Day 15 Captiva 2019

Sunday, Feb 17
We began our day early with a trip to Sanibel to shop at the Farmer's Market for fresh produce, cheese, and fresh flowers.  We bought tomatoes, red pepper, okra, green beans, lemon, limes, lettuce, strawberries, mozzarella cheese, guacamole, parmesan bread, and flowers.

We had breakfast at Sanibel Café after a 20 minute wait for a table. Al ordered his usual Lox and Bagel platter (always good) and I had eggs benedict with a side of broiled parmesan tomatoes.

Because of heavy traffic on Periwinkle Way,  we took the back route (Casa Ybel Road to Gulf Drives to Tarpon Bay ) to Bailey's General Store to pick up some tiramisu for dinner.  

I walked to the  beach late afternoon. I found a group of willets on the beach with one marbled godwit in their midst but not much else.

Back on the porch, we had gin n tonics with the guacamole dip and scoops.
For dinner, Al grilled beef shish kabobs with mushrooms, potatoes, red peppers, and onions.  Served with arugula salad.  Very good!

Day 15 Captiva

 Sunday morning we drove into Sanibel for the Farmers' Market at 8:30  and found it very busy since the Arts and Crafts show is in town at the Community Center but found a parking space without any trouble.  We purchased French Bread bagel, lots of veggies, mozzarella cheese, and alstroemeria bouquet.   We headed over to Sanibel Cafe for brunch.....had a 20 minute wait for a table.  Al had
lox and bagel – Smoked salmon and bagel with cream cheese, served with tomatoes, red onions and capers.  I ordered seafood  salad served over Romaine lettuce with sliced tomato, melon and a coconut muffin.  Great meal!

We then shopped the stores at the Tahitian Gardens and bought 2 items at Life Is Good shop  and some items at Wilford & Lee.  Stopped at Adventures in Paradise,  one of fave shops.  Disappointed that the mix at The Brown Bag no longer carries our fave designers but has only touristy items with Sanibel Island logos.  We took the Gulf drive to avoid all the bumper to bumper traffic on Periwinkle to shop at Bailey's General store for wine, steak, seafood, pastries and bread.
After getting back to the cottage, we spent an hour on the beach:

We saw a lot of jumping fish, pelicans feeding, and also  terns diving for food.    More people and birds here today than the past few days.
We enjoyed gin & tonics with fresh guacamole  (from Farmers' Market) and chips on the porch after the beach.  For dinner we had pan-seared triple tail served over wilted spinach and caprese  salads and ciabatta rolls.  Great fish!
We finished the meal with Tiramisu from Bailey's Bakery.

Day 22 on Captiva

Our Sunday routine includes a trip to the Farmer's Market in Sanibel.  We arrived about 9:00 and parked underneath the library...best spot to park. The market was crowed with locals and tourist.  We bought some okra and corn with our usual produce as well as some guacamole at Dynasty Quacamole booth. Very good quac!

After our market shopping, we went to Sanibel Café for breakfast where we had 20 minute wait for a booth.  They have done some remodeling since last year but mostly the same place and  menu.

Al had lox and bagel with onion, tomatoes, capers and cream cheese.  I had  scrambled eggs, grilled Parmesan tomatoes, and wheat toast.  After eating we checked out some of the shops...Al bought a blue short sleeve woven shirt at Brown Bag.  Stopped at Bailey's for a piece of grouper and some ground beef and other groceries.  Then back to the beach for the sunny afternoon.

Al pan fried the grouper for dinner and we served with lemon butter sauce, green beans and tomatoes with basil.  Dessert was Tiramisu from Bailey's bakery.

Day 30 on Captiva

The day began early with our weekly trip to the Farmers Market for our fix of more tomatoes and other produce items.  Al bought me a beautiful flower bouquet.  The market was even busier than the past few weeks with more tourists than locals this Sunday. 

 

We had breakfast at one of our favorite spots, Sanibel Café with unique  table arrangements of Fossilized Seashells under glass.   Below is the table where we sat. 

We were lucky  to be seated almost at once on this busy Sunday morning.

I had Eggs Benedict served with Grilled Parmesan Tomatoes and Al had Lox and Bagel Platter.  We made a brief stop at Bailey's for some provisions and headed back to the beach  with sunny skies.   I finished another book NAKED GREED by Stuart Woods.  An easy read but a lot of violence and sex.

 

Tonight I prepared Steamed Mussels with a light Italian sauce of Roma Tomatoes, scallions, garlic, basil, and wine.   This was served over pasta with Arugula salad and Italian Bread.  Dessert was Tiramisu from Bailey's Bakery. 

