Boats of any size are few to be seen from the Gulf of Mexico off this side of Sanibel Island. So when we saw three in succession on the horizon, it was picture-worthy! That happened late yesterday, while it was still light.
Part of the day, we spent souvenir shopping. I found the book of Florida Lighthouses for which I'd been searching plus a book about manatees. We went back to the Island Cow restaurant to get ice cream and take it to the beach. Bowman's Beach is at the far end of Sanibel Island, before the causeway (bridge) to Captiva Island. The sunset was exactly as advertised: spectacular!
Today, however, the scene has ramped up considerably. There are lots more boats, some speeding, one pulling a round float full of children for hours and hours. Several folks are fishing (don't see that they caught anything!). There is a wispy white ribbon and flower-covered arch in front of rows of white wooden chairs on the beach; there will be a wedding. All this activity blares out, "Weekend!"
Nothing rushes the pelicans. They seem to fly to and fro at the same pace all day. One plopped down in the water very close to me earlier. They are such BIG birds! I watched this one flip the fish it just caught into its beak and swallow the fish whole. Awesome! When full, the beak is quite large.
I was determined to find out what kind of tree the pelicans had been roosting in. I walked right up to it and noticed pine needles and pine ones. It is a pine tree, for sure, odd among all the palm trees.
The waves were taller and stronger than they had been all week. This actually changed the shape of the beach somewhat. There were streams and tidal pools this morning that were not there yesterday. One particular hill of shells was a treasure chest! We saw and picked up many we had only seen in the Shell Museum. Wading knee-deep in the warm Gulf water felt good and cool today. At times, the wave came in and I felt I might be knocked off-balance but it didn't happen.
The 5 o'clock Mass at St. Isabel's church was very inspirational. I found the music and homily to be especially moving. This weekend we celebrate Corpus Christi, the Body of Christ. The large congregation was very friendly and welcoming.
Theresa and I ate a hot dog supper then toured the Wildlife Refuge. The shores of the large lakes and swamps were blanketed with mangrove trees so dense that a human couldn't pass through. We enjoyed many different varieties of birds, a raccoon family near the road and all the fish jumping in the lakes.
When we returned to the shopping area, we had to get some ice cream. I chose coconut almond and Theresa got banana nut. We sat in the courtyard of Jerry's and tried to get the big parrot to say something - anything! But the parrot just sat and watched us.
Oops! I missed noticing that the library closes early on Saturday! So I can't include photos on this blog today. Sorry! I promise to include them ASAP! Just another day in paradise! Tomorrow is another day. Good-night!
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