Day 31 on Captiva

What a beautiful morning today!  Al was up at 6 and I was up by 6:30.  I did a post to this diary and after coffee I headed to the beach for a walk and some pictures.  There were more people out this morning than other mornings.  A lot of fishing and shelling going on.

 

Yellow Brigade is back this year.

 

Early Birds

 

Made this shot of the eagle nest:

 

After my walk, I made breakfast of eggs, sausage, broiled Parmesan tomatoes, and toast and served on the porch.  Not to waste the beautiful day, we took off for the beach around 1:00. Our favorite spot was already taken so we had to shift down a bit but what a great afternoon we had...... even had some dolphins swim by and one went like a torpedo chasing something near the shore.

 

 

Al enjoyed resting, reading, and listening to the radio.  Did I mention he got his

Bluetooth earpiece working again??  He was so proud of him little self!

 

There were more birds on the beach today including some terns.

 

About 3:30 clouds rolled in and covered the sun so we headed back to the cottage.  I think we were the last to leave the sandy shore.  We settled back in on the porch with beer and books.  And a little later had chips and guacamole.  Margarethe and Rene came over and replaced the cover on the gazebo.  Will have to make use of that tomorrow.

 

I prepared Yellowtail Snapper for dinner.  I made another Veracruz Sauce but with a different recipe than last time.  Used onion, garlic, jalapeno pepper, tomatoes, capers, olives, and lime juice.   I placed the cooked sauce in a baking pan with the snapper sprinkled with salt, pepper, and cayenne and baked in the oven.  The fish was so very flaky and a bit zesty with the cayenne.  Enjoyed with rice and green salads.  Another great and tasty dinner served with glasses of wine.

 

 

Day 30 on Captiva

Cool morning on the porch.  I left Al sitting there and came inside for my coffee today.  I sat at the kitchen counter and posted blog entries.  I am now completely caught up to date after having my new computer.  I have edited and resized a lot of photos too this morning.  Al has been busy on his computer.
For this cool day, I made Matzo Ball soup for lunch and served with Chicken Sandwiches on the porch after it warmed up.  We went out to the pool for the afternoon.....the winds ripped off part of the gazebo cover that had already started to wear from the hot sun.  Margarethe already planned to replace so it was not a bad thing.

We went to Timbers Restaurant and Fish Market for dinner......we have been going here since the first we came to Captiva.  The restaurant has changed décor over the years but has basically the same menu except the prices. 

 

Al ordered 3+3 Appetizer-3 Oyster Rockefeller and 3 Clams Casino and Fried Oysters with salad, sweet potato, and sautéed vegetables.   I had Triple Shrimp platter with Scampi, Baked Shrimp. and Crunchy Shrimp  with clam chowder and sweet potato. Delicious honey bread was served with our dinner.  

They have a nice selection of fresh seafood in the market and we bought some yellowtail snapper for Tuesday's dinner.  This a very busy place but they do have call ahead seating so we did not have to wait for a booth.....just allow 30 minutes to call ahead.

Day 29 0n Captiva

Sunday morning is Farmer's Market time in Sanibel.  Al and I left around 9 to shop for the week's produce. Lucky enough to get parking at the library.  We purchased tomatoes...the best....okra, lemons, limes. lettuce, and more at the produce stand.  One of the busiest booths here.....one man said "the line reached Captiva".  We also had to buy more fresh made guacamole and mozzarella cheese. Al selected some flowers from the floral booth.

 

 Me on the left waiting for Mozzarella.

 

 I decided we should eat at the Deli on Palm Ridge but they close on Sunday so we went to the nearest place a few doors from the deli which was Rosie's (formerly Hungry Heron in past years). Not the best choice.....even though the food was not bad, the restaurant was a bit run down and did not seem to be well managed and maintained. The hostess seemed to be frazzled but the restaurant was not busy.  I ordered tuna salad sandwich with fries which was oversized and good but the sandwich was grilled which I did not care for or expect on a salad sandwich.  Al had Blackened Bleu Cheese Burger seasoned steak burger, bleu cheese, bacon with lettuce & tomato with onion rings which he said was very good.

