Day 25 on Captiva

We went to DDWR with Jack for an early morning drive and photo shoot after coffee and pastries.  We all got some great photos as there were a lot of birds especially white pelicans.

Jack got these great shots of the White  Pelicans in flight:

These are pictures by Al:

 

 

I tried to capture the sounds and birds of the morning in video:

 

 

 

Jack shot these 2 birders as well as the birds. 

At least we did not look too bad from the back:

 

After our birding expedition, we drove to Bailey's for lunch and dinner supplies.  Jack found some hot brisket at the Deli which we had in sandwiches for lunch.  After lunch we were off to the beach.

 

We went to Traditions for dinner and music tonight for 6:15 reservations. Music was Father Al & the Jazz Congregation with vocalist Paul Ventura shown below with Andrea :

 

Al and I shared a mozzarella and tomato salad.  Jack and Loy shared Julius Caesar Salad ...both Delish!  Loy ordered the Scallop Special and Jack had Manicotti. Al had Veal with scallop special and I had Colossal Lump Crab Cake.  For Dessert we shared an Amaretto Caramel Flan Brule.

 

A great evening of food, fun, and music.

 

Day 20 on Captiva

Friday morning began with early coffee and toast. We left at 8:30 to drive to Ft. Myers to go to Six Mile Slough for birding. The Six Mile Cypress Slough is a 2,500 acre wetland in Fort Myers, Florida, that measures approximately 9 miles long and 1/3 mile wide. This linear ecosystem is home to a diverse population of plants and animals, including a few considered to be endangered. The Slough also serves as a corridor for wildlife by providing a safe route of travel.
We did not see as many birds as usual but did hear a Barred Owl "Hooting" through the trees as we walked the boardwalk. We spotted a couple of wild pigs rooting through the roots for food. They are a noisy lot! Many turtles were sunning on logs. The birds that we did see included anhingas, cormorants, herons, one wood stork, and several ibis feeding.

 

After  more than two hours of birding, we had a picnic lunch that I packed before we left.

 We then drove to downtown Ft. Myers area to check out the Franklin Shops, a store on the corner of First and Broadway that is owned by our friends and owners of our rental home.  The Franklin Shops has  a department store style, with as many as 40 or 50 retailers and a central checkout counter.  The new shopping center fits into plans the city  to bring more retail shopping to the office-heavy government hub downtown.


 

   Margarethe in  her Tea and Wine Store

We made a quick stop at Publix's for dinner before heading back to the islands.  Dinner in tonight after a fun filled day.  We prepared Porterhouse steak with  mushroom sauce and asparagus.