Path to the beach

Another early morning walk on the beach. The only problem is its hard to know where to look. Do you look on the beach uner your feet, where there are masses of shells - Sanibel is well-known for its shells - its bounty is apparently due to its unusual east-west orientation as opposed to the usual north-south of the barrier islands. Or do you look at the shorebirds at the waters edge, or in the air for birds in flight, or, as I discovered this morning, out to sea for dolphins?!

Today we took a break from the beach and left the island to visit the Edison/Ford Winter Estate in Fort Myers. In 1885, Thomas Edison first visited Florida. He purchased property along the Caloosahatchee River and built a vacation home, which his family named "Seminole lodge", which served as a winter retreat and work place for the prolific inventor and his family until his death in 1931. Edison?s good friend Henry Ford followed close behind and purchased the neighboring property in 1915. "The Mangoes" was the winter getaway for the Fords. Edison and Ford spent many winters working, talking and even relaxing together in tropical southwest Florida. Edison's botanical garden contains more than a thousand varieties of plants imported from all over the world, including African sausage trees and a Banyan tree, which was believed to be a gift from Harvey Firestone in 1925. Originally, this was an experimental garden. Edison was interested in the various products and byproducts of the plants, which he used in many of his scientific investigations. Later Mrs. Edison enhanced the garden with many beautiful plants, including roses, orchids and bromeliads.

Best seen in large

One year ago: Seat in the sun