sanibel almost like paradise.  We also travelled out to the end of Captive Island, a place that is a combination of Newport's Bellevue Avenue and Carmel, CA. Huge estates that you can hardly get a glimpse of because of the lush vegetation that guards the approach to the house. But despite all this natural beauty, the highlight of the day was finding a hat, with a tie, that will actually fit Frederick. He has been grumbling for the past few days that when he wears his usual hats outside they are in danger of being blown away.  The other day he actually bought a baseball style cap that was tight on his head but didn't really provide adequate sun protection. On Sanibel, right next to Jerry's Market where we got great sandwiches for lunch, there was a clothing store that I noticed had quite a few hats.  We went in and after a few tries, found a hat named "Tilley's" that came in size 8. Perfect!

Frederick enjoying his new hat as we prepare to eat our luck at the Sanibel public beach.

After our lunch we enjoyed a walk on the beach. Sanibel is know for its seashell-hunting opportunities. Fanatical collectors patrol the beaches, scrunched over in what has become known as the "Sanibel Stoop" or "Captiva Crouch." There is even a Shell Museum whose collection of more than 150,000 specimens is the most comprehensive of its kind in the country.

Frederick performing the "Sanibel Stoop".

Another attraction that we enjoyed was the J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge. There is a great Wildlife Drive that we took and enjoyed three short trail hikes/walks that we availed ourselves of.

A school of mullets all lined doing synchronized swimming.

One of the short trails that we took was called the Shell Mound Trail, an interpretive walk that had exhibits that informed visitors of the Calusa Indians culture.  Following are two pictures that I took particularly to amuse Bill. 

Midden core sample reproduction.

Pre-historic arrow head.

Following, is another picture that I took to amuse a certain blog reader (Peter).

Horseshoe crab making fast progress on the bottom of one of the estuaries.