sanibel island is a fun place to be. we sat at the tiki bar and met another couple. we had dinner at the lazy flamingo. everything is lush and tropical. there were barely any shells, unusual for there. no fish. the hotel people said a few weeks ago they had to shovel the dead fish off the beach. the red tide is truly red. like a bunch of red algae/seaweed. we did see dolphins out there but the refuge people said the dolphins can get sick and die from the algae if they hang out too long. the ding darling nature preserve is lovely. we had new england clam chowder on Captiva Island at the mucky duck. my throat felt like it was closing and my eyes burned the next day so on we went to my cousins house in Port Charlotte.
siesta key beach is like snow. really soft, white as can be. a long long beachfront. the snow birds were in the water swimming. not me. too chilly in the water. we enjoyed siesta key village-shops and open air bars and restaurants. so nice to be in shorts! I bought a linked sand dollar shaped abalone encrusted bracelet.
I loved venice beach for shelling, though. the shells are beautiful and I found a shark's tooth. I also found a rare Junonia shell as well as others I love: alphabet, whelks, cat's paws, fighting conch, a sand dollar, many others. lots of them. the very next day, there were almost no shells on the beach. you wonder where they go? I told boyfriend I am a "shell snob" I only take the ones that look perfect. hee hee
we went also to Punta Gorda. fisherman's village is fun there. we sat on the harbor restaurant and watched my fav bird..the pelican. boats came and went. we had key lime pie. they have free entertainment and a nice duo was singing. we browsed the shops. I did not sample any alligator meat, any conch fritters or any shark meat. I did like the coconut shrimp and the scallops!
my cousin works at a neat place that is a Brazilian restaurant so we dined there one night. her home was all bright and cozy. it was a wonderful trip. boyfriend and I drove all over the place in a white rented Grand Prix down there taking in sights. traffic on Route 41 is horrendous though. so, today we are back to biz, working. ant packed a lunch for them and they are off on the job. ah....now how long til the next trip??? lol :smile:
