Hats Off to Nature: Easter Special on Sanibel

I had a great and funny dream last night.

I dreamt I was on Sanibel for the week of Easter, April 11 to 18.

And there was an Easter Parade.

But not the usual Easter Parade.

This one was a parade of animals. The line up was alphabetical. First, came the alligators, then the Anhinga, then the Armadillo. Then came the Bobcats, the Bobolinks and the bats. They were followed by crows, catbirds and cobia. The parade went on and on, lining the entire distance of Sanibel-Captiva Road with creatures of all species, size and nature. And, if you are familiar with the vast number of creatures living on Sanibel, you can imagine the enormous expanse of this special Easter parade.

It was amazing to have all these Sanibel critters lined up and so docile, those from land as well as those from the sea. But what was even more amazing is that they were all wearing Easter Bonnets.

Even in my sleep, I was in awe that such a phenomena was taking place.

When I awoke, I pondered the message of the dream.

Did I want to be on Sanibel for Easter Week? Of course there was no doubt of that. Sanibel is a special place under any circumstances and holiday weeks are made more special by experiencing them on a tropical, natural, beautiful Island.

But what also occured to me, is that in all my years visiting Sanibel, in all the viewings of birds and animals and sea creatures, I have only seen the tip of the pyramid of the vast number of creatures living on Sanibel.

So I think my dream, as surreal as it was, allowed me a viewing I will never have in real life. It will take two centuries of daily observations to see all the beautiful creatures, great and small, that call Sanibel home.

Oh, what a wondrous place it is!