Beaches, beaches, beaches

With only one day left we got an early start to visit some beaches. What a fabulous day it turned out to be. We started early on Lover's Key Beach. Ft. Meyers Beach is in the background and Bonita Springs was in the distance behind us.

This Great Blue Heron seemed unbothered by our presence. I guess the birds are plenty used to tourists.

I love getting to know an area before the crowds descend and this was the perfect morning on the beach

Osprey nests lined the edges of the Lover's Key State Park which was so in contrast to the condos that lined the beach less than a mile away.

People had added seashells to these upturned roots so I added another.

I waded out among all the small critters crawling along offshore and found this big guy.   I tossed him a little further out to sea.

Our next stop was Little Hickory Beach after a short trip into Ft. Meyers Beach. When we came to the standstill traffic at 10 am we turned around and got out of town. As I strolled down the beach Mary's neighbors John and Bonnie waved. What a surprise. No wonder they are so tan!

I thought perhaps the builder of this sand castle, complete with dinosaur, was sitting in his condo room watching people take photos of it so I waved.

What beautiful water and sand at the end of the point.

As we returned to our vehicle we visited with John and Bonnie. They had put up their umbrella, a nice setup.

Our third beach was Vanderbilt Beach where we found the snowbirds out in full force. 

This is not my "it must be 5 o'clock somewhere" pose but my "it's noon and I am hungry" pose.

The Turtle Club provided a nice atmosphere for lunch. What a fun mixture of folks - some dressed to the hilt and others in bikinis.

I know you don't care what I ate for lunch but check out the lobster and scallops.

Now how is that for dessert? Then a few miles down the road we stopped for ice cream - not my idea!

 What a fabulous holiday I have had. Thanks for your hospitality, Mary!

Boat float

Would I like to go for a boat ride in the bay? You bet! So Mary and I were invited to go along for lunch. Mary belongs to the yacht club (you don't have to have a boat)! Those who do have boats take the group to lunch when the water is high enough to get down the river, so 65 traveled downstream on this beautiful sunny day.

We have to follow those in front of us much of the way as there is not room to pass until we are in the bay.

The Parrot Key Caribbean Grill in Estero Bay was our destination. The food was good, the atmosphere better, and the companionship was great.

I was on the boat with Bonnie, Mary,  Ann, Neil, and John, some of Mary's friends from Pennsylvania.

After lunch we piled back on Neil and Ann's boat and took a tour of the bay.

We came down the Estero River from the Koreshan Unity site and went around the small island just east of the Mound House, also boating all along the back side of Ft. Meyers Beach Island.

Some fellows were learning to maneuver their paddle boards. Had it been less windy we would have motored out into the gulf.

I was just happy to be zipping along in the fresh air and sunshine.

If you wait too long then the tide goes out and you can't get back up the winding river.

We did not see any manatees but saw lots of dolphins along the way.

This fellow seemed to be waiting to greet us when we arrived back at the dock.

Six Mile Cypress

Exercise is important for an older person so we finally made it to the body pump class and did an hour's worth of exercise. This got us ready for the luncheon the group was having at The Grape. Mary, Ann, Nancy, and Martha are ready to chow.

Later in the day we drove down to Six Mile Cypress Swamp to walk the 1.2 mile boardwalk and watch the birds come in to roost for the night. The cypress trees were putting out new pale fresh green leaves. Of more interest were the birds above.

The birds were coming in right on schedule.  Most were egrets although there appeared to be some others mixed in.

It wasn't sunset at the beach but it wasn't bad either.

I kept telling Mary to come on as it I thought we might wish we had brought along some flashlights.

The forest included many ferns and bromeliads.

Vero Beach

A good friend that we grew up with lives in Vero Beach so coast to coast we went for a short visit. We took the scenic route for a view of Lake Okeechobee on the way to the east coast. It seems like a large fishing village all along the north side of the lake.

After a delightful lunch and visit at Susan's house she took us on a tour of Vero Beach. Painted turtles are scattered throughout town for tourists like me to take pictures of. 

It was a warm sunny day and the Atlantic ocean beach was a playground for many.

We drove through a neighborhood of old Florida style houses. Actually Susan's family members had lived in them.

At one time Susan even lived in this house but it wasn't green at the time she assured me!

McKee Gardens in Vero Beach provided us a nice place for a stroll among the tall palms while we laughed about past times together and caught on up more recent events.

Susan and Mary both seem to enjoy the bromeliads.

I suppose all gardens in south Florida have beautiful orchids but each one seems different.

 There was a Seusical event going on and Dr. Seuss displays and statues were evident thoughout the park. It must seem like a magical place to children.

The Hall of Giants was built in 1941of mostly cypress and heart pine logs. Waldo Sexton designed it after a Polynesian ceremonial palace.

 The hall was built to house this 38 foot long solid mahogany table he acquired. The hall was used as a gathering place and over 100 people could sit at the table for dinner.

Our visit with Susan did not last nearly long enough but Mary had some functions to attend the next day and it was a 3 1/2 hour drive back to the west coast of Florida. Before we had visited long we all started having flashbacks of things that had happened previously. We met in the fifth grade and were friends throughout school. At one time we lived only a block apart and spent plenty of time at each other's houses. What a fun day.

I guess it was just a magical, Seusical day.

Pine Island

We drove south along the coast on my return from Siesta Key and made a jaunt over to Pine Island. I am sure glad we did. What a cute place.

Bokeelia is located at the northern end of the island, about seven miles from the entrance across Matlacha Pass. Here we found a combination of tourists and locals enjoying the waters of Charlotte Harbor.

This appears to be a local's place of residence and business with fishing boats parked alongside the dock.

And there at the end of his dock we spotted the white pelicans, the original snowbirds who come south for the winter!

As we passed this nursery we realized where folks on the mainland are obtaining their palm trees.

The southern end of the island was eight miles further but we did not venture there.  We did stop in Matlacha as we crossed the pass back to the mainland. It is one of five communities on the island, actually on it's own island in the middle of the pass,  and is an "old Florida" fishing village. There are many brightly-colored art galleries, boutiques, seafood restaurants, and traditional Florida cottages.

These three-wheeled bicycles are found in abundance in the Riverwoods Plantation where I am staying. Now here is a good use for a stationery one.

We observed a lady making these "flying fish" which I think is a cute use for a coconut! I just couldn't think where I might put one at home.

I must admit we stopped to peruse the shops and eat ice cream. We were in a little bit of a hurry as Mary had plans for dinner. I think perhaps that was a good thing, but after so many trips to the thrift shops who would want to pay a regular price?!

We returned in time for Mary to hop on her bicycle and go to her evening event which gave me time to collapse in a chair and reflect on what a fine vacation I am having.