The Rest of Sanibel

I live-blogged our Florida trip the best I could but now that we're back and I've uploaded and tweaked the rest of our vacation pictures, there's much I left out. Time to fill in the spaces.

It'd been ten years since we'd last been to Sanibel. Back then, renting bicycles was a thrill. Now, that wouldn't do. We rented scooters, with Emily riding with me and Clara and Rachel riding a scooter of their own. Rachel knows how to rock the pink-flame helmet. (I tweeted Emily in her helmet here.) (More about the ride and the rest of that day here.)





Since I'm marking this occasion, why not a picture of where we ate that evening? Here you go!



Some after dinner boogie-boardin' as the storm clouds gather:



You come to Sanibel not for the pristine beaches and the ocean views and the laid back lifestyle but for the shells:



Something else we've never done before: parasailing! Only the girls got to do it. (Here's an explanation of why we didn't go along.) The driver's of the boat got some pretty good pictures with our camera:

Back ashore, it began to rain. We hustled in to a nearby funky cafe for shelter and a quick snack. A sole, live musician played guitar under the awning of the outside eating area and his soft jazz music was piped in:

Like all afternoon showers in South Florida, the rain didn't last long and the sun came back out. Back to our room. Here's where we stayed:

Some pool and ocean time until it was time to eat again. This time, an earthy seafood place. Good, fried food served in paper trays with only plastic forks and knives to eat with and paper towels to keep you tidy. We liked the vibe:

But we couldn't tarry long. Sunset called us so we raced to Captiva to get the best view we could. But storms clouds from the hurricane across the Gulf made for a less than spectacular sunset. A nice silhouette of the girls, though:

And a nice windswept mother/daughter portrait of Emily and Clara:

The next day we had reservations on a boat headed for Cayo Costa for some serious shelling. (Here's the original post.) But once again the clouds threatened:

On the Gulf side of the island, things looked less ominous. A Winslow Homer-ish portrait:

A screen grab from Lost? Close:

Lunch/dinner at another fine cafe:

And then some more boogie boardin' in the storm-tossed sea:

Time to close things out and move on down the highway. (Here's the post of our final day.) Some final shots:

The view south 75 yards from our room:

Like something from Joseph Conrad or James Michener:

Our room was the middle right:

I have a memory from ten years ago of eating breakfast at a cottage-y little place set back among some trees. Breakfast in paradise, as I recall. We never did find a place that matched by memory and I don't know if this is the place but it'd do:

Serving up an all-American breakfast with an all-American girl. Rachel awaits her eggs and bacon:

We had miles to go and an another overnight stop before beginning the second phase of our trip. But this part was over and we were glad to have spent some time in a place that held so many fond memories. Let's shove off, then. We'll catch ya' later in Branford, Florida along the shores of the Suwanee River.

Farewell Sanibel

In the morning, the rains stopped and all the colors came out. Forecast for more rain so we'd best get on the road. We did after a stop for a fantastic breakfast at some place with the word "cow" in it's name. The Island Cow? Doesn't sound right. I'll have to look it up later and update this post.

So a reverse film of our Sunday journey only at Tampa we jumped off at I-4 to head towards Orlando. No, no Magic Kingdom, just a day of shopping and an overnight stay before the final destination: Branford! Meanwhile, we did our best to resist Disney's siren's call and it was hard, my friends, might hard.

The rain caught up to us in the late afternoon and continued through the night but we did what we had come here for. Report from Branford is that it's been raining all day. No let up in sight. Could be in for a long dreary weekend.

And The Rains Came

The day promised hot and bright and humid - that's the way the morning started so why shouldn't the day follow? Because this is South Florida, that's why. To be in Florida means you're gonna get wet, just you wait. But we had a boat ride booked for the afternoon so we wiled away the time at the pool until it was time to take care of some business - both vacation- related and vacation-unrelated - and make sure the girls were sea- worthy.

We made it to the marina on time, boarded the boat and cast- off. Our captain's instructions included storm-related procedures and the ominous clouds over the Florida mainland made it so that we'd likely implement them. We arrived after a 30 minute boat ride over a calm sea and did some shell searching for about 45 minutes before being called back to the boat. The winds had picked up, the clouds were pressing closer, and Pine Island had disappeared. The ride back was entirely different, like the opening credits of Dangerous Catch - okay maybe an exaggeration, buy it was decidedly rougher. We made it back before the skies broke open. Extra bonus: we got a full refund. I would have been willing to pay half just for the boat ride alone.

We grabbed a late afternoon bite at PJ Otters before heading back to the room. The girls stared forlornly at the waves and the rain. Radar on TV showed this was from the outer bands of the hurricane in Texas and no let up in sight but it finally did let up and people returned to the beach and so did the girls, finally.

Afterwards, it was ice cream at the wonderful Pinochio's. Half the island had gotten there before us but none of them enjoyed their ice cream as much as we did.

Watching the Sun Set

Another morning stroll on the beach but in the other direction. Different! But back in time to get the girls up and fed and out the door for their appointment with the parasailors.

It'd be awesome to have pictures to post from my iPhone but due to a series of miscues and misunderstandings, that didn't happen. We didn't get to go with the girls as observers - don't get me started but the time to tell us we couldn't was before we paid and showed up at the dock. Of course, the time for us to ask to go would have been when we paid but, well, never mind. The girls went, fun was had, proof of same is in the pocket camera and I won't be able to upload those until we're home.

A snack and a cold drink afterwards and then back to the room. Tumbling in the sea for the girls, hanging by the pool for us as we waited for the dinner hour to roll around. It did and off we went to The Lazy Flamingo, for some no nonsense seafood - we'll have it fried, thank you very much.

Afterwards, a stop at a souvenir shop. Look at the time! Almost sunset. We hit the road - if you can call speeding along at 35 MPH, the posted speed limit, hitting the road - and headed for Captiva and arrived with a few minutes to spare. But a cloud bank muted what must be a daily display of beauty. But we were catching it as a family and that always makes the experience memorable.

On the Beach

We let the girls sleep in and headed out to Captiva. In the ten years since we were here last, a major hurricane had rolled through and we'd heard reports of major damage but if it were true, we saw no signs if it. The island looked as lush and green as we remember it. A sign of the times, though: nearly all of the big houses in Captiva are for sale. Word is you cam have one for only a few million. I've got an idea to form an LLC, buy one, rent it out, and get rich. Quick. Who's with me?

The day started out cloudy but the clouds soon burned off. The beach here, facing more directly west than where we're staying, was virtually empty. A long time visitor told us this is typical of the off season. Come back in October and forget about it. The water was lovely green and clear and calm. Lord I hope the oil stays away.

The girls called. Time to start the day for real. We picked them up and took them to rent scooters. Some jitters starting out - Clara crashed on an empty road, making a u- turn and got some minor bruises and scrapes. Rachel took a curve a little too fast and though it was scary she was unhurt. Just shaken and a bruised ego. Otherwise, a great ride covering much what we had seen in the morning.

We ate dinner at Mezzaluna. We still have the kids' cup from ten years ago. This time, no kids, just teens. Boogie boards in the Gulf afterwards. I joined 'em until black clouds and lightning far out at sea told us it was best to go in.

Sanibel

The sum rises on Sanibel Island, Florida.

We hit the ground running in Valdosta and raced down through Florida on I-75. Cloudless morning and warm but in Florida that won't last long. Soon the clouds piled high before us and the temperature climbed, compounded by the humidity. Not as bad as Oklahoma, I insist, but I'm overruled. Maybe it doesn't feel so bad because we're in vacation mode.

A stop at a Wal-Mart in north Fort Myers - hey, the same customers as back home! - and then the rest of the way in by Map Quest instructions. As always, their instructions are a little to literal; we went through downtown Fort Myers when I suspect we could have gone a little further south on 41 and picked up the causeway.

But we made it. Little changed since about 10 years ago when we were here last. Still paradise. Checked I'm, hit the beach - no oil! - and then a shower and drive in the cool evening to the Dairy Queen. The rest of the island was there.

Cloudy and windy this morning. May have to change plans. But let's enjoy the sunrise first.