The girls out number the boy 2 to 1 in this family. As retirement has officially kicked in, we'll share some thoughts, memories, and life's lessons along the way. As we travel down Lifes Highway!
Dolphins anyone??
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Fun with Flipper and the gang off the coast of Sanibel Enjoy
On Tuesday we got out to the beach early. The water was calm and clear. So we hit the water right away and I brought the mask and snorkel with me to have a look around. I could see the bottom in 4 to 5 foot of water. I love to use the snorkel and float around its like your in your own little world. It's just you and the ocean. You do have to occasionally look up to see where you are. When I looked up on one occasion I saw two women standing on the shore looking out towards me. The wife was in the water closer to shore and seemed to be having a conversation with them. I didn't really give it much thought at the time. It seems like most people you meet down her are all super nice and I figured they were just saying "Hi" and talking about how calm the water was. So then they walked away and I drifted up to my wife. She was laughing and saying something about Manatee alert!! Apparently the two ladies were on their porch when they...
So Tuesday we spent on the beach. The nice thing about being right on the beach is you seem to spend much more time on it. We have logged quite a few hours on beach time this week. Since we only see it once a year the more time soaking up the sun and the surf the better. On Tuesday morning we got out early Carol wanted to see if she could get some pictures of the sunrise. We are not on the best part of the island for sunrise or sunset pictures we are spoiled from spending so much time on Captiva where sunset especially, is worshiped. One beach Angel (Taylor) was up for the task the other Beach Angel (Lexi) did one of her favorite things SLEEP! When we hit the beach like a kid and a mud puddle I'm drawn to the water and automatically go into treasure hunting mode. I looked up and Carol and Taylor are gone. They were on a mission to find that sunrise and it was some where down the beach around the bend. A quick check of my pockets, ...
So it's been two years since I've been to my "Happy Place". Now don't get me wrong it's not that I'm an unhappy guy. I have a good life and a great family. There are many things that make me happy. Anything from a giggle to a hug from any of my five granddaughters makes me happy. A cruise in my 66 with the top down and the deep rumble coming from the side-pipes makes me happy. Sitting on the porch and hearing nothing but the call of a mourning dove in the morning or a bull frog breaking the evening quiet these all make me happy. However; when it comes to going to my "Happy Place" there really only one place that does it for me and that place is Captiva/Sanibel. It's been two years since we've been here so this trip will be like catching up with an old friend. For those of you that know what it's like to find your "Happy Place" congratulations. For those of you who don't the best way I can describe it is like ...
Posting a little later today sitting out on the lania listening to the thunder roll and having a glass of Liquid Lubrication. Strawberry/Plum wine 2008. (It was a very good year). As you regulars on the forum know I enjoy making homemade wine. This one was actually made by a friend of mine. His name is Gil. He's the one that introduced me to the art of winemaking. Strawberry Plum 2008 Gil is best described as one of those country boys that can survive. He's does it all from making his own deer sausage to turning various fruits into liquid lubrication he makes some good stuff! The first time I saw him making deer sausage I was a bit perplexed he was using the camper on the back of his old Ford pickup as a smoker. I thought the darn truck was on fire when I first saw it. Some of the best deer sausage I ever ate. Before I get to todays agenda I should back up a bit to dinner last night....
$6 for a ticket to paradise. I'll take it. Sanibel Causeway Price for admission $6 We're here! Great trip down we actually arrived earlier than we normally would and we even made a stop in Sarasota to pick up a new water camera. On day one we stopped in Valdosta Ga. We got a text from our daughter she was surprised we made it there as quickly as we did then she politely ask us to let her out of the trunk! I know she really wanted to come but a new job this year meant no trip for her and the Beach Angels. I'm sure we will torture her all week long with text and pictures. We'll put this new camera through the paces this week and hope that it holds up better than the Fujifilm one did. It bit the dust while we were vacationing down here a couple years ago. I really wanted to get a Panasonic Lumix T5 but it was impossible to find it without ordering it on-line and we waited too long and didn't think we could get it delivered...
I'm a little delayed in releasing the second chapter for the Road Trippin blog. Remember that storm I told you about that happened on July 1st when we left on our trip? Well, apparently mother nature thought since we wern't here to enjoy her fury, she would pay us another visit on the 12th. More trees down and power knocked out again! So I have been spending some time doing cleanup and getting the tree off my shed! This storm took out some huge older growth trees. Ripped them out right at the base of the tree. Good thing is we are all safe. The cleanup is not done but thought I would come in and cool off. I'm missing those cooler temperatures we were experiencing in Montana and South Dakota. Mother nature is not happy! Base of the tree that hit the shed! Thankfully, this old oak was leaning on about a 30-degree angle away from the shed. The limbs that did make contact on the shed only did minimal damage...
Today we skipped the morning breakfast and the cast walked down the beach to Blind Pass. We were hoping for a little help from the shell gods but all we really got was a few augers, olives and wet. The gods decided to give us rain and the closer to the house we got the harder it rained. Oh well it was warm and was keeping the mosquitoes at bay. Today The Roadie and the Executive Producer went to play golf. The Dunes was closed for aeration of the greens so we settled on Beachview. I couldn't find the balls I used last year Callaway "Bite" I liked those because they really fit my game.(It bites too). Well I settled on a new ball this year from Nike It Nike SFT after the first few holes I figured out what the SFT stands for. heading STRAIGHT FOR TROUBLE! Highlight after the golf excursion was to stop by Tropical wines and I FINALLY got my bottle of Watermelon Wine. I been waiting for it for over a year. Hope its worth t...
We are staying on Grassy Key, it's one of 13 islands that make up Marathon. The house is right on the water on the Gulf side. The view from our house The water in this area is relatively shallow, and the pier on the right is part of the property. Looking forward to some stunning sunsets. I hope to see plenty of wildlife as the waters here are very clear, and it's easy to see the bottom. The house on Marathon The street we are located on is very quiet and the houses next to us are vacant. It makes it feel like our own little personal paradise. After getting things unloaded, we go out to check out the pier and about halfway down the pier, we ge...
So it looks like we are in for some rough waters this week. I bet the shell seekers are loving this! Its got to be sending some treasures this way. Most of our beach time so far has been at high tide so its not the best time for shell searching. So the beach angels and I tried our hand at a little Beach art today. Meet Katy (momma turtle's name) and Lacey (Baby turtle's name) Beach Art 2013 Lexi, Taylor and PaPa We are seeing a lot of rain so far this week. After we completed the beach art the beach angels were ready to head back to the house and the pool. No doubt as long as the water stays this rough their favorite spot this week will be at the pool. Captiva Cutie has a nice Lanai (I think that's the correct spelling, back home we call it a screen porch!) it connects to the pool deck its a great place to catch the breeze and chill. Also my place to sit and work on the blog. Vie...
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