Charlotte, Lee and I just got back from a very sunny and warm vacation to the lovely Sanibel Island on the gulf coast of Florida. The trip has become something of an annual tradition to visit Lee's parents, they know how to pick a good spot (they've been escaping to Sanibel for decades). This visit was full of eating, swimming, tennis, biking, birding, shelling and napping. Lee and I took advantage of the built-in babysitters and ate out a lot! We had three excellent meals at three very different restaurants on the island. The first night we chose to eat at Traders. We were both a little apprehensive since it had a gift shop attached but we were blown away by the great food and excellent service--the key lime pie is not to be missed! If you are looking for a tasty breakfast head to the Lighthouse Cafe, they boast "The World's Best Breakfast" and it's a great breakfast, just skip the grits and opt for the potatoes instead (they seem to have forgotten how to make grits in this neck of the woods). We saved the best for last, Il Cielo. It is truly an outstanding fine dining experience just be prepared for a bit of sticker shock when the check arrives! Other highlights that are not to be missed are the birds at J. N. "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge, the awesome shelling (literally every beach offers amazing finds), the tropical bird show at the aviaries at Periwinkle Trailer Park, a beach sunrise, and set out to watch the wildlife and fisherman at the Point Ybel Lighthouse fishing pier.