Sun!

The day started out sunny, warm, humid...just like all good beach days should. Our tentative agenda had us touring the 'Ding' Darling National Wildlife Refuge which happens to be about a mile from our cottage. Unfortunately they had the wildlife drive closed until Oct 1, and the walking/biking trail also for repairs. I hope the government doesn't shut down because if it does, the refuge will shut down too. So, fingers crossed, we will be able to go there later this week.

Plan B. We drove the length of Sanibel Island and then Captiva Island. They aren't very big so it didn't take long at all. The road is small and surrounded by tropical vegetation. The houses are brightly painted and it's all very quaint! We even pulled over at the local Post Office so I could take a picture of the P.O. Box.

 

After a quick lunch of Mac and cheese and spam, we headed out to the east end of the island to Lighthouse Point. The beach there is supposed to be very good for mini shells. So out we head and find a good spot to put up our beach umbrellas. There were a few people out, some fishing, some sunbathing, some swimming. The beach itself is very narrow because they leave the dune area for the nesting shorebirds as well as nesting sea turtles! It all makes for a very natural beach.

So here is Ben and Maggie enjoying the beach...

I didn't take many pictures here, too busy walking in the water, looking for shells. We actually didn't a find too many here. Ben and Maggie are the experts - they go out in waist deep water and find shells with their feet and pick them up. Sometimes out there the shells are still inhabited so they have to be thrown back, but there are some nice empty ones too! I personally don't like picking up things I can't see...the water here was pretty stirred up and there were boats close in to shore. At the fishing pier people were pulling in some pretty big fish. There were also Brown Pelicans, Royal Terns, Laughing Gulls, and even an Egret and a Double Breasted Cormorant by the pier. I didn't have my camera so no pictures, sorry!

We left a little before low tide, went for ice cream at Pinnochios. It was very good, I had a Key Lime sorbet and 1 whole scoop fell off onto the ground :-( but there was plenty left to fill me up. We went back to our cottage and walked to the private beach that we were out on last night. Along the way we came across these White Ibis just doing their thing. The birds here really let you get close!

The water was clear and almost at low tide so we were able to walk quite a ways out and find some good shells. We watched the sunset again, not as pretty as last night but still lovely, and headed back home after the thrips came out and started biting.

 

 

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