The Early Bird Catches the...Fish

Went to visit our friends, Archer and Karen Ann, in Sarasota today.  On our way to lunch at the cafe in the facility, we spotted this Great Blue Heron having lunch, too.

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6 Mile Cypress Slough Preserve

First of all, it's pronounced "slew".  We have had this place on our list to visit for a few years.  It's reminiscent of Corkscrew Swamp but a lot closer and smaller and the admission is only $1.00/hour to park  It's virtually in the midst of Ft. Myers, a nice place to enjoy some quiet nature.

The "Slew" is over 3500 acres of wetland preserve.  There is a 1.2 mile long boardwalk which intersects four lakes/ponds.  During "season" there are two guided walks daily, which we weren't aware of.

Peeking between the fence rails

The boardwalk begins by going through this cypress forest, which looks like someone planted all these in rows.  It's winter so there are no leaves.  I think they look like teepees.

 This airplant is blooming.

First up was Gator Lake.

And right on cue, this guy showed up, probably around 6 feet long.

There were a couple of floats in the lake where birds and turtles liked to sun themselves.

Female Anhinga

Turtle, Herons (not sure what kind), Anhinga, Egret

This guy flew across the lake and landed right in front of us.  I tried to get a photo but it was too blurry.

Great Blue Heron

There were benches along the boardwalk and each one had a plaque.  I really liked the sentiment on this one.

The lake also had these awesome fish.  They look like they have oriental writing along their spine.  Bill guesses they were 10-12 inches.

Even though it hasn't rained much at all since November, the ferns were still green.

There was still water near Wood Duck Pond.

We agreed we have never seen an Ibis in a tree.  They are always on the ground eating bugs.

We counted ten turtles sunning themselves.

Pretty sure this is a Black Crowned Night Heron,

and a Flicker.

We watched a Pileated Woodpecker for several minutes; I think they are my favorite.

We spotted several of these bird houses, for owls maybe...or ducks

Otter Pond...

Pop Ash Pond...

Pop Ash Pond actually dries up during the dry season but provides great hunting for the wading birds as the size of the pond gets smaller and the fish get stranded.

This preserve is prettier than it appears in the pictures with lots of wildlife and vegetation.

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Ahhhhhhh...

It wasn't a perfect day but we headed to the beach after lunch.  It was cloudy but warm with a light breeze.  The beach was pretty quiet and best of all...it was FREE!!!  They are changing the pay booths, so for now they aren't charging the usual 75 cents an hour.  I told Bill they are probably changing them so they can charge more.  

The sun danced in and out of the clouds and it was HOT so we were thankful for the clouds.  We stayed a couple of hours and by the time we left, there was more sun to the right but it looked pretty dark the other direction, although there is no rain in the forecast.

No feet in these pictures because I still haven't gotten a pedicure.

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Food Truck Battle

Although we considered going to the beach today, we opted for the Food Truck Battle in Punta Gorda.  

I must admit, it would be nicer if it was held in a park with grass, rather than a parking lot but that didn't stop us from indulging ourselves.

There were many different kinds of food to choose from...gyros, raw bar, hot dogs, bar-b-que and pizza, just to name a few, but we went because our favorite, The Celtic Ray, was there.  We got a nice little piece of fish and french fries for $5 and a scotch egg for $5.

Bill had a large lemonade and I had a Bud Light (the beer that really isn't beer).  

While I was getting the drinks, Bill was joined by a couple from PA and Arcadia, FL.  We are not very social people, so we never meet anyone, but we enjoyed a nice conversation with this couple.

We left there and walked to Cubby's for ice cream.  If you're gonna ignore your meal plan, you might as well go all the way.

We stopped at Beall's on the way home to shop...Bill got a shirt and swim trunks, I got - nothing.  That's twice now...

We played with Titan in the yard, then sat on the deck with our books and iced coffee while he cleaned out a Kong treat.

Had a good visit with Wendy, she is feeling much better tonight, after her surgery on Thursday.

We will settle in after dinner to watch the playoff game between the Patriots and the Texans.  Go Pats!

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Southwest Florida Vietnam Memorial Wall

It was a cold and blustery day today so our morning walk with the dog was cut short, mostly because I'm a wimp and I was cold and because Titan did his business early.  Good boy!  Instead of walking to the hospital, we took a detour and walked to Veteran's Park, where they had started building the wall last year just before we left.  

It was very impressive to see the beautiful job that was done on this memorial.  It is approximately half the size of the wall in Washington, DC.  The wall is made of granite panels on which 58,000 names are engraved.  There are granite benches on which to sit and reflect, along with signs that designate it as a solemn site and asks visitors to respect it as such.  

It was dedicated on November 5, 2016 and is a really nice addition to an already nice part of the city.

Southwest Florida Vietnam Memorial Wall

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;o)

Yarn Bombing

I couldn't remember what this was called when we came across it on our walk this morning.  This is the little park in the downtown area that hosts the farmer's market on Saturdays.

They even did the seats and benches.

Kind of cool...

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;o)

Then & Now...Live Oak Point Park

This is a new park on the Pt. Charlotte side of the Peace River Bridge.  It was started last year and Phase 1A has been completed.

Then...

 Now...

We walked over this side of the bridge specifically to check out the park.  We took advantage of the bathroom facilities and sat on one of the benches for a few minutes just to enjoy the view and the perfect weather!

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;o)