Read my review on Wandering Educators of a great restaurant on Florida’s Treasure Coast. Dolphin Bar and Shrimp House has great food, and  a perfect setting on the water in Jensen Beach. You’ll love this place!

I used the Joy of Baking recipe for this delicious tart. It disappeared rather quickly!

I’ve written a lot about summer in the past. Here are links to the most read entries:

Everything You Need to Know About Summer Camp – French Woods Interview

You Know it Feels Like Summer When

Ask the Right Questions Before Booking a Hotel

Where are We Going on Our Summer Vacation?

Dog Friendly Summer Travel Tips

25 Ideas to Enjoy the Last Days of Summer

Great Planning = A Great Vacation

Summer Driving Vacation – Have a Great Time WIth Your Kids

Summer Travel – Flying Solo WIth Children

My brother, Eric Rosen is surfing in the Maldive Islands, located in the Indian Ocean off the Southwest coast of Sri Lanka. These coral islands are surrounded by pure white sand beaches, and the waters are home to vibrant coral reefs.

I reviewed If I Had a Hammer, a most informative book about Habitat for Humanity. All Americans, young and old, need to read it!

Read it on LA Parent Magazine.

Not every fun event has to be planned around eating! Summer is a great time to get outside and be active. Here are some ways your entire family can enjoy the weather while burning some calories and building muscle.  The best part of getting fit is that you’ll be spending time together:

http://www.bicycle-stuff.com

1. Take a Hike – Whether you take the dog on a brisk walk through your own neighborhood or head out to a trail to hike, walking will always be one of the best ways to get in shape. Make it extra fun by collecting leaves and flowers to press.
2. Take a Class – Sign up for a family exercise class together, like aerobics, swimming, kick boxing -  you name it. Check out what your local YMCA has to offer.
3. Plan an Adventure Trip – Pick a theme like horseback riding, whitewater rafting, mountain climbing, fishing and more, and plan a trip around it. There are plenty of companies out there who organize all inclusive adventure trips for families.
4. Get on Your Bike - There’s nothing like a long bike ride. You can even pack a healthy picnic to make a special day out of it.
5. Clean it Up -  Pick a project to do at home, and find a way to make it fun. Clean the garage, paint a room, go through old boxes in the attic and reorganize.
6. Make a Splash – Have a water balloon or water gun fight, take a swim, get a Slip and Slide, run through the sprinkler!
7. Do Some Sightseeing – Plan a long day in your hometown or nearest large city and see the sights. Walk everywhere you can, and take stairs rather than elevators wherever you go.
8. Blast Your Favorite Music – And then dance to it!
9. Put on Your Gardening Gloves – Gardening can give you a great workout! All that digging, moving dirt, plants and large pots will get you fit in no time. Then you can enjoy the fruits of your labor down the road – eating your healthy, homegrown veggies.
10. Sign up for a Charity Event – Run or Walk for a Charity event. Before you go, you’ll need to get some practice in to get in shape for the big day. You can even set some goals as far as your time to finish and work toward that goal together every day.

While driving across Alligator Alley in South Florida, we spotted these vultures posing on an almost-dead tree, against a backdrop of a dusky sky. I could not have asked for a better pose, if I had arranged those birds myself. I used my Nikon D40 with my 55-200 lelephoto lens.

My family spent Father’s Day weekend at Beachview Cottages on Sanibel Island. We rented and small 1 bedroom, Cottage #1, the unit closest to the beach, and it is in the best location! We had a nice porch facing the water. It was a perfect spot for eating chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast on Father’s Day.

Beachview Cottages are pet friendly, so if you have a pooch, bring him along. If you don’t like dogs, this is not the place for you, because everyone else has them. Every guest we met was friendly, and talkative, and the staff was ultra friendly and helpful too. The place is small and quiet, which is ideal. There’s a pool, coin laundry and ice machine. The staff will gladly help you with dinner and sightseeing plans. The cottage we rented was immaculate upon our arrival and the cleaning crew accommodated us quickly with a few special requests. You could never tell that any other pets had been there before us.

The best way to spend your time here is undoubtedly on the beach – reading, walking, shelling or fishing. If you are persnickety about sand, just know now that it is impossible to keep it out of your cottage. It gets into everything – your feet, clothes, dog’s paws, car tires, inside of your car – and that is just the simple reality of being right on the beach. It’s a small price to pay for the pleasures of the beach. We definitely plan to come back for a longer stay.

