Tag Archives: sanibel

9 March 2007

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A common event on the islands: waiting to be called for breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe. It’s worth it.

Our tour of Sanibel yesterday started with a few backroad accesses to beaches, followed by a rather exquisite ice cream at the Dairy Queen. We didn’t actually go there for the ice cream: it was to see a golden eagle’s nest out back. We saw the eagle, but could not get a close enough picture of it. Lots of vultures too. Then proceeded to Dixie Beach Road, which was a quiet and delightful backwater down to the bay: some very expensive properties there. We continued down a narrow lane which ran right alongside the bay and took a few pictures: beautiful spot – almost nobody around, bay on one side and wildlife refuge on the other.

Back on Periwinkle Way we called at an Antiques Shop, which is the American name for all kinds of bric a brac and curios. Fascinating: even I, a determined non-shopper, didn’t mind being in there. Following this we ventured down Tarpon Bay Road to the marina and by chance (to make up the numbers) went on a trip round the bay. This turned out to be a surprisingly cool experience, and Dot and Barb accepted offered blankets! Back on shore it was pretty warm again, and there was a nice little shop…

In the evening we went to Dolce Vita again. Probably the best food on the island, but quite rich, as were most of the patrons. Piano accompaniment.

Played bridge, but we were all rather tired, and so abandoned it quite soon.

This morning felt a bit queasy, so had an early bath. Others didn’t sleep well, so it was after 9.30 before we walked up the beach and round to Starbucks for breakfast. I had a pomegranate frappucino, which also includes peach juice and green tea. Delicious. Chocolate chip cookie too. Consumed it all on the dock: Pine Island Sound dead calm. Manatees around, but haven’t seen dolphins for a while.

Back at the house worked out what we’d bought for Customs purposes: could have been worse, and well within limit. Did a little bit of packing while Dot and Barb went on to beach. Now as I write they are off on to Sanibel to have their nails done and to do a little shopping. Our last day in Florida!

8 March 2007

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Well, Traders was a mistake. None of us was really hungry: apart from Roger, we had two starter plates, and they proved far too much. We had to slink out rather quickly.The wine was good though, as was the film – Walk the Line – biography of Johnny Cash. Up rather late this morning. Dot has gone up to the post office with Barbara, after which we shall embark on a tour of some of the lesser known parts of Sanibel. Weather is warm and bright.

The picture (by Dot) is of the exit from Sunset Captiva (where we’re staying) on to the beach.

7 March 2007

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In the evening yesterday we paid our second visit to Redfish Blu(e)fish. Good food, wine even better. We were almost home when Barb realised she’d left her glasses on the table, so we returned to fetch them. Total additional time probably 40 minutes! Back home we watched Inside Man, which seemed really good, though I dozed off a couple of times, out of tiredness rather than boredom.

Today we were out of the house by 9.30 and in the Sanibel shopping area by 10. I bought a new bag to carry all the extra stuff we’ve bought, plus present for Phil, whose birthday is on Monday. Then back to Captiva for lunch at the Green Flash – outdoors, to the accompaniment of water sprays that kept drifting over us. Archetypal American waitress.

After lunch we went kayaking for a couple of hours over to Buck Key and into its beautiful little lagoon. In Pine Island Sound the wind got up a little but it was still no problem. This evening we are having an unusually late meal at Traders, so watching part of a film first.

Weather warmer again. Blue skies.

Picture by Dot is of birds in the Ding Darling wildlife refuge.

6 March 2007

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Just returned from two hours sailing in Pine Island Sound on board the Adventure, captained by Jorge, from Chile. Beautiful day: some breeze, but not too much. No sign of fish, surprisingly in view of what you can often see from the shore, but plenty of entertainment from Jorge, who had views on a wide variety of things, from Canadian government to the amount of food you get in certain restaurants here. When he discovered I was a writer he came up with a couple of ideas for my next column. Hmmm…

The Sound is only about five feet deep at its maximum, and is over two miles wide. Jorge suggested that if we sank, we could walk ashore. The more vertically challenged among us were not sure about this, but some found it comforting.

The picture was taken at the end of the voyage by Jorge, using Dot’s camera.

Earlier, while I took a while to get up (hadn’t been feeling too well – maybe very mild sunstroke from tennis, or a touch of dodgy food), Dot and Barb went over to Sanibel for a little shopping. When I eventually stirred, I finished writing my page for next week.

Last night after bridge we watched The Luzhin Defence, a film about a chess grandmaster who is one pawn short of a set. No, that’s a metaphor. The chess references, of which there were many, were very accurate, though there is no way a world championship would be settled by a single game, of course. Superbly acted by all.

1 March 2007

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Just a quickie. A relatively quiet day yesterday for Roger and me, while Dot and Barbara went on to Sanibel to do some shopping and have their nails polished. I did some reading and writing, including postcards, and Roger worked on his portrait of Dot. In the evening (well, 5pm) we walked up to the Mucky Duck for dinner. I had shrimps in beer batter and chips. Watched the Leonard Cohen film, I’m Your Man, which is much better than I thought it would be. Some excellent versions of lesser known songs, as well as better known ones. Martha Wainwright great on Traitor.

Today we had lunch at Traders, which was excellent, and in a moment we will be leaving for Naples and a performance of Riverdance. We’re expecting bad traffic and so starting out at 4pm for an 8pm performance. Normal travel time, one and a half hours. Before lunch I bought some shoes – a combination of sandals and trainers – and I have just walked up to the post office to buy stamps, stopping off at the dock on the way back. One dolphin, one manatee, countless pelicans. Strongish breeze from the south-west, but temperature 86F.

Picture is of the house we’re staying in, with our hosts. By Dot.

25 February 2007

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Enjoying a fairly quiet Sunday, if a day that starts with a seven and a half mile walk can be described as quiet. We processed along the strip of beach from Sunset Captiva, where we’re staying, to the bridge on to Sanibel, the neighbouring island. In fact, since the hurricane a couple of years ago, the islands are joined, and the short bridge between them has nothing but sand underneath. Apparently there are plans to dredge it again.

The beach is nothing special – just a strip of off-sand-coloured sand about fifty yards wide: sea on one side, expensive homes on the other. Lots of shells. Lots of birds – western sandpipers darting in and out of the sea, pelicans diving for fish offshore, the occasional osprey and many, many others. You can occasionally see dolphins leaping out of the sea. It’s not crowded, but there are quite a few shell-seekers. In the easy-access spots (not many), there is a sudden blooming of chairs and umbrellas.

On the way back – the tempertaure is around 80F, but there is a cooling breeze – we called in at the Chapel by the Sea, which has a little graveyard in the shade of palms and other trees.

Yesterday was also reasonably quiet. We went to the video store and then to Andrea’s again, because it had a wine-tasting. And butter and ice-cream tasting. We bought over 100 dollars’ worth of exotic food, which we’ve been eating ever since.

Afterwards the girls read on the beach. Roger did some painting, and I walked over to the dock and took some pictures, mainly of pelicans and a heron. Idyllic spot. I’ve read one book already – John Grishom’s The Broker. Pretty good, but not great. Much of it was taken up with the main character learning Italian, and it tailed off a bit.

The picture is by Dot, taken at the north of the island.