Check out the progress at Blind Pass dredging project on Sanibel/Captiva Islands.   Aerials taken Tuesday March 24, 2009.

Blind Pass aerial taken from Bay side of bridge

Blind Pass aerial from Beach side of bridge

Don’t be an April Fool and miss out on the great properties available for sale on Sanibel/Captiva Islands! Now is the time to buy while the perfect property that fits your goals whether permanent residence, vacation home, winter retreat, retirement home or appreciating investment is still offered. To delay buying could mean that what you want as you wait gets taken by someone else. The time to buy is now….because there is no time like the present to get the best home that fits your personal needs. Why not enjoy the present in your perfect dream home? How does timing the market work when you loose the opportunity you have been waiting for? “Today is the beginning of the rest of your Life” Act today! Call John and Denice Beggs 239-357-5500

“The long term underlying demand is favorable for vacation homes because of the large number of middle-age, middle income Americans,” says Walter Molony, spokesman for the National Association of Realtors.  “In recent years, this market has been driven by the baby boomers, but there are two even larger population groups coming up right behind them.  Those yourger segments will continue to fuel this market for the next 10 years.”

As St Patrick’s Day approaches I have been reflecting on things that are green and one of my favorite subjects on green is the phenomena known as the “Green Flash”.  I have had many opportunities to experience the “Green Flash” on Sanibel and Captiva Islands in the past 20 + years  and what an amazing event it is.  I am including a picture captured on Sanibel by my new friend John Hicks who is a Solar Astronomer at New Forest Solar Observatory in Lake Simcoe Region, Ontario, Canada as well as an article John wrote explaining this extraordinary marvel.  John Beggs and I at Beggs Realtors can recommend some great properties from which to view the “Green Flash” so give us a call and with a little LUCK…..You too can see “GREEN”….

Here is the informative article regarding the “Green Flash” phenomena written by John Hicks that appeared in the Jan 23,2009 issue of the Island Sun Newspaper:

Green Flash Captured

For the last three years I have been photographing the green flash from the beach at the foot of Jamaica Drive on Sanibel.  I use a 1000 mm Pronto telescope and a Nikon d-70 digital camera.  I am usually successful every year-at least once.  That is the case again this year (on January 3) when I captured the green flash in its momentary glory.  data on the flash over history reveals that it occurs in 1/58th of a second-so it’s really a matter of a good set-up, a good day, a good amount of skill in camera setting and most of all-a good amount of Luck!  Literature explains that it will not occur in red sunsets on or in murky sky conditions-especially on the horizon.  Both those conditions were present in this photo which testifies that we really do not know just how to expect it.  Apparently it occurs in 25 percent of sunsets, but you need a long lens to really capture it.

Be aware that if you try this : do not look into the camera eyepiece or any other eyepiece as the sun sets-a 1000 mm telescope or even a pair of binoculars increases the brightness of the sun multifold (as much as 1,000 fold in a telescope).  A photoburn and a thermal burn will result in your eye’s fovia (the important part of focus of the eye) and you may lose a lot of your rods and cones in that part of the retina-resulting in blindness.  this sort of photography is not for amateurs.

John Hick’s prints of the Green Flash are available for sale at Arundel’s Hallmark Shoppe on Sanibel.  Partial proceeds go to CROW to protect wildlife on the islands.  Thanks John!!!!