Went to the Movies

Another cool day but very sunny. Went to a new art gallery in South Seas, 2 Island Gallery. They were featuring works of 2 fine art photographers of Florida, Alan Maltz (left) and Clyde Butcher (right).

We then went to 5:00 show at the Island Cinema and saw "Last Chance Harvey"....a light drama with Dustin Hoffman and Emma Thompson. Not outstanding but entertaining. This was the first movie we have been to in years.

Had light dinner at Island Cow...Al ordered fried clam basket with fries and coleslaw. I had catfish basket. Fun day.

Events on Tuesday, March 3

I went shelling early again ...just after sunrise. Not as good as yesterday. Lot of calico scallops that were still alive had washed up .....good feeding for the gulls. Of course, I managed to find some shells to bring in. It was very cool....high of 60. Al took a short walk. Al spent most of day reading.

We went to Sanibel...looked for a lamp to fill with shells for the bathroom. Shell Fair and Show starts here on Thursday...always a big event for Sanibel. They have scientific exhibits as well as artistic craft exhibits. Also have shells for sale.

For dinner we made Yellowtail Snapper, rice, and tossed salad with country French dressing.
Snapper Four Seasons Recipe: 4 Snapper Fillets, Lemon Pepper, 2T butter, 1/2 c Sherry(used white wine). Melt butter in saute pan at medium heat. Sprinkle lemon pepper on top of filets. Place filets, seasoned side down in pan and cook 3-5 min. Flip fish and add sherry. Cover pan and cook another 3-5 min. Serve with the sauce from the pan. So easy!

Great Morning for Shelling

After a day of high winds, this morning was a great day for shelling. I spent over an hour on the beach collecting a lot of banded tulips, whelks, more calicos, olives, angel wings, lace murex and conches. I found one each of a sailor's ear seashell, a sand dollar, a nutmeg, and a Florida cone. Best day of shelling for the trip! I had to bundle up because it was cold and windy.

Al took a short walk and brought home 2 bagels for breakfast that we had with scrambled eggs and bacon. We spent the day reading and cleaning shells. Too cool for the beach.

We had dinner at the Sanibel Grill next to Timbers. We shared oysters on the half shell and a house salad. Al had a hamburger with fries and I had a crabcake appetizer. Very busy place...even tho we went early....before sunset.

Ospreys on Buck Key

We spotted many ospreys and their nests as we went around Buck Key in Rene's Boat.

Bald Eagles on Buck Key

We went out at 8:00 this morning with Rene on his 16 ft fiberglass speed boat to go birding in the Buck Key area in Pine Island Sound. There were a lot of little and great blue herons, tri-colored herons, snowy egrets, ibis and kingfishers. But the highlight of the trip was a pair of bald eagles spotted sitting in a tree and flying together. Was a magnificent sight! Al and Rene were busy clicking their cameras ---lot of Kodak moments. Rene was also checking out fish in the area...saw red fish and trout to name a few. I think he wished he had his fishing equipment along.

We arrived back to the dock just as clouds came rolling in encompassing the sky and bay. It began to rain as we climbed onto the pier. Rest of the day was very windy and too cool for the beach.

Dinner tonight was inspired by a meal that Al read in a book this week. I prepared chicken puttanesca....chicken breasts were browned for about 4-5 minutes and kept warm while a sauce of garlic, diced tomatoes, capers, black olives, anchovies, red pepper flakes, tomato paste or puree, basil, and lemon juice simmered until thick. Served chicken and sauce over pasta with arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette. Enjoyed with red wine. Great dinner for a cool night!

Saturday Shopping

We had brunch out this morning. We went to Sanibel Cafe in Tahitian Gardens where the tables have seashells encased under glass on the tops. (Do you remember the place, Tom and Yvonne?) Afterwards we checked out the stores at the newly remodeled Tahitian....a fave is the gift shop where we bought shell soaps, "Head for the Drink" napkins, and a shot glass. We then went to Comfort by Design (fave shoe store) and Al purchased 2 pair of sandals.

Home and to the beach for a couple of hours. Dinner at Ella's home across the street with Rene, Margarethe, Agnes, Sally and Mike. Good conversation and fun!

Day 26 on Captiva

Weather has improved everyday this week.....today was warm and breezy at the beach. Al walked and was almost too warm on the last leg of his route. We headed to the beach about 2:00. The mysterious sailboat is no longer anchored in the gulf. We spotted some dolphins in the distance. They did not come in as close as the one I saw a few days ago.Was a quiet afternoon on the beach.....only the sounds of the birds and the passing boats broke the sound of the waves lightly lapping the shore.

We returned to the beach about 6:00 to watch the setting sun. Not a spectacular sunset for Captiva but what is not to enjoy!

Dinner was appetizer of shrimp cocktail, garlic shrimp over angel hair pasta served with arugula salad with lemon vinaigrette.

Perfect Day for Birds and Beach

Pelican Feeding at DDWR

Thursday, February 26, we took an early trip to DDWR. It was a perfect day for birding. Al made some photos of tri-colored herons and brown pelican. We only saw 2 roseates and no white pelicans. After lunch of ham sandwich and salad, we headed to the beach for a relaxing afternoon. Today was the nicest day yet on the beach. Lot of boat activity but not many people on the beach....almost like having a private beach.

We had dinner with our friends Mike, Ella, Agnes and their friend visiting from Boston at Mike's country club. Al had Caesar salad and Filet Mignon served with fingerling potatoes and asparagus spears. I had house salad and sea bass served with crab risotto and steamed bok choy.

The Mysterious Sailboat

Wednesday was a very relaxing day. We had breakfast after Al's walk. Made scrambled eggs and steak (leftovers) with sliced tomatoes and toast. Spent most of the afternoon on the beach watching the pelicans diving for food. Tried to figure out a mystery regarding a small sailboat anchored near the beach. We watched two men row onto the shore and then back to the boat at which time one guy climbed the mast to lower the jib. Then they rowed back onto land at which time an officer approached them. One guy walked away and disappeared among the houses while the other guy talked with the officer. Then they walked away together heading toward the pass. The suspicious guy then returned alone and then walked through the houses out to the street. On Thursday, the sailboat was still there but had been moved and anchored farther north. Were they illegals coming ashore, drug smugglers, or just sailors in distress?

Dinner at Doc Ford's about 5:15. Good move since we were able to get a table before the crowd arrived. We shared oysters on the half shell. Al had Achoate Grilled Grouper seasoned with a blend of South American spices served with saffron rice mixed with mushrooms and broccoli, topped with pineapple salsa. I had Calamari salad of greens, cucumbers, tomatoes with sweet and sour vinaigrette dressing topped with crispy wontons.

Birding Trip

Tuesday we went to Ft. Myers birding. First, I dragged Al to Estero Beach Lagoon located behind the Holiday Inn beyond Ft Myers Beach but only saw a few egrets and herons.....no skimmers or terns as expected.

We then went to Six Mile Slough (hot birding spot) where we had a picnic lunch before walking the boardwalk. Was a fairly uneventful birding walk but we enjoyed....saw great blue, cormorants, turtles on the platforms in water at entrance. We did see anhingas, ibis, green heron, alligator,mergansers and more turtles at Otter Pond. Spotted a yellow warbler in tree as we were getting in the car to leave.

Stopped at the Lighthouse Restaurant for drinks and calamri appetizer at their bar. Nice view of the marina and boats. Was nice ending to our day trip.