A Cloudy Day on Pine Island!

We decided this was a good day to relax and do some of the things that we avoid doing when the weather is so nice such as laundry, e-mails, bill paying, some cleaning, etc.

We did get up at 6:30 to do a planned kayak trip with Chuck and Melissa.  We had time to get in 3,000 steps by walking around the CG before leaving for the kayak launch in Matlacha around 8:30.  We met Chuck and Melissa there and it was very overcast with some very light showers.  We mutually agreed that today was not going to be a good kayaking day.  So, they left to go to Wal-Mart and Ken and I headed to Winn Dixie for groceries.  Back to Waldo by 9:45 and Ken talked with Kevin.  Now it was time to accomplish some necessary chores.  I have some jewelry that was ordered at the Craft Show here on Saturday and would like to complete it before this Saturday's Craft Show at the Lutheran Church here on the island.  

We took the wash to the CG Laundromat and while it was washing and drying, we completed our 10,000 steps.  After lunch, I spent 2 hours at the pool reading and relaxing.  Ken stayed back and took an hour nap.  I am a lucky girl - Ken made our salads while I was at the picnic table making the ordered pieces of jewelry.  Really want to have it finished for the show on Saturday. Vicky will pick it up at that show!  She had given me 19 bones from behind the eye socket of a sheephead fish they catch in Michigan.  They are small, very white bones that do make nice earrings and pendants.  A bit tough to work with since they are so small.  

These little sheephead bones make nice jewelry, but they
certainly are tiny and a bit difficult to work with!  How nice
to be able to make jewelry outside in the winter wearing shorts
and sandals!

After a delicious supper, Melissa and Chuck came at 7 to play some games. Unfortunately, Nancy has a bad cold and is not feeling too great.  They are going to stay in their "home" for the evening.

Day Trip to Sanibel

We were up by 6:30 and got ready for our adventure to Sanibel for the day. The 6 of us were on our way by 8:15.  Savages drove separately so they could return a bit sooner so they would be back to take their dog, Tatem, out. There is always a lot of traffic on the drive to Sanibel, and today was no exception. It is especially slow when you get on the island.   We stopped at the visitors center to get a bike trail map and then got on our bikes and took the path around Ding Darling Wildlife Preserve.  We saw many birds, an alligator, and Ken was in all his glory - his favorite roseate spoonbill!  He was so excited to get several good photos of this beautiful bird.

White pelicans - not the ones yo 

The "token" alligator!

Look Closely!  This heron has a geico in his mouth!

An anhinga drying his wings before his next flight!

The 1st photo of Ken's favorite - the Roseate Spoonbill!

Love this photo!  What a unique flat bill!

The Happy Campers on the Preserve Ride!

This is a replica of Alligator Dung!

You open the box and it describes the animal and it's "dung"!

After our bike ride, we drove to Captiva and enjoyed a delicious lunch at one of our favorite spots - R.C.Otters.  We ate outside listening to live music. The 6 of us had done this same dining experience together last year - how blessed are we!  4 members of our group enjoyed the crunchy grouper tacos - grouper, another favorite of Ken's.  This was a special day for this boy!!!!!

Chuck and Melissa from Tennessee!

Neil and Nancy from Lancaster County PA

Ken and I enjoying every moment!

Lunch at R. C. Otters!

Ken's crunchy grouper tacos with black beans and rice!
Looks pretty good, huh???

Savages headed back to the CG when we finished lunch (already 2:15) and Chuck, Melissa, Ken and I went to Pinochio's, a homemade ice cream shop on the island.  Their Sanibel Crunch ice cream is sooooo good - vanilla ice cream with toasted coconut and nuts.  From there we went to Costco in Ft. Myers Beach area.  This was a 1st for them and they could hardly contain their excitement!  We had a good time!

We only returned to the CG around 5:30, happy but tired! The rest of our group decided to spend the evening relaxing in their "homes", but Ken and I went to the benefit concert at the Clubhouse with our friend, Slim Lehart and his wife Barb singing.  The musical group in the CG, The Last Resort, also provided some of the music.  The concert was to benefit the KOA Kids Camp that benefits children with cancer.  Amazingly, the campers donated over $1,100. and Slim did such a great job.  We really enjoyed the 2 1/4 hour concert.  We were so tired when we hit the bed at 10:30, but what a fun day!

