Our third winter on Gran Vida in the South has wound down. She's all tucked in for her summer's nap and we're safely home again. We took a three day road trip on our way back to Canada, stopping in West Virginia and Ohio to take in some scenery and a bit of gentle hiking. "Gentle" due to four bad knees, which, very thankfully, are currently mended enough to allow us to get out there a bit. "Forest bathing" .....so necessary for us.
March was spent at Legacy Marina in Fort Myers where we enjoyed the spectacular sunset views and the frequent passing of dolphins and manatees.
Mid-month we were delighted to get a visit from my brother, Bob and his wife, Juliette. LOVE having company!! We enjoyed giving them a little taste of our boating life and showing them the sites.
Highlights of the Month:
- Bobeo and Juliett visit
- We enjoyed a boat trip on buddy Erin's boat
- St Patty's Day in downtown Fort Myers again
- Spring Training
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
| And FIRE!! There were many forest fires in the area this dry season. Some of them quite serious with evacuations and homes lost. This one, seen from the boater's lounge in the marina, was actually in the next county. |
 |
 |
The trail at Six Mile Cyprus Slough is a raised boardwalk, a mile or two in length, through forests and swamps, giving
wonderful wildlife viewing opportunities. Jeff's camera was snapping! We saw alligators, turtles, fish, wild boar, lots of birds (owls, woodpeckers, cardinals, herons and several we couldn't identify), snakes (one particularly nasty looking copper mouth looked like he/she had just had someone for lunch!). We loved it there.
|
 |
| . |
 |
| Cabbage Key Restaurant
The season was ended with a few blissful days at anchor at Cayo Costa, a beautiful State Park accessible only by boat. Hiking and long walks on the very natural beach were enjoyed.
One day we took a rather thrilling dinghy ride in rough water over to another island, Cabbage Key, for cheeseburgers. The legend is that Jimmy Buffet wrote the song, Cheeseburger in Paradise about this place. We went mid-afternoon hoping it would be quiet and it was. The waitress had time to tell us the story. Apparently, Jimmy Buffet DID hang out there a lot, often strumming his guitar on the dock, and he got to know the owners. He gave them complimentary tickets to one of his concerts. Not realizing that he was famous, they were very surprised to see the concert was at an arena, wondering how this dude could possible fill the space. He, of course, did, and during the concert called them out and dedicated the song to them. No one is sure if he actually got the inspiration from Cabbage Key Restaurant, or from somewhere else or even several places combined. But that's the story as told by our waitress. Oh, and the cheesburgers were great!
Now, the dollars on the wall... Back in the day this was a fishing village and just a small pub. If they had a good day the fishermen would come in to celebrate by buying a beer. They'd write their name on a dollar bill and tack it on the wall so that if the next day wasn't so good, they could still afford to come in and buy a beer. The idea caught on and now the place has expanded and is covered in dollar bills with people's names on them.
We are now back in Canada staying on our Northern boat. Jeff has started working for the summer at Harbour West Marina in Penetanguishene. Like always, and as they say.... our plans our written in sand at low tide. Next winter we're thinking about the Bahamas. We'll see..... stay tuned.
|
