Day 9

Super Bowl Sunday
Lazy day here...on the cool side today.  Al walked early but for just a short distance. We spent day reading and I did some blogging. We cooked in and watched the game.  We made shrimp scampi with pasta  and a salad. The Saints beat the Colts, an upset!

Day 8, Sat, Feb 6

Today was another cloudy and cool day...spent most of the morning inside. After late breakfast, we walked out on the beach...very windy.  Saw a kite surfer-see picture. We drove to South Seas shops and stopped at Captiva Grocery. Ran into Mike and Elaine. Then we visited the Captiva Cemetery and Chapel by the Sea (separate post about this).
Had drinks and chips with salsa after our trip. Decided to eat nearby at Lazy Flamingo so we left about 5:30 to beat the crowd. Ate at the bar from where we could see the sunset....an unexpected perk. Al had ribs with fries and slaw and I had the grouper basket with same sides. Very Good food. Guy at bar not as fun or as efficient as the staff last year.

Visit to Captiva Cemetery and Chapel of the Sea, Sat, Feb 6

Some Captiva History:

Al and I visited the Captiva Cemetery and Chapel by the Sea on Saturday afternoon. Located adjacent to the Captiva Chapel by the Sea, the cemetery is on a portion of land originally homesteaded by William Binder and bought from him in 1900 by Ann Emma Brainard (daughter of Hattie E. and Herbert D. Brainard) because this was her favorite spot to watch the sunsets. She died the following year of tetanus and was buried on her small parcel of land along the Gulf of Mexico. Her parents later bought the land surrounding her grave and donated it to the islanders as a cemetery. Her grave is shown above.

Ann's Father's Grave
                                                                            Her brother's Grave

The Chapel of the Sea located near the cemetery was built in 1903 and was originally Captiva's first schoolhouse built on land donated by William Herbert Binder.  It also served as the community church when the circuit preacher was on the island.  In 1917, the school ceased to be a school and in 1921 it became a Methodist Church. A group of Captiva residents purchased the property back in 1948 and changed it to a interdenominatonal church called the Chapel by the Sea. Services are held from November through April.

Day 7, Fri, Feb 5

Today was to be a beach day but was too cloudy for that. Spent most of am inside. Had lunch of soup and sandwich. Decided to go shopping...Al's shoes that he ordered at Lime Tree were in so we picked those up then shopped the Periwinkle Shops. While there it began to pour rain so we stayed til it stopped. Al found Woolrich fleece on sale and I bought "Life is Good" tee at Synergy. Found a Beegie Adair CD at Pandora's.


Stopped at Timbers and bought Yellowfin Snapper for dinner. Pan sauteed that and made baked potatoes and grapefruit and greens salad for dinner. Al is becoming head chef and clean up person. I was very tired at the end of the day after being so active.

Day 6, Thurs, Feb 4

Al did early walk. Came back with pastries from store. Today we did the "lecture tour". We went to DDWR for talk by "Bird" Westall, a popular canoe tour guide on the island. Talk began at 1:00 but parking was almost full when we arrived shortly after noon. Had a fullhouse in the auditorium. He spoke about the island and wildlife but was almost too political blaming man for all the loss of wildlife and discussing his personal beliefs. Enjoyed more when he talked about the birds and animal behavior. Went to Doc Ford's for late lunch of crabcake and mussels. The crabcake was not best I have had...too thick and had too many ingredients like corn, carrots. We then did quick drive thru DDWR. Home to have a drink and headed to Sanibel Community Center around 6:00 for the Audoubon guest speakers - Dick Fortune and Sara Lopez, nature photographers from Miami. They showed a slideshow of their photos and talked about photography techniques and equipment. They have been featured in many books and calendars, including Sanibel-Captiva Calendars.


Afterwards,we went to Island Cow for late dinner. I ordered the fried calamari basket and Al had fried oyster basket.Filled our quota of fried food for awhile. Disappointed in hushpuppies...very tough and overcooked....probably because we were the last diners.

Day 5, Wed, Feb 3

Pictures from DDWR taken 2-3-10:

Kingfisher, Green Heron, Immature Night Heron, Wood stork, Anhinga

After drive, we went to Lazy Flamingo for oysters on the half shell and beer for late lunch. We then cooked 

dinner of frozen Bertolli  pasta with shrimp and salad. Having to compromise on dinners at home by using frozen dinners.

Day 4, Tues, Feb 2

Another rainy day....had a lot of rain all morn. Spent most of day on the porch watching it rain, reading, surfing the web. Early coffee and pastries. Lunch of turkey sandwiches and chips. Afternoon of napping and reading. Early dinner at Timbers...left about 5 and beat the dinner traffic.. no wait for a table. Al dined on yellowfin snapper with veggies and baked potato and I had shrimp platter - garlic shrimp, crunchy shrimp, and baked stuffed shrimp with sweet potato...yum! Early to bed again. Hope we have sunshine tomorrow.

Day 3, Monday Feb 1

Another cool and wet day! Rained early. Al did a short walk to get a paper. Coffee and pastries on the porch but almost too cool outside. Blogged some and then had lunch of clam chowder and chicken sanwich. We went shopping at Lime Tree...Al ordered new shoes and I bought a pair at Footloose. Quick stop at Jerry's for missed grocery items. Also checked out new location of 3 Crafty Ladies but not many stamping items. After resting and drinks,we made dinner of chicken puttanesca with spaghetti and salad. Al is becoming the cook and cleanup staff as he had to do the chopping,etc. I think he misses being waited on as usual. Have not been on the beach as yet...too cool!

Day 2, Sunday, Jan 31

Sunday, we settled in. Had coffee on porch but was a bit chilly. Had grapefruit and bagels for breakfast. Drove thru DDWR around noon...weather is cool and cloudy. Stopped at Bailey's for more groceries and then to Captiva for liquor that we forgot at Bailey's. Found prices were cheaper there. Had drinks with cheese and crackers, then cooked dinner of Ribeye, baked potatoes and salad. Dessert was mango-lime pie from Publix's. Another early night.

  

Pictures from DDWR

 

                                            

Day 1, Saturday, Jan 30

Hello from Captiva, FL. Arrived here on Saturday after driving since Thurs. When we left from OH early Thurs, it was snowing lightly. We stopped for the night at my brother's in Norris, TN. We left there on Fri am before the snow arrived.....they had 4-6" snow across the state of TN but we were driving ahead of it. Stayed Fri night in Ocala, FL and arrived to 70 degree temps in Captiva. A far change from the temps in OH. Al drove most of the way but I did some driving to relieve him.

Thanks to all who have sent wishes for a speedy recovery. Doctor says my broken wrist is healing nicely....changed my cast before we left for our trip...went from party pink (for Mom's party) to tropical blue for the beach!! LOL! I am able to walk without as much pain as my right knee is healing too. Guess if I cannot do much of anything but rest, sunny Florida is the place to be. It takes so long for me to type, I cannot even do much of that. But I will try to post about our stay here.

My Mother's 90th birthday on Jan 17th was a huge success.....over 110 of her relatives and friends attended including all her grandchildren and great grandchildren. She was on "cloud 9" and had a grand time.

I really miss stamping and making cards but will be following your cards and challenges from FL. At least I can think about ones that I would have made.....When this cast comes off, I'll be making tons of cards ....letting all my stored up creativity flow. LOL