Dolores Rans reflects on over 50 years on the islands

Fifty-two years ago, Dolores Rans, who is a seasonal Sanibel resident, came across the island completely by chance. Rans, now 101, saw a sign for Sanibel while she was down in Miami at a convention with her husband, Howard.
Rans and her husband traveled all over the world, but she knew the second she stepped on the island in 1965, that this was where she wanted to purchase a second home.
“The first place we stayed was at ‘Tween Waters in Captiva. We stayed at a cute little cottage that had a kitchen, it was nothing fancy like they are now I suppose, but my husband would catch fish and we’d have fish for dinner. We did eat most of our meals at the restaurant and I gained 8 pounds in three weeks,” Rans said.
Rans, who is from Minnesota, usually stayed at ‘Tween Waters for a month at a time before she and her husband returned home. Rans said her main attraction to Sanibel was the water.
“Some people love mountains, we love water. My husband loved to fish and we liked the beach. We looked at a place in Mexico that we were going to buy, it was just built, it was beautiful and it was right on the water and then we came home and talked to our attorney and he said it wasn’t a very good idea to buy in Mexico during that time so we didn’t get it. I’m glad we didn’t get it because family couldn’t come down and visit as easily,” Rans said.
Rans and her husband bought their condo in Loggerhead Cay right when it was being built in 1972.
“We went home and said to our friends we bought in Sanibel and they never heard of it. It was not very well-known at that time. Now, it’s known pretty well all over.”
Rans is one of the few original owners who still lives there.
One of early her memories of Sanibel includes taking family and friends to go see Wally the Alligator.
“We had friends that lived on Palm Lake Drive, and Wally the big alligator came into their yard, we went down to see him and every time that we had guests, they would say to bring them down to come and see the alligator, and we did, he was a big guy. He also had pet birds that he’d call in. He called in an egret named Whitey, and she came right in on the front porch. There was a heron, too, named Big Boo,” Rans said. “I don’t think that was accepted very well, but of course Sanibel was a lot smaller back then.”
Rans said that some of her best memories on Sanibel were renting a boat at ‘Tween Waters and going fishing with her husband. Her husband also fished at the pier.
“We would also take the fishing charters. That was the first time I ever heard of a sea robin, those fish can walk and fly,” Rans said.
She and her husband also frequented the Pirate Playhouse which was owned by a couple. Rans also spent a good amount of time shelling as well. Her oldest daughter was baptized at Chapel By The Sea in Captiva.
When Rans first bought her condo on the island, she said that Middle Gulf Drive was non-existent.
“We came in by Beach Road and Periwinkle Way,” she said.
After Rans bought her condo, she and a friend heard that Bowman’s was a nude beach, so one afternoon, they decided to do some investigating themselves.
“My friend and I went down to see what it was all about and we didn’t see a single person,” she laughs.
One of the things she misses the most about Sanibel was the trolley that ran up and down Periwinkle.
“It was really fun to go on, I took everyone who came and visited,” she said.
Another fond memory was attending Easter sunrise service on the Causeway Islands. She recalled the causeway used to get packed.
Despite all the changes and growth, Rans said that the community is what makes Sanibel what it is today.
“It’s fairly quaint, as an island should be and I think that the council and the people here have done a wonderful job to keep it that way,” Rans said.