An enjoyable day in Sanibel...

The weather over the last week has been excellent, particularly the last two or three days where the temperatures have been well into the 80's. The forecast for today however was for a pleasant morning followed by high winds & rain in the afternoon and into the evening.

With that in mind we made an early start to the day and drove over to Sanibel Island with the intention of hiring bicycles. On arriving at Sanibel we stumbled upon Billy's Bike Rentals and pulled in to view our options. Lou & Eunice hired a 2-seater surrey and Lucy, Steven & I hired a single-speed bike each.

Lou & Eunice went on their way and the three of us set off shortly after. Sanibel is a great island for cycling, with designated cycle networks heading in all directions, and the right of way at road junctions.

We headed in the direction of Captiva Island, which lies at the northern side of Sanibel. Approximately 30 minutes into our ride I caught a glimpse of a large turtle basking in the sun several yards off our cycle path. As we returned to get a better view it darted down a burrow and out of site before we could take a photo.

Having encountered our first wildlife, we made every effort to keep our eyes peeled for further creatures, and within minutes I had spotted another, this time a slender object caught my attention and my suspicions were confirmed as I made a u-turn. The creature on this occasion was a snake, approximately 3½-4 feet in length. We have all seen snakes and reptiles in zoos and wildlife preserves before, but the three of us had never seen one in the wild until now. Unfortunately it had zipped out of sight before our cameras had been pulled from our pockets and we had to continue our ride.

It wasn't long before Steven caught site of another slim, black object in the grasses by our route, and sure enough we witnessed another snake. This time we were very careful not to frighten it into darting out of site, and were able to follow it along the side of our path, taking multiple photographs (on arriving back at the villa we determined that the snake was a Southern Black Racer, luckily for us they are non-venomous).

A Southern Black Racer on Sanibel Island

Having hired the bikes for a 2 hour period, we made our way back after approximately an hour into the ride, viewing a third snake as we rode back. As we arrived back at the rental shop, the rain that had been forecast began to fall and we were able to take shelter in our vehicle.

Lucy on her bicycle

Lucy & Steven on the ride back to the car

After a quick shop and a very heavy downpour, we drove up to Captiva to lunch at the Green Flash, a restaurant we dined at on our previous trip to Florida last year.

All of our meals were delicious, as were the desserts of key lime pie enjoyed by Lucy & Steven, and the chocolate cheesecake that I consumed.

The clouds again began to close in and we made our way off the islands to a Walmart Supercenter in Cape Coral. After a quick shop we headed back to the villa, Steven, Lucy, Lou & I hit the pool for an evening swim, then enjoyed omelette's for our evening meal in the villa and a cosy night in.

Boca Grande...

Today, all five of us decided to start the day with a dip in the pool. Iain and Steven indulged in a few ball games whilst Eunice, Lou and I pottered about at the shallow end in an attempt to avoid becoming human targets.

Late morning we headed out to Boca Grande, a very pretty little town on Gasparilla Island off the North West Coast of Cape Coral. We arrived just in time for lunch which we enjoyed at The Loose Caboose a family owned restaurant in the town's historic rail depot.

Lucy & Iain at the Loose Caboose

Lou enjoys a lunchtime tipple at the Loose Caboose

After lunch we took a moment to watch the American Bald Eagle nesting on top of the local radio tower, pointed out to us by one of the restaurant waitresses, who was also kind enough to loan us a pair of binoculars! Unfortunately, we didn't get to see the Long Eared Owls which we were told also reside in the area.

Can you spot the Bald Eagle?

How about now?

Continuing through the town we indulged in ice creams from the Pink Pony and headed down to the beach to take in the spectacular sunset by the lighthouse. As dusk set in the town began it's annual 'Christmas Walk' - the streets were lined with luminairs and the shops all stayed open late offering snacks and drinks to residents and visitors. The only public toilets in the town were based at the local fire station where we saw the firemen decorating their engines and Iain & Steven bumped into Santa, who was getting ready for his appearance in the parade.