Beachview Cottages

3325 West Gulf Drive, Sanibel Island, FL 33957 – 800-860-0532

bvsan@beachviewsanibel.com

For great seafood while you are on Sanibel, eat at the Lazy Flamingo. Click here to read my review and see photos on Wandering Educators.

If you like antiques, or are a collector, be sure to stop in The Islander Trading Post. There are collections of toys, memorabilia, posters, jewelry, tin boxes, garden items, sheet music and so much more. The cabinets that house the collections are antiques too. I didn’t see too many bargains in here, but I sure enjoyed looking at all that stuff. This is the kind of place where you could spend a couple of hours.

Islander Trading Post

1446 Periwinkle Way Sanibel Island, FL 239-395-0888

This weekend I discovered the secret to true relaxation. It’s really quite simple – walk along a beach teeming with seashells. I experienced that firsthand on Sanibel Island this weekend . . .

It is virtually impossible to be stressed out while walking along a warm, sunny beach, feet dragging in the water. There’s nothing better than the sounds of the waves lapping ashore, skimming the seashells on the sand, causing them to gently clank together, shift and resettle as the water flows back into the ocean. This gently repetitive sound moves in sync with your inner rhythms, leaving you feeling completely content. It is as if the tranquil sound takes over any worrisome thoughts you may otherwise have. Sure there are a few children laughing in the background, but that only adds to the calming experience. You can breathe easier, deeper here while soaking it all in.

Walking along the shore, you meet the friendliest people, who share your love of shelling – grannies, young couples and kids, all in the best of moods. You just can’t be mad, sad or disturbed while walking along a beach.

My daughter poked fun at me for using a bright orange net to scoop shells up from the water. But my method proved to be successful. I was able to find some larger seashells while others nearby seemed frustrated while trying to sift through piles in the water. But in the end it’s not really about collecting the shells, rather just the excitement of the find. A perfect specimen with no chips or cracks, with a most beautifully interesting pattern ust waiting to be scooped up by you.

Contemplating the many mysteries of the sea is overwhelming in the most pleasant way. As I pull a gem of a shell from the water, I ponder its journey to the shore. (Stay with me here.) What happened to the animal inside? How many miles did it travel to get here? How many others are there like it in the world? Hundreds? Thousands? Millions? Billions? Or more than there are numbers to count? Do these creatures socialize with each other? What if I throw it back in, as far as I can? Will it ever wash ashore again? Maybe it will get caught in an undercurrent and get stuck in the sand forever, never to be seen again. Just how many seashells are on this beach anyway?  How long did it take for the waves to finely crush this many shells to make this much sand? How many species are out there we have yet to discover? What is it really like under the surface of the water during the worst of storms?

In the evening as the dusk approaches, the sky turns into an ever-changing collage of colors and clouds, making an ideal backdrop for the silhouettes of people walking along the shore. You can’t see their faces any longer, but you just know they’re happy.

P.S. You just better get inside before the sand fleas feast on you for dinner.

http://www.hellasmultimedia.com

On this Father’s Day, I am thankful for all the Dads I’ve had in my life:

1. My Own Father, who passed away when he was 40 and I was 14. He travelled a lot for work, and I regret that we did not have more time together. What I remember most is him encouraging my creativity. He once brought me to an advertising office when I was about 5 to show me what the artists did to create ads. I was able to sit at an easel they had and draw a picture. Everyone treated me like I was an employee, and I thought I was the bomb!
2. My Grandfather Joe, was the most adorable person on earth. He showed me what unconditional love was and had a soft heart. He told great stories and held nothing back. I laughed and laughed when we were together. He was obsessed with watching Bob Ross, the artist on Public Television. After watching the show, Gramps and I painted together. He gave me his paint brushes, which I still use after 30 years! And some of his paintings still hang on my wall. My granny drove him nuts, and I found it so entertaining. He died in 1986, and not a day goes by when I do not think of him and smile.
3. My Stepfather, Jack, passed away in 1999 from a brain tumor. He was a very short, smiley man with a strange Spanish/Yiddish combination accent and a big heart. He treated me like I was his own biological daughter and stood by me through some very, very tough times. He experienced a lot of tragedies in his life, but somehow remained positive. “It’s all good,” he’d often say.

Who are you thankful for on Father’s Day?