As I’ve mentioned before, Sanibel Island, on southwest Florida’s Gulf Coast, is one of my happy places, a retreat where I can relax and mentally recuperate. There’s something about the island’s natural beauty that I find soothing. Development is limited, and the shoreline is left as is, which means all kinds of shells and aquatic debris collect on the beach.

Which also means there is plenty of raw material for outstanding sandcastles – and other creative projects. Here are a few photos of my faves I saw today on the beach:

Happy holidays!

Sand gator! Is he about to eat a turtle?

We couldn’t figure out what this was. The kids guessed Chewbacca.

These kids were enthusiastically digging. Their father said they were trying to get to China. At the very least, they hit water!

My husband couldn’t resist making his own small creation.