This past month has been a back and forth across the state. Should I stay here? Should I go there? Or should I scrap the whole plan and start with a new one? So far the plan is, there is no plan. But what have I been doing this past month on the west coast? Well, a little bit of everything.

Starting with the usual. Spending time at the beach. The value of a straw hat is always underestimated.

This is an amazing spot on the island. It’s not the easiest to get to and the gnarly driftwood twisting up to the sky provides a chaotic backdrop against a calming ocean. This is where some of my funniest outtakes for selfies have been. Press the button on the camera, then sprint across soft sand to pretend you’re calmly strolling down the beach and you were casually caught in this pose. 47 clicks later I give up and hope that one photo turns out that properly misrepresents my time spent at the beach. Real me has on a long sleeve fishing shirt, shorts that should have been thrown out 10 years ago but I’m sentimental and a large backpack filled with snacks.

Something I enjoy way more than taking pictures of me are sunsets. 

Summer is here and so are the hot fluorescent hues that burn brighter than the city lights of New York. You can stay in one spot from 30 seconds to 30 minutes and see more colors in nature than in a Pantone book. Never forget the simple things that nature gives so freely and perfectly.

And also if you get a chance to help take care of it that doesn’t hurt either. Leaving Sanibel means leaving behind one of my favorite hobbies; cleaning up the mangroves. If you’re down there visiting and feel like giving back to the place you love, go help pick up some line. I’m sure Sanibel sea school may have some tips if you’re new to this. In all honesty, there is no group that cleans these areas up. But the amount of people that watch you struggle to stand on your board and not fall or get tetanus will always thank you when you make it back carrying a huge ball of discarded monofilament and lost lures. And the thanks of a random stranger always went a long way for me.

If you’ll notice in the above photo there are 6, yes 6, of the same lure. Don’t be this person. Go home and pick up a new hobby. Fishing isn’t meant for everyone, maybe you’re more of the person meant to cook the fish than catch it. I save all the hooks and lures over the past 3 months and finally tallied them up.

Yep, 608. And no tetanus. Winning!

There is a common misconception about me, that because I’m picky, I don’t like food. This is wrong. I love food. I also love being in the kitchen making good food. Some notable dishes this month included: pickled mango, tostones with smoked sea salt, Piña Colada mango sorbet, grill radicchio and quinoa salad with fresh herbs from the garden and my favorite… Hogsnapper and Gulf Shrimp ceviche.

Fish, fish and more fish. But this time, I put the fish back. The first shark I’ve ever caught!

This little guy was out of the water long enough for a photo op and then tossed back in. Damn was he cute!

How do you wrap up Sanibel? How does it end? I have no idea, but a sunset drenched in gold seems the fitting way to say good-bye.