The Value of Pace on Sanibel Island

There is great value put on place regarding the Island of Sanibel. It is appreciated for the abundance of nature, the tropicality, the great shell collecting and the wonderful leisure, recreational and cultural amenities it provides.

But the island provides another value that is not so easily defined in naming its pleasures.

Life on Sanibel, if you choose, can be taken at a turtle's pace.

Sanibel will provide you with the opportunity to do those little things that bring you pleasure and help you to enjoy the moment what ever you do. Take your coffee on the lanai and sit and sip. Stretch out in a hammock between two swaying palms and read a book. Take a cooler to the beach with lunch and just sit and watch the pelicans dive for their own meal.

As the humorist Will Rogers once wrote: "Half our life is spent trying to find something to do with the time we have rushed through life trying to save." Sanibel will take you from the world of multi tasking, slow your pace, keep you from pushing the river to its banks, and let you enjoy life as it should be.

Elusive Sanibel Bobcat Captured on YouTube

One of the things I love about the new technologies is that one can find just about any "proof" of life with a simple search.

For years I have been hearing of Bobcat sightings on Sanibel, and over the years I have on occasion seen the short tail of one disappearing into the brush.

Or there have been sounds at night that were unmistakably wild feline.

So I know that they are out there.

But getting a good look at these shy creatures has not to date been possible despite my strong desire to see them. And why not, I am a cat lover and these cats are really something remarkable.

Reading that:

"The bobcat, a type of lynx, ranges throughout southern Canada, the United States, and northern Mexico. Smaller than other lynx species, the bobcat averages about 65 cm (26 in) high at the shoulder. Its spotted coat helps it blend in with rocks and brush. Although they are primarily terrestrial, bobcats are good climbers. Solitary and territorial animals, a bobcat will rarely enter another bobcat’s territory, searching out the company of others only to mate."

My interest was more than piqued. So I have wandered around the Island, day and night, in and out of overgrown vegetation searching for this beautiful specimen. No luck thus far.

That is until I stumbled across the video from someone luckier than I and who was able to catch a good (not great, but good) glimpse of one.

Thanks to Youtube, at least I can now say I have seen a Bobcat on Sanibel. And so can you by clicking here:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x3fpSjk3hpQ

Sanibel and Ireland Both Wear the Green

Years ago on a trip through Ireland I was struck by four things.

It's an amazingly green place.

It's an amazingly friendly place.

It's an amazingly tidy place.

Though not known for its culinary achievements, there are some amazingly good meals to be had. Among them are the variety of Irish stews served up in local pubs in just about every little town throughout the country.

So, considering a trip down to Sanibel in March, I came across an advertisement for Celtic Stew at one of our favorite hang-outs, Doc Ford's. I started to salivate thinking of the steaming, flavorful stews enjoyed years ago on drizzly days in front of blazing fires.

Irish stew, "ballymaloe" or "stobhach gaelach" as it is called in Gaelic, is traditionally made of lamb or mutton (less tender sheep over two years of age), potatoes, onions, and parsley. Often, lamb or mutton neckbones, shanks, and other trimmings were the only basis for the stock. Yet, these would-be discards still held enough flavor after a long simmering process to do justice to a hearty bowl of stew.

Visions of this sumptuous mix were dashed, however, as I realized that the Celtic Stew being advertised at Doc Ford's was not something to feed the belly but to entertain the ears for St. Patrick's Day.

Billed as an Irish Pub Band, the musicians of Celtic Stew will be entertaining everyone lucky enough to be at Doc Ford's on March 17 from 7 to 10 p.m. If you like Irish pub music, I think you are going to like this lively band. Check out their sound on their MySpace page: http://www.myspace.com/celticstew

Certainly the music is a great way to celebrate this fun filled holiday while on fun filled Sanibel.

And other comparisons to be made between these two green islands are apparent.

Sanibel is an amazingly green place!

Sanibel is an amazingly friendly place!