We stopped at Ding Darling and checked out the gift shop and took a short walk on the Indigo Trail out to the Education Boardwalk near the school.  I took photos of an Osprey having lunch and a Yellow-crowned Night Heron from the observation deck.

We also spotted  a Roseate Spoonbill, Ibis, Anhinga, and Tri-colored Herons. There were tracks of an alligator crawling through the mud below the bridge.

 

We did a quick drive through the refuge but did not see anything out of the usual.  Most birds were inactive including the White Pelicans all curled up on the sand barriers.  I did take photos of an ibis and immature night heron as we leaving the trail.

By the time we arrived back at the cottage, clouds moved in and stayed the rest of the day.  Time was spent reading and relaxing.
I served Shrimp Linguini ( frozen dinner) with tossed salad of lettuce and veggies for the evening meal.

Day 28 on Captiva

Today began slowly this morning.  I had gone to bed early last night with a headache and still felt sluggish this morning.  It was cool outside so I made a pot of  Matzo ball soup for lunch using a mix. Served with bagel and cream cheese.

It warmed up enough in the afternoon to go the pool with books. 

Al had a good evening at the races at Northfield (watched via internet and place bets through Bet Harness).  He had worked on his picks on Thursday and Friday after printing the program.

For dinner, I baked chicken breasts with Stove Top stuffing and gravy and served with fried okra and sliced tomatoes.   How's that for a Southern dinner but without the fried chicken?

Day 27 on Captiva

This morning we went to Bailey Homestead Preserve to check out  Shipley Trail and more. To learn more about this homestead read this link.  We arrived about 9:30 and was greeted in the parking lot by a gathering of cattle egrets and ibis feeding under the trees.

 

 

Spotted a Phoebe near the manmade lake by the entrance.

 

There was also an alligator sunning on an island in the lake. I first thought it was a log.

 

We saw many beautiful wildflowers on the trail.

 

At the reservoir ponds there were many anhinga sunning, several cormorants feeding, many snowy egrets,  brown pelicans, great blue herons, and more.  But no storks to be found like last year.

 

 

  

 

And Al was pointing the way to Pond Apple Trail.

 

After our hike,  we had brunch at Jerry's Café which was not busy...we walked right in to a booth.  Al ordered eggs, sausage patties, hash browns, and rye toast. I opted for  lunch of seafood salad on lettuce and tomatoes with red pepper strips, cucumber slices, egg, and fruit.  We shopped for coffee, wine, sandwich meat and a few other items. 

We spent the rest of afternoon at the beach....was quiet day at the beach ....nice and breezy and  warm.  We saw a pod of dolphins swim by....saw at least 6 or 8. 

 

Dinner tonight at 5:30 at Lazy Flamingo....just in time to get seats at the bar.   Started with fresh oysters on the half shell.  Al ordered fried shrimp with fries and I ordered half Caesar salad with grilled mesquite grouper and garlic bread. And of course we shared our dinners.

Day 26 on Captiva

Back again with the simple facts of the day.
Early up with coffee on the porch.
Lunch at the pool.  Chicken sandwiches with lettuce and tomatoes. Chips. Iced tea.
Pool and beach in the afternoon.
Dinner-leftover pork slices with pasta and pesto sauce.  Sliced tomatoes. Wine.
Nothing else to write.

Day 25 on Captiva

Al had a massage at Tween Waters Spa this morning at 10:00.  I began to set up my new computer and learn how it works and downloaded some lost programs including Photoshop Elements and Photoshop Premiere (using  trials of the latest ones as of now), Silhouette Studio, Kindle, etc.  I spent some time catching up on blog posts but have a few days before I catch up with real time.

Today is a bit cool and cloudy....a good day to spend inside and catch up on laundry, etc.
Served lunch of chicken sandwiches with chips and iced tea.  For dinner we marinated a pork tenderloin for a few hours adapting Alton Brown's recipe using honey, lime juice, garlic powder, and other ingredients.  Al grilled the pork and I made couscous with olives, basil, and green onions and served a tomato salad with hot rolls.  The pork was very delicious and tender.

Note: My posts are a bit boring as we have not been busy with exciting activities.  I am writing several days at one time so I am keeping briefer than usual with minimum details.

As Sgt. Joe Friday said:  All we know are the facts.