Florida - First 3 Weeks of March

Happy Birthday Bob!  I just realized this year, that
Bob doesn't get to celebrate his birthday with family like
I do, however he has had so many memorable birthdays
in exotic places like in Punta del Diablo in Uruguay,
on a beautiful sailboat in the Whitsundays, Oz, Naples, Florida.
Kind of like my birthdays.....in the kitchen of 61 Woburn, cooking for  family!
(lying a bit...actually Bob cooks sometimes)

Eating dinner watching all the activity on the
river right beside our table.  The pelicans are begging
for their dinner!

A bit of deck fluff on the Trophy

Tourist cruises on boats of all sizes

I whispered the "Happy Birthday Song" while Bob blew
out the candle on the Key Lime Pie.  

After dinner, we leave the van at Tin City and walk down 5th St
(main drag) in Naples, to the beach and the sunset

Beautiful and private entrances to villa's

Enormous hedges

Amazing homes that must cost a bomb!

With hedges of hibiscus

The requisite sailboat passes in front of the
setting sun

Cool van on the walk back to pick up WALUT

Upscale shops on 5th

The next day we do a bit more walking in downtown Naples

Stop for lunch and an ice cream at a little Italian bistro
on 5th

Then head to Old Naples for a tour

Looks like a fixer-upper!

Looky here!  You never know who you'll find in Florida!
Our brother in law Elliot (my sisters husband) has not had to
bring a load to Florida in years, and we were so surprised and delighted
that he got a shipment to Fort Meyers!  We raced up the highway and
took him to a restaurant for lunch.  We had a terrific few hours with
him before he got the call for a shipment back to Montreal.

Back at our favourite lake near our campground, Bob captures
this really amazing sight.  We had never seen these magnificent
birds wading, but we have now!  

Our wonderful neighbours Lou, Ken, Buddy and Sheba
are about to leave us and head home to Indiana.  

Buddy didn't want his photo taken, however Sheba
was right in my face as I was leaving.  

We go to our favourite Mexican restaurant, Amigo's, for
our last evening together

My token mystical moon shot

Another day, another walk

Then on to a boat launch park on Marco Island

We watch these boys throwing nets and catching fish

Then an accomplished net fisherman came along and
demo'd how to do it.  

The next act:  Windsurfers.  Dudes about our age and fantastically
agile.  The wind had picked up and once they got their sails
under control, gently stepped up onto the boards and took
off.

Hey Steve....any relation to Tom???  

Back in January, when my sisters son Craig and his wife came to Toronto for Mom's 95th birthday, we discussed the Panama Canal cruise they would be taking in March with my sister Jan and her husband Elliot.  We came up with a plan to surprise Jan and Elliot. Craig would set up a breakfast or lunch at his hotel in Fort Lauderdale, and we would drive across the state and meet them on the dot of whatever time was decided.  We were very, very excited.  I even called Jan the Wednesday prior to their flight to Florida to chat and wish them well...all part of the ruse.  Craig and Mary were staying in the Hilton Marina Hotel near the cruise terminal, while Jan and Elliot were staying in another hotel 7 miles away.  Craig let us know that we would meet in the lobby of the Hilton at noon and had asked his mother to do the same.  Bob and I left Naples early, to make certain we got there in time and actually arrived at the Hilton at 11 a.m...very early and anxious that our very distinctive van (you just don't see many like our in the US) might be difficult to hide.  My sister has eyes on stalks and we were certain she'd have no difficulty spotting us, however we found a nice little hide-out at the back of the parking lot, well away from the lobby doors.  We sneaked around the property to a gazebo that overlooked the shabby marina and watched the little boats float in and out of the channel for an hour.  On the dot of noon, we sneaked through the hotel to the lobby and saw absolutely no one we recognized.  There are 2 indoor restaurants and a beautiful large pool restaurant but we saw none of the members of our group.  At 12:10, Craig and Mary arrived (they'd gone shopping at a mall and the cab got caught in traffic on the way back), shocked that his mom wasn't there yet.  He called her cell but it was turned off.  He had the Hilton staff call the other 3 Hilton's in Fort Lauderdale, to see if they were waiting in the wrong lobby.  Nada!!!  Just after 1 pm, we went to the poolside restaurant and had lunch, all the while pondering what on earth could have happened to them.  Did they forget to change their watches to Florida time, got nervous and headed directly to the cruise terminal?  We won't know until April 2nd when they return home.  A mystery and so unlike Jan and Elliot, who are both very punctual.  Oh well..... it was a surprise all right....just on us instead of them!!  We had a lot of fun with Craig and Mary but felt sad that we missed the other two.