This is Slim Lehart, who has been singing country songs
for over 50 years.  He was a headliner for the Jamboree
in West Virginia for 30 plus years, till it ended.

This is Slim harmonizing with his wife, Barb!  They are
quite the duo!

Slim and Barb with their back-up singers from the CG!

This is part of The Last Resort, the singing group that reunites
every year here at the CG.  They will play on Friday night!
Excellent singers and musicians!

Another Gorgeous, Warm Day on Pine Island!

Having heard about the weather "event" in PA yesterday, we know for certain why we come to Florida this time of year.  What is going on?????  PA hasn't had this much snow or such cold weather for a long time!  Makes Florida look better and better!

We were up by 7 this morning, made breakfast, and met Chuck and Melissa at 8:30 for our 10,000 step walk.  It was a bit overcast, so it was a great time to walk and walking with others makes the time go so quickly!

Love these painted poles.  They are hoping to do some
additional ones!

This cement pathway for walking and biking goes the entire
length of the island - 17 miles!

That is an eagle on top of this tower!

We met up with Neil and Nancy and then Ken and I talked to Slim, the country singer who is doing a benefit for kids camp tomorrow night here at the CG. We had met Slim and his wife, Barb, when we were at this CG about 3 years ago. They were next to us.  They are from West VA and such nice folks.  So, we "rekindled" our friendship and are looking forward to the benefit.  Barb will harmonize with him during the performance.  Slim asked to Ken to be the photographer for the evening.  We will have to put a sign on his hat that says "Press".  All 6 of us are planning to attend.

This is Slim and his wife, Barb!  They are quite a singing duo!

After our walk, Ken and I spent time in Waldo doing some necessary computer things - bill paying, e-mailing, blogging, etc.  Then we made phone calls to folks back home.  So nice to keep in touch.  After lunch the 6 us met at the pool - by then it was sunny and around 85 degrees, perfect to enjoy the refreshing pool.  Back to Waldo by 4:00 to shower and I got to spend some time making jewelry.  After dinner, Chuck and Melissa joined us to play games.  They wanted to learn how to play pinochle, so the lesson began. They caught on quickly.  Then we played one game of Skip Bo which the women won.  The men had won the pinochle game.  Again, we had a great time and only called it a night at 10:30.  Looking forward to going to Sanibel Island tomorrow for some bike riding and then enjoying an outdoor lunch at Captiva.

It is a large, very well maintained pool at the CG and today
it was enjoyed by lots of the campers.

Looks inviting, including the hot tub!!!

Not Exactly How We Planned our Day!

Monday was a rather crazy day.  We got a late start with breakfast, etc.  We did have a great time skyping with our daughter, Lanie, and Sam and Katelyn. So nice to see and talk to them!  After that, we headed off the island to find a place for Ken to get a blood test.  He is back on his blood pressure medicine, hopefully for just a few months, and the Dr. wanted to be certain it wasn't having any bad affects.  It is not easy to find a lab in a strange area.  The 1st one we went to was so crowded and seemed very unprofessional, so we went looking for another one.  We were fortunate and ended up at an Quest Diagnostics.  The only bad part - it took one hour from the time we arrived until he had the 2 minute procedure.

After that, we did alittle shopping and only got back to Waldo at 2:30.  After a quick lunch, we decided to go for a walk to get our 10,000 steps.  By now it was 83, sunny and rather humid.  Not the right time of day to exercise.  But, we are not complaining.  We love this weather.

Ken zeroed in on this Osprey!

Hard to tell,, but the Geico meets the Geico.  (Painted on
the pole and on Ken's shirt!)

One of the Palm Plantations!

There are palm plantations and cattle ranches on Pine Island.
The egrets love to be near the cattle!

After dinner, we spent the evening in Chuck and Melissa's "home" playing Skip Bo.  We played 3 games and the men won 2.  (But it was very close!)  We had so much fun and spent so much time laughing!!!  We are blessed with special friends!  Only got back to Waldo at 10:30, a late night for us, but having too much fun to stop earlier!

We are having way......... too much fun!

Gorgeous Day on Pine Island!

What a perfect day!  A totally sunny day with a light breeze and in the 80's. Ken and I were up by 7:30 and got ready to go to the church service here in the CG.  Before going, Ken headed to the grocery store to get some Airborne- started with a sore throat and some congestion!  We met Nancy, Neil, Chuck and Melissa at the Rec Hall for Church.  Suzie, the minister, did a very nice job!  Her husband died unexpectedly here at the CG on Christmas Day.  She went home to North Dakota, but returned here after the funeral.  She is a strong woman and decided to return to the CG to her strong supportive friends!

At 12 PM, Melissa, Chuck, Ken and I left for a bike ride.  We drove together to the center of the island, where we parked and then rode our bikes to Bokeelia at the other end of Pine Island.  We really enjoy that ride past many of the Palm Tree Nurseries and then ending up at the fishing pier.  The ride back to the car was a bit tougher fighting the breeze!

They have a great bike path here on Pine Island!

When we got to the end of the Island at Bokeelia, it was
time for water and a snack!

Gorgeous view from the fishing pier!

What a nice time with special friends!

The palm growing nurseries are everywhere on the Island!

Then we headed into Matlacha to get some fresh shrimp for our Super Bowl Party.  We had decided to party outside Waldo watching on our outdoor TV.  It was too nice a day to spend it indoors.  The CG had a party in the clubhouse, but it is so hard to watch and listen to the game when there.  

Upon returning to the CG, Ken and I got ready for the party.  I got a tossed salad ready and some snacks.  Ken spent time preparing the outside area and learning how to operate the outside TV.  Melissa, Chuck, Neil and Nancy were here by 5 and we prepped the shrimp.  Then we started watching the pre-game while enjoying the snack food.  Into the 2nd quarter we put the shrimp on the skewers, brushed them with fresh garlic and butter, and Ken grilled them.  They were delicious!  We all agreed that they were the best!  Coy, Betsy, and Regina joined our party after they left the one at the clubhouse - couldn't hear or see well!  It was such a frustrating game if you were a Denver fan.  What was going on?????  Melissa and I were such strong Peyton Manning fans, so we were extremely disappointed.

It is really nice to have an outdoor TV and to watch
the Super Bowl with special camping friends.

I went in to do the dishes and Neil offered to dry!
Appreciated the help!

Despite the game, it was a tremendous day on Pine Island!

Very Busy Day on Pine Island!

Ken and I were up early and got ready to go to the craft show here in the campground!  We were at the clubhouse by 7:45 and began the set-up process.  It had poured during the night and was cloudy when we got up, but no rain today - yes!!!!  We actually had sunshine around noon and it was warm and humid - 80.  We were outside for the show and even though the crowd was small, we did fine!  Bria, our oldest granddaughter, had sent 20 elastic bracelets with me to sell at my jewelry stand.  She was so excited to be a crafter and business person.  We sold 12 of the 20 so we sent her an e-mail with a photo of her display and her total sales.

A nice day for a Craft Show on Pine Island!
More gas money for Waldo!!!

After the craft show, loading all our "stuff", and finding a "spot" for it when we returned to Waldo, we had lunch.  Both of us felt extremely tired.  We changed and at 2:00, Melissa and Chuck arrived for us to join them for a walk.  (We had made plans to do that ahead of time)  So, we left to get our 10,000 steps and we accomplished our goal.  I must say that we were tired again when we returned.  We showered, cleaned up, and I made a salad with all the "fixin's" to take to dinner at Betsy and Coy's.  Regina and Paul had arrived last evening and we thought it would be nice to make supper for them.  We were able to eat outside and that felt so nice!  Today was Coy and Betsy's 50th wedding anniversary, so a toast was in order.  What a milestone!

This is Betsy and Coy on their 50th wedding anniversary!

Enjoying Happy Hour before dinner!

After dinner, they all came to see Waldo and have dessert!  Waldo got "high marks" from all of them.  Thought we made a very good choice and decision.
They left at 9 and Ken and I spent time on our computers!

The 6 of us sitting inside Waldo!  We are loving our
new "Home"!

This was another wonderful day in Paradise where we are Celebrating Life Daily!!