Steven paddles in the ocean

Lucy takes a stroll along the beach at Boca Grande

The sun begins to set

A beautiful sunset from the beach at Boca Grande

Boca Grande Lighthouse

The streets were illuminated in preparation for the annual Christmas Walk

The final decorations are laid on the firetrucks

The only disappointment of the day was that we were too late to hire a golf buggy, a popular means of transport around the town.

Shop till we drop Part II...

Today we decided to head back out to the shops in an attempt to bag some 'Black Friday' bargains. Most of our shopping time was spent at the Coastland Centre, Naples where we battled our way through the holiday crowds. A little later, once we'd warmed up, we moved on to Books-A-Million and finally the Tanger Outlets in Fort Myers.

With a full trunk, sore feet and almost empty wallets we filled the car up with gas, stocked up on a few groceries at Publix and headed back to the villa, stopping off at Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf for a quick moonlit round on the way. Iain battled hard for a win but was pipped to the post by Steven, who's victory was helped by a hole in one.

Smugglers Cove Adventure Golf, Fort Myers

Lou, Eunice, Steven and Iain enjoy a quick round of miniature golf

After returning to the villa the five of us played a game of Pot Limit Omaha poker, Eunice reigned victorious following a run of good cards.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

It's Thanksgiving today, one of the biggest days in the American calendar. The day started with a dip in the pool, then at about lunchtime we drove over to Immokalee to the Seminole Casino.

I played an unsuccessful couple of hours of poker whilst Lucy, Steven, Eunice & Lou ate lunch in the restaurant before playing a few slot machines and playing a frame or two of Wii bowling.

We drove back to our villa to shower and change, then headed out to Fort Myers Beach for a stroll around the local shops and then over to the Gulf Shore Grille for our Thanksgiving dinner. Lucy, Steven & I tucked into the traditional turkey, whilst Eunice & Lou plumped for the lamb. As we ate, a heron dined on a freshly caught fish down by the coastline outside the restaurant.

After a wonderful meal, the five of us headed back to our villa to retire for the night.

Snorkelling with the manatees...

We made an early start today, rising at about 7:30am and driving round the corner to Grannie's for a hearty breakfast. It was then back to the marina to see a man about a snorkelling tour. The man in question was Broderick, who we actually met for the first time in 2006 when we had come to kayak.

After watching a quick instructional video Lucy, Steven & I got kitted out into our wetsuits and the five of us stepped aboard our tour boat.

Shortly into the tour we spotted a lone manatee, which Broderick believed would enjoy a play in the water should we wish to enter. I became the snorkelling guinea pig and made my way into the water. Unfortunately Broderick's assumption was incorrect and the manatee continued on its way in another direction.

We were on our way again into an inlet known as Three Sisters when we came across more manatees near to a group of kayakers. This time all three of us entered the water and experienced our first close encounter with the beautiful mammal.

Lucy gets close to a manatee at Three Sisters, Crystal River

It was back aboard and further down the inlet we anchored up by the springs amongst dozens of manatees, either resting or enjoying a swim. Once in the water we were surrounded by them, and able to touch the ones that were willing to play. One manatee in particular seemed very friendly, following us wherever we swam. The purchase of our underwater cameras proved to be worthwhile, as we snapped away at the wonderful creatures.

A friendly manatee at the Crystal River springs

Another manatee poses for the camera

Steven says hello to the friendly manatee

After a lengthy snorkelling session at Crystal River we took a short drive down to Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park, the home of Betsy, Lucy & my adopted manatee. Our first port of call was to the manatee enclosure in the hope of seeing Betsy for the first time. As luck would have it a manatee program started shortly after our arrival, and sure enough, Betsy was one of the six manatees there.

Our first view of Betsy, our adopted manatee

Betsy comes to say hello

Betsy enjoys a mouthful of lettuce

We said our goodbyes to Betsy and strolled round the remainder of the park, seeing black bears, panthers, a variety of snakes and reptiles, hippopotamus, bobcats, river otters, alligators, owls & eagles and flamingos.

A rather large hippo

An American Bald Eagle at Homosassa Springs Wildlife Park

The five of us made our way back to the car and Steven drove us the 4 hour journey south back to our villa in Cape Coral, where we all retired for the night after a very long, but extremely enjoyable day.

