SANIBEL ISLAND (FL) –- BG and the boys have an extremely rare mid-season week off until Saturday and so “From the Swamp” decided to do the same. We are coming to you from sunny Sanibel Island in Florida and man this is exactly what the doctor ordered after the crummy winter we’ve had up north.

We flew on Spirit and they should seriously consider changing their name to Cattle Car Airways. Their website suggests that you show up to the airport 3 hours before departure and there is a good reason for that. We had to check a bag ($25) and the line was humongo. Then we had to go thru security which was another lengthy affair. Once on board, we had a choice of a bag of pretzels ($4) a can of pop ($3) or a candy bar ($3). They get you from point A to point B in relative comfort, so they’ve got that going for them.

You’ll find Sanibel Island in the Gulf of Mexico off the coast of Ft. Myers, connected to the mainland by a 3 mile long causeway. Driving over to the island you will inevitably spy sea gulls, pelicans, fishermen and boats of every sort on the water. It’s almost like you are going back in time, to the way Florida used to be. No high rises. No traffic lights. No tourist traps. No Starbucks. No McDonald’s (altho they do have a Dairy Queen on Sanibel where we had lunch when we got here). The Red Sox spring training facility is located across the Causeway in Ft. Myers. I love me some Red Sox but I guess I am not enuf of a fanboy to sit and watch a bunch of grown men stretch, exercise and play catch without seeing them play an actual game.

Sanibel is a barrier island, meaning that sea shells wash up on the shore undamaged and in unbelievably large quantities. You will see people of all ages performing the “Sanibel Stoop” as they bend over the surf in search of unburied treasure. We have found some really cool shells over the years, as well as a live baby octopus and a lobster smaller than the size of my thumb -– he was great with drawn butter!

The big attraction on Sanibel is the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, which really is a must-see kinda deal. You can drive, walk or bicycle the 6 mile long trail that wends its way thru mangrove swamps, lakes, canals and bush teeming with critters, among them 220 species of birds. The first year we came to Sanibel we biked it in 90 degree heat, with me dragging the two then-diminutive Swampettes behind me in a “bugger.” That was tons o’ fun, let me tell ya. The highlight of the circuit is encountering alligators in their natural habitat. The rangers have erected mesh fencing to keep the gators and humans separated but the reptiles sometimes manage to find their way out to the edge of the trail, which makes it interesting.

My favorite family story about Sanibel also occurred on that first visit. On the way back from touring the Ding Darling Wildlife Refuge, Mrs. Swampy and I saw a “Gator Crossing” sign and thought it would be cute to get a picture of the girls standing in front of it, since their school’s nickname was the “Greenfield Gators.” Being youngsters, they took the meaning of the sign quite literally — as in that’s where all of the alligators actually crossed the road. Neither one of ‘em smiled for the snapshot and as soon as I took it they hustled their buns back to our convertible and the Elder Swampette exclaimed “Get me out of here!”

Kids.

We had breakfast today at the Lighthouse Café, which bills itself as having “The World’s Best Breakfast” and they ain’t lyin’. The Lighthouse potatoes have chunks of onions and peppers mixed in with the taters; the bacon is thick sliced and not burnt to a crisp and make sure you try the homemade strawberry preserve on your toast. Check ‘em out:

http://www.lighthousecafe.com/

Just north of Sanibel is tiny Captiva Island, home of the South Seas Plantation Resort and the kooky restaurant The Bubble Room. You have gotta try The Bubble Room if you are ever here, as it’s a very unique dining experience. Bubblicious linkage:

http://www.bubbleroomrestaurant.com/frameset.html

From Captiva you can take twilight cruises and have dolphins jump in the wake of your ship or head over to Cabbage Key, home of the original “Cheeseburger in Paradise” that Jimmy Buffet sang about, both of which are accessible only by boat.

Over the years, we’ve stayed at places all over Sanibel: at the ginormous Sundial Resort; the Holiday Inn; the much quainter Shalimar where our room literally looked out over the water; at a private condo; the Sunset Beach Resort last trip, while this time we are ensconced at the Blue Dolphin, which only has 10 units. To show you how old school Sanibel is, the Blue Dolphin doesn’t offer high speed internet access –- only dial-up! Who does dial-up anymore? The only public places with free Wi-Fi that we have found are The Sanibel Bean Coffee House and an area outside Jerry’s Supermarket with tables and chairs, but no electrical outlets to plug into.

Fortunately, come Saturday night we’ll be staying at the Spring Hill Suites near the airport, as we have an early flight Sunday morning. I’ll be tapping into their free high speed internet access to watch and/or listen to the St. Louis game.

Meanwhile, some other thoughts that crossed my mind:

— Kinda surprised to hear a spot for the University of Michigan Medical Center on the Ft. Myers oldies radio station. But when I realized it was for their skin cancer treatment center it made perfect sense: we are sitting in the epicenter of Carcinoma City.

— I worked at CNN for 10 years and thank God I never had to sell ads for this show:

http://www.latimes.com/news/printedition/asection/la-na-onthemedia28-2009jan28,0,1117746.column

— It seems like everybody has a ribbon decal on the back of their car promoting some cause or another these days, whether it be breast cancer, AIDS awareness or our troops overseas. Saw one last weekend on the Ohio Turnpike that said “Support Farting.” Wait…what?

— When I was growing up the “Superman” TV show had just hit the airwaves and it was doing a 90% share –- that’s right 90% — in the kids 6-12 year old demographic. Sure the special effects were really cheesy, but I wanted to be able to fly like George Reeves. I would grab a clean bath towel from the clothes line, secure it with a big old safety pin and spend hours leaping around pretending that I was the “Man of Steel.”

What super hero should you be? Here is the place to find out. Superhero linkiness:

http://www.dumbspot.com/superhero-test?gatherer_id=100332&gclid=CK_ciM-94pgCFQpgswodmQ9ncw

That’s it “From the Swamp.”
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