 

Al tried a new to him California wine -Edna Valley Vineyard Merlot 2013.   The wine is described as "aromas of cocoa powder, anise and black cherry, complemented by hints of leather and humidor. Fine tannins and a bright acidity create a rich, balanced mouth  feel."   Or another review says "The palate offers a complex combination of flavors—mocha, espresso, blackberry and anise."

 

Day 11 on Captiva

Today the weather is perfect for shopping stores in Sanibel....so that is what we did....shopped until we dropped!  Not really, but we did hit a lot of stores.  We started out about 10am at the Periwinkle shops.  One of our favorites is Island Pursuit where I bought a pink and white check shirt and a navy cover up.  Al found a new blue cap that he liked.  We visited several of the shops but mostly doing "window-shopping." 

Next to Tahitian Gardens for lunch at Sanibel Café.  Al had Rueben Sandwich with Fries and I had Chicken Salad with Grapes served with fruit and muffin.  We visited all the shops and Al purchased a shirt on sale at the  Brown Bag.  

 

We then made a stop at 3 Crafty Ladies to check out their stamping supplies.  Little to offer except for a few Florida Theme stamps and a small selection of 12"x12" card stock.  But they are stocking a lot more than last year, especially quilting fabrics and supplies.  It looks like they are in to online shipping now which might be supporting their business.

Then off to Jerry's Shops  to visit H20 Outfitters and a friend Wanda.   Al purchased a Windbreaker made by Columbia. 

Our last stop was Bailey's Grocery for some fresh pastries and bread. Then back to the house for Happy Hour on the porch with Gin and Tonics.
Tonight I made a beef-noodle casserole using my own recipe with tomatoes, onion,  basil, garlic, cheeses,  and some other Italian seasonings. This was served with sauteed spinach and hot rolls. Yummy dinner!

Day 2 0n Captiva

This is our home for the next six weeks on Captiva Island.  

 

Today was a late start to our day...no getting up at 5:30.   After coffee and muffins, we went to the Farmer's Market in Sanibel for fresh produce and fresh Mozzarella cheese.  It was pretty much the same vendors and layout as last year.   We also purchased cut flowers, a basil plant and some bear claws in addition to produce.

 

We headed to the Sanibel Café for brunch and  were ahead of the Sunday crowd and did not have to wait for a table.    As usual,  Al had Smoked salmon and bagel with cream cheese, served with tomatoes, red onions and capers. I had the Shrimp Salad served over Romaine lettuce with  melon, fruit, and a  walnut muffin.  Very good food and service.  By the time we left,  there was a line of  customers waiting for tables.

We decided to take a drive through Ding Darling even though it is now about noon.   The highlight of the drive was seeing a Dunlin up close as he walked along the shore line .

"The Dunlin is a familiar shorebird around the world. The winter dunlin is basically grey above and white below.  Medium-sized sandpiper. Moderately short neck. Moderately long, drooping bill. Moderately long, blackish legs. Slightly hunched appearance."

Other sights on the drive:

White Pelicans

 Roseate Spoonbills

 

Island of White Pelicans

 

We spent a restful afternoon doing not much of anything.  It was too cool to sit on the beach,

 Al made us a new drink for happy hour made with Vodka and muddled Blueberries, calling it Kim's Berry Delight.  Very Refreshing! 

 

For dinner, Al was to grill steaks but the outdoor grill would not heat up enough, so he cooked inside with potato wedges and we served with Arugula Salad.   It was not one of our better meals as the steak was a bit overdone for our liking.   Glasses of wine did make it better! 

 

Day 37 on Captiva

Edited to add beach photos.

Sun just beginning to show at 7:45am.

Sunday morning means a trip to the Farmers' Market....the last one for this trip.  But first we took in a beautiful sunrise over the bay as we drank our coffee sitting on the dock on the bay.  Sounds like a song.....

 

 

 

Then off to the Farmers' Market for tomatoes, avocado, lettuce, mushrooms, etc and some seafood from the Fish Booth.  Also bought our weekly bouquet of flowers.

Flowers from Farmers' Market

 After the Farmers' Market we had breakfast at Sanibel Café.  Al had the Lox and Bagel Platter and I had a grilled croissant with scrambled eggs, ham, tomatoes and Havarti cheese.  We made a quick stop at Jerry's for some groceries and wine. We made a quick drive through DDWR on the drive home and got some good shots of a dancing Reddish Egret, Blue Heron and Yellow -crowned Night Heron.

 Again we spent some time on the beach with a large number of willets and dolphins swimming by.

For dinner Al grilled some great large scallops which we enjoyed with lemon orzo and an arugula salad with strawberries and a lemon vinaigrette.  Notice his great grill marks on the scallops in the photo below.