She sells sea shells by the sea shore"

'Had a decent breakfast.....thank you Hampton Inn. 'Like your hotel and amenities (except the duvet!).

Day trip to the north...but not far. For a long time I have been fascinated with the stories of shelling on Sanibel Island (near Fort Myers). Anne Morrow Lindbergh lived and wrote "A Gift from the Sea" right there.

Now detours are a part of our game....and Tanger Outlets just popped up along the way ........hmmmmm......new clothes!

Back on track! We saw landscapers planting palm trees in the median strip along the highway. The 20' trees had a root ball of about 20" in diameter! No wonder they are all propped up .....yes! they are!

Because this area/lifestyle are all centered on water, it is no surprise that it is EVERYWHERE. Florida is just a maze of bridges! As Sanibel is an island, it was not surprising that it required LONG bridges to get there. It was surprising to pay $6 for the privilege....but what a view! (It would be magnificent at sunset--I think). First stop, as usual, was the Welcome Center.....with a posted sign: "Please, remove the snow from your shoes before entering". OK they do have a sense of humor. With major TMI in hand, we headed for the shell museum. Who knew we were so ignorant?! Shells, shells, shells...from the beaches here and around the world. All specimens were identified and grouped....every color, size, shape and texture imaginable. Also good exhibits about the use of shells....money, tools, buttons, and even mosaics made by sailors as Valentines for their sweethearts and intricate cameos cut in relief into the shell exteriors. There was an excellent film about mollusks. Very detailed but understandable. Just fantastic photography. We don't think enough about the inhabitants of these shells....but on Sanibel they do. In fact, it is illegal to harvest a shell with a live mollusk inside of it. Some of these critters are not really fun to look at, but it is fascinating.

By this time WE needed food! Many restaurants are closed in September which is an off-season for tourists (avoiding hurricanes most likely.....Humberto hit Texas this morning!). Could you resist a crazy place named "Island Cow"? It was fine for us. A little campy, a little ditsy, a great lunch of crab and fried oysters to-die-for. The restrooms are marked "Bulls" and "Heifers". A fun spot! but the shells were calling............ You MUST pay to park AND only in designated lots. The beaches are clean and endless. They are very white and the water ranges from almost yellow, to green, to deep blue. The tide must have just started to recede. Unfortunately, the BEST shelling in in Winter at low tide.....but we got some anyway. Nothing spectacular...but they don't pick them up at Fearrington. I have pictures of what is publicized (dense accumulations) and also, what prevails (scattered--much like Oak Island). It was okay, but a little disappointing. Meanwhile, it was hot, HOT, HOT ....damn HOT! So we headed for the air conditioned car and continued our exploration in comfort. The lighthouse is absolutely ugly. It looks like it was put together from a scrap metal heap.

After a generous lunch, we opted for picking up salads at Fresh Market to eat "in". Tonight the Pres will tell us why he is going to "stay the course" and then the Dems will tell us how stupid that plan is for both Iraq and the USA. John Edwards is to be on MSNBC right afterwards (unfortunately we do not receive it)...and maybe on Larry King's delayed show too. I just don't know where the "Shrub" gets his ideas now that Rove and Rumsfield have left the sinking ship!