Road trip...

Today we took a road trip up to Crystal River, a place we visited a couple of years ago to kayak amongst the manatees. The drive takes approximately 4 hours in one go, so to break it up we stopped off at Clearwater Beach for lunch and a quick trip to the local surf shop.

We lunched at Frenchy's, another place close to our hearts having dined there on a number of occasions over the last couple of years, and where we first experienced live poker.

We lunched at Frenchy's on Clearwater Beach

Our trip to Mandalay Surf Co. proved fruitless, leaving for the first time in three years without a single purchase to our names. From there we took a stroll along Clearwater Beach back to the car for the second leg of the journey.

The drive up to Crystal River took a further 1 and a half hours, having stopped off at Longrider Clothing Co. for Lucy to purchase a pair of Justin Gypsy cowgirl boots.

The hotel that we arrived at was in the Norman Bates mould, but the surrounding area was beautiful.

We arrived just in time to view the stunning sunset

After spotting a couple of manatees only yards away from our rooms, we sat down to eat in the local ale house, Steven & I shot a few games of pool, and then hit the pinball machine before finishing up our drinks and retiring for the night.

Shop till we drop...

We had a relaxing start to the day, Steven, Lou & I took a dip in the pool whilst Lucy & Eunice made several bookings by phone, including a hotel at Crystal River for tomorrow evening, and our Thanksgiving meal on Thursday.

At about lunchtime the five of us drove over to Miromar Outlet Mall to do a spot of shopping. Lucy's main purchase was a pair of Oakley sunglasses (she has finally joined the club), along with a pair of Timberland boots, a pair of Adidas running shoes and a running top. I bought another pair of Oakley sunglasses & an Oakley rucksack, a pair of Nike trainers and an Adidas zip-up top.

We headed back towards the villa shopped out, but ready for a game of miniature golf! We stopped by at Castle Golf in Fort Myers, and after 18 holes it was Lucy who putted her way to victory!

Eunice & Lou enjoy a round of miniature golf

Lucy watches her putt on her way to victory

In the evening we picked up several large pizzas to enjoy at the villa, and later Iain gave a crash course in Pot Limit Omaha poker before retiring for the night in preparation for an early rise.

Iain offers a crash course in Pot-Limit Omaha

First day in (Villa) Paradise...

We have taken it easy today, trying to find our feet after a long first day. Our first port of call was to Target in an effort to find a cable that would allow us to upload photos from our camera (we forgot ours...d'oh). No success there, but picked one up at Office Depot.

For lunch we drove down to Cape Harbor and ate at The Joint, a lovely little restaurant overlooking the marina.

The afternoon was spent relaxing at the villa, Steven & I enjoyed the pool and the ladies were pampered by Lucy.

We drove down to the harbor again for our evening meal, this time to a restaurant called Rumrunners. Lucy enjoyed lobster & scallops for the first time in her ravioli, and I tucked into a delicious filet mignon.

We returned to the villa after that for a game of poker which Lou managed to win, running Lucy into a close second.

It's time for bed now, but be sure to check out the photos below of our vacation so far:-

Our home for the next fortnight

The scenery to the rear of our villa is wonderful

I knew there was a reason for bringing Lucy

The (bald) eagles have landed...

Well, our flight was delayed by over an hour, but apart from that everything has gone pretty well. We landed in Orlando at approximately 4:30pm and were on our way in our rented Dodge Caravan by 5:20.

The drive down went almost without incident, until about 15 miles from our destination when a possom wandered out in front of the car. Fortunately I was able to swerve in time to avoid a mishap on our first day of the vacation.

After a quick trip to Publix (the local supermarket) to stock up on essentials, or more to the point wine & beer, we arrived at our villa at 9:15pm.

The villa is outstanding! Photos will follow, as it's quite late now, and all five of us are pretty shattered, but it's fair to say Eunice has done it again with another top pick. The surrounding area, although only viewed in darkness so far appears exciting, with plenty to explore.