Day 25 on Captiva

Today was a fairly quiet day beginning with clouds this morning.  I posted some on my blogs and Al did some surveys on the computer.  We had lunch of sandwiches and chips.  The afternoon warmed up and the skies turned sunny so we headed off to the beach.   We passed the time reading ....I finished David Baldacci's THE GUILTY, a thriller with a lot of killings and a surprise ending.  Al is reading a James Patterson novel CROSS JUSTICE. 

It was a quiet afternoon on the beach with only a few beachcombers and a flock of Sanderlings, I think.  I am not too good at identifying shorebirds.

After a restful day of doing mostly nothing,  I prepared a dinner of Parmesan Dijon Chicken with Fried Okra and Caprese Salad.  I found the chicken recipe here .

Day 24 on Captiva

Sunrise on the Bay

This morning began with a sunrise watch from the dock.  Armed with coffee and cameras we went to the dock before 7AM to capture the glorious sunrise and what a lovely one we had with a sky of clouds  and the sea of  water reflecting the rays.

What a beautiful way to begin the day!

I then headed down to the beach and collected a few shells.

 

We then decided to check out what was happening at Ding Darling and found the White Pelicans congregating  at the usual  places on the mud flats but first we spotted this Roseate Spoonbill.

 

 

Al was able to capture the pelicans flying in to join the group. 

 

 

 

A Wood Stork was feeding in front of the second group of pelicans.

 

 

 We saw a lot of Cormorants along with the pelicans.

 

 

We had a late breakfast of Bacon and Eggs with toast and juice.  Then we went to the pool for awhile but moved to the beach where the cool breeze was more enjoyable that the heat of the pool.

 

For dinner,  Al grilled Pompano to perfection and served simply with Lime Slices.  This went nicely with French Fries and a Green Salad.  Along with glasses of wine.

 

 

Day 23 on Captiva

We stayed with our Sunday routine of going to the Farmer's Market early for tomatoes and fresh produce including some okra today.  We also purchased Scallops and Pompano at the seafood booth.  We then headed home for a lunch of Steak with Provolone sandwich for Al and a Salad with steak for me which I made with last night's leftover meat.
We spent the afternoon  at the beach and came in about 4 for Very Berry Drinks made by Al, the bartender.  He serves many roles here in Captiva.  As mentioned before this drink is made with Tito's Vodka, Lemonade, and Muddled Blueberries.

For dinner, Al the grill master  expertly prepared Scallops on the grill and I served with rice and a green salad.  We ended with Key Lime pie.

Sorry, no photos today.

Day 22 on Captiva

Saturday has again  arrived....time is going very quickly!  The morning began quietly with coffee and fresh pastries from Publix.  I spent most of the morning downloading photographs and working on some posts..  Al is resting up on the porch surfing the web and emails.  After a lunch of Chicken Soup and Matzo Balls,  it was time for Al's massage at the Tween Waters Spa.  I went with him and passed the time walking around the marina and grounds.

There are many  beautiful boats anchored at the dock:

 

Al felt like a new man after his massage which helped his injured leg feel better.

 

We headed to the beach not wishing to miss the glorious sun we have today.  Just before we were leaving the sandy beach, we spotted dolphins swimming by and I captured this one digitally

 

 

At bay side this afternoon, the tide was out and fishermen were in the shallow waters

 

along with just a few birds:

 

We had drinks with shrimp cocktail.  Dinner tonight was Grilled Steak prepared by the grillmaster Al and served with baked potatoes and Caesar Salad and dessert of Key Lime Pie.   Al watched the harness  races from Northfield Park.

Day 21 on Captiva

Today was a busy day with a planned trip to Fort Myers to see and do a lot.  After coffee, we began our drive at 8:15 with our first stop at Bunche Beach with the hope of seeing Skimmers and a Flamingo who has been spending a lot of time on this beach.  We did not see them but there were a lot of  birds and a lot of photographers here. 

 

 Al made some great shots of  the Fort Meyers skyline and the Causeway view seen from the beach.

 

A view of Sanibel shoreline:

Some of the birds we spotted:

 

 

 

 

 

And Al on the beach among the trees:

 

After about an hour of walking the beach we headed to Six Mile Slough.

Note: "The Six Mile Cypress Slough Preserve is over 3,500 acres of wetland ecosystem. The cypress slough catches and slowly filters rainwater on its way towards Estero Bay. A myriad of animals like otters, alligators, turtles, wading birds, and more live at the Slough year-round. "

 

The weather is almost perfect today and we saw a lot of wildlife on the boardwalk at the slough including snakes, alligators, turtles as well as birds.

The snakes included:

Cottonmouth

Black Snake

Alligators we saw:

 

Sunning Turtles:

And the birds:

 

 

 

 We enjoyed a packed lunch in the picnic spot near the butterfly garden in the parking area.

 

We then made our next stop at Tanger Outlet Center and purchased some belts, shoes and Polo cologne.

And then a stop at Publix which was across the road from the outlet:

Being that was the last stop of the day, we drove back to the house and had dinner at home.  Too tired to cook, we had a frozen Bertolli Dinner of shrimp and pasta,