Oh! The Places I've Been - "S" is for SANIBEL ISLAND, FLORIDA

Snowbird. snow·bird  noun ~  one who travels to warm climes for the winterAs used in a sentence: Like many of the state's snowbirds, they live in Florida from November through March.I traveled to Sanibel Island in the early 1990's. My mother had rented a condo for the month of January, and each of her three daughters traveled south to stay with her for a time. I was there in the middle of the month. This was my first trip to Florida, and I almost didn't make it. My sister had planned to take me to the airport, but the locks on her car doors were frozen. That's just how it is. Hop a plane and arrive in another world: 80 degrees (a little humid), everything in bloom, Christmas lights still strung from the cactus and palms.Sanibel Island is home to a variety of birds, and they can be seen on the beaches, the causeway islands, and the reserves. Common sights include pelicans, herons, and egrets, as well as the more common birds like sandpipers and seagulls.My mother wanted to visit the J. N. "Ding" Darling Wildlife Preserve every day. It was especially lovely to see flocks of flamingos at sunset. Just pink and orange everywhere.The beaches are famous for shelling - people walk with a certain "stoop," always searching for the prettiest shell to add to their collection. Don't walk barefoot on the beach! There are a lot of shells, and they have sharp edges.You know, it was a sweet getaway from winter at the time. But all around me, I heard that Rhode Island accent, so I never really felt as if I'd left. Hey, not for nothin'...