My first trip to Sanibel Island was a road trip in a gold-painted Cadillac. I was old enough to remember but young enough to think that recording the song The Chordettes’ Mr. Sandman from the rear speakers onto an cassette player was cool. That’s how it went from Iowa to Florida. When my brother and sister and I weren’t sleeping, we were trying to get the entire Mr. Sandman on tape.

We were visiting my grandparents who had been visiting the island since it required a ferry ride to get across. They owned a house on the island and developed a small subdivision along the Sanibel River.

“Weirdness is only weird if you fight it.”
― Randy Wayne White

One of my favorite subjects on the island is the driftwood. I love how it accumulates near the lighthouse or on the causeway. One large tree has been there for over nine years and it looks a little more worn in the photos, but not much.

The mangroves are fun to photograph, too.

And the beaches…

Can the island life get much better than that?

Mr. Sandman, bring me a dream
Make him the cutest that I’ve ever seen
Give him the word that I’m not a rover
Then tell him that his lonesome nights are over

No, it can’t get much better than that.

Good night, Sanibel Island. You’ll be in my dreams.

Download the Tear Sheet: Sanibel Island