The smaller yacht is over 60 feet.

Fun with Mary and Craig at the Hilton Marina

Next day we are at Sugden Park to try out our new inflatable kayaks
and we spot this little beauty

It took only 45 pumps on the manual pump to
fully inflate and yes, I did my own pumping...

The kayaks and 4 part paddles fit into a bag the size of a small
suitcase and fit nicely into our....

lovely new box hauler...can't call it a toy hauler...it's too small

We love them!  They are stable and comfortable to sit in.
The pro who recommended this particular style was right on!
Perfect for travel and ideal for our boat.

Came in for a lunch in the shade of the tree

Then back on the lake for the wildlife and breezes

We spot this osprey doing a bit of housekeeping.  

Mama and baby with the breeze creating a bit of a "do"

Exploring for kayaking opportunities, we visit Capri Island
and see this property for sale.  Lovely view!

After googling best restaurants on Capri, we settle on the 4 star
reviewed Island Gypsy.  Good choice!

And the 3rd best Margarita's so far.

After lunch we find this little paddling launch (meaning
that nothing with motors can put-in here) at a site that
was originally intended for a huge hotel.  Protests stopped the
build and the state bought the property for a park.  It was discovered
that it had been the site of an illegal dump and had to be cleaned up.
It's beautiful now and the mangroves and wildlife are wonderful.

Paddle-boarding is hugely popular here, as is foot pedal kayaking

Leaving the park, we see this fellow perched on a pole.

On to Marco Island

Ah yes...always exotic cars to be seen here!  The dealerships
seem to do very, very well.  What recession???

What do you think Phil and Nancy?  A little beaut!

Buddies!  This fisherman told us he took a hook out
of the pelican's beak a couple of weeks prior and whenever
he fishes here, the pelican sits right beside him.  He does get
scraps from his friend, and probably the occasional fish.

A beautiful heron sails in and lands by the boat
slips

And blends in beautifully with the surroundings

Waiting, waiting.....

This osprey seemed to be courting the owl.  The owls head rotated and
the osprey was gabbing away to it for the longest time

A gorgeous wooden kayak

A catch!  Uh oh!!

He did throw it back in...but at what cost?

Our heron flies away and plays peek-a-boo 

The mate, obviously ticked off at the flirtation going on with the owl,
shows up to give a lecture.

Another day, we return to Paddling Park to drift among the mangroves

What we consider "the uglies" are never far away however

Mangroves and oyster beds

We've never seen an osprey nest so close to the water.
They must feel safe here

They kept their eyes on me!

And so did papa, sitting on an old tree close-by

I neglected to get photo's of a wonderful dinner party at Thelma and Art's.  They invited us to their beautiful home in a golfing community.  The view from their apartment is fabulous; water, green and trees.  They invited four of their American friends as well; two from New York City and two from Alaska.  We met a real honest to God Alaskan, born in Fairbanks and really young retirees.  Larry's wife Judi, who is originally from NYC, said that Larry's family own half of Fairbanks and one of their daughters now runs the family business, so they can do all the travelling they want.  It was a terrific evening of great stories and many, many laughs.  A great time!

A couple of evenings ago, around 6:00, there were three of us left in the pool and pool area. Bob, Claude, a lovely neighbour here who spends four months here, a month in Vancouver and the rest in their home in Montreal.  His wife Renee had already left the pool and as the three of us floated about in the pool, chatting about nothing and everything, our eyes went skyward, and we saw the most beautiful bald eagle, flying only about 30 feet up and directly overhead, then into the trees.  We all agreed that life doesn't get much better than this.