Jo and I are on vacation! We’re taking a week to rest and relax with our families on beautiful Sanibel Island, in south Florida. As we’ve mentioned before, we travel here every year to enjoy the sun, pool, ocean, and calm atmosphere. Sanibel is also world reknown for its shelling beaches and is a family-oriented vacation destination. Not touristy at all, Sanibel is a small community with bike paths, cute shops, and no towering hotels or chain restaurants.

When we stay in Sanibel, we always return to the same rental condominiums, Blind Pass. We love Blind Pass because it is incredibly quiet, peaceful, family-friendly and the best kept secret on the island. Located just off a huge expanse of private beach, the Blind Pass property also offers tennis, kayaking, swimming, and wireless internet (yay!). The condos at Blind Pass all come furnished and with fully equipped kitchens and their own washer and dryer — everything you could need for a week of fun in the sun. This place has really become a home away from home for us, and we always look forward to next year’s visit the day after we leave.

This year’s trip to the beach was a great time for us to try out the new beach blankets that Jo made for us a couple months ago. They were absolutely perfect! It was so nice to be able to lie in the sun on the spacious blankets.

If you decide to travel to Sanibel (which we highly recommend!) here are some good tips:

• Book your flight into Ft. Meyers (RSW) and rent a car to drive to the island.
• Stop at a grocery in Fort Meyers on the way to the island. Groceries are about twice as much after you get over there so get as much as you can before you reach your condo.
• Rent bicycles for the week at Billy’s Bike Rentals. While you are there, sign up for one of their Segway tours, they are a lot of fun and if it is your first visit, a guided tour will give you a behind-the-scenes look at the island.
• After biking into town from your condo, fill up at Cheeburger, Cheeburger for the best burgers, fries and shakes anywhere in the world! It is a franchise but the original one is on Sanibel.
• Shop the hot hours of the day away at Periwinkle Shops. The store you shouldn’t miss here is Pandora’s Box. It has a fantastic array of hand crafted and unique items. Jo always buys a Christmas ornament here every year for her collection.
• Now, head to the beach at low tide to find shells. One of the best shelling beaches in the world is Bowman’s Beach and if you rented your condo at Blind Pass, you will be located right on that beach!
• Before hitting the beach to soak up some rays, visit the Island Book Nook. The proprietor, Joan, is a delightful women and will gladly help you select a novel from her used book shop. We are sad to relay that Joan passed away. We will miss our island book friend but hope that the Island Book Nook will continue to provide our light summer reading while we visit. Thanks Joan, for all the books!
• If you need to stock up on any more daiquiri supplies or hot dogs for the grill, go to Jerry’s grocery store. While there, be sure to see the parrots they have in cages in the beautiful courtyard. The white cockatiel has a huge personality!

So while we’re here in Sanibel, we’ll still be writing and keeping up with the site, but we might take a few days off now and then, so bear with us. Also, please keep in mind that any store orders may be a little delayed this week.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I believe I hear the ocean waves calling my name.