Someone is Having a Really Bad Day

We walked across the bridge again today.  We saw two dolphins along with this sailboat that had slipped it's mooring and was crashing against the bridge.

That sucks!

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Dinner Tonight

is brought to you by the color GREEN.

Fresh green beans from the farmer's market, guacamole (homemade my moi) and pesto hamburger (yes, it's really hamburg, not ground turkey).

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What's in the Harbor?

On our walk over the bridge we saw several dolphins but this was the only one I could catch on camera.

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View From the Swing 2/19/13

Charlotte Harbor on the Peace River

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David and Paula came to visit!

They were in Tampa for Paula's work and dropped down to see us for a quick visit.  Now that David is retired, he can tag along when Paula travels.  Lucky ;o)  

They arrived around noon on Saturday and we headed to Cubby's for lunch.  Paula and I enjoyed the spinach wrap, Bill had a turkey/bacon wrap and David had a salad.  The boys couldn't resist some Cubby's Homemade Ice Cream. 

We returned to the house, where Paula took a little nap while I sat outside with the dog.  Bill and David went to visit the Muscle Car Museum, which they both seemed to enjoy.  It's an old Wal-Mart that is filled with classic cars, a "gift" shop and a diner themed cafe.  They would have liked to drive home in a nice classic of their own but between them I don't think they could afford a down payment.

We spent the evening at the Ice House Pub, one of our all-time favorites venues.  The place was packed and we were advised it would be a 90 minute wait; however, we could pass the time playing darts.  WooHoo!!!  We grabbed drinks (thank you Paula) and off we went to the dart room.

The Awesome Foursome

The Lefty takes aim

Not to be outdone by his partner

The ladies took the first game and were ahead in the second game when we were called to our table, after only 45 minutes.

Good looking winners!!!

I ordered the bangers and mash (English sausages and mashed potatoes) and everyone else ordered cheeseburgers.  I was disappointed that my meal was on the cool side, rather than hot AND they no longer carried the cider I loved when Bill and I went last month...Blackberry/Pear Cider.  Bummer!! 

After dinner, we returned to the dart boards for a few more games.  Being the good sports we are, we didn't feel badly when the boys won...

You ladies aren't the only winners ;o)

 Things didn't always go as planned.

Oops, that's not where I was aiming.

The next game came down to who could finish the Bullseye first and, drum roll please, the girls won again...

That's how it's done!

The final game went to the boys...

Victory to the men

Get down with your bad selves

Not only did we play darts but there was a band playing some oldies, as well as current hits.  We all agreed they were pretty good and not so loud that you couldn't hear yourself think.

Good enough that Bill was moved to do some pole dancing.

Me and my pole.

We had a great time with great company and were still home by 9:30.  We are looking forward to our next visit when Wendy arrives in March.

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;o)

Heat + Humidity + Wind =

a bad hair day...

Heat...83*, feels like 86*
Humidity...I don't have a number but trust me, it was high
Wind...15 - 20 mph off the gulf, pulling in more moisture

No big deal...no one here knows me, so what does it matter?  

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;o)

Happy Heart Day

I used to love sending Valentine cards.  Unfortunately, I can't really afford to do that anymore.  So, in lieu of a card, HAPPY VALENTINES DAY to the ones I love...

Thank you for being someone special in my life.  I Love You!!!

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Wordless Wednesday 2/13/13

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Manatee Watching

We were up at oh dark thirty the crack of dawn very early this morning in order to be at Manatee Park in Ft. Myers by 8:45.  It's about a 40 minute drive and we didn't want to be late!  We had breakfast and took Titan for a short walk before heading out.  Being Sunday, the traffic on I75 was light and our trip went smoothly.

We arrived at the park early enough to check for manatees, which we did not see when we visited with Wendy.  But today, there were several swimming around; of course, I left my camera in the car.

We had a Groupon for a 3 hour manatee sightseeing kayak tour and were met by the Manatee Guides owner and guide, Tim Martell, a Certified Florida Master Naturalist, and another guide, Mike.  They both proved to be very personable (a must in this business), knowledgeable and lots of fun! 

The beginning of our explorations

We would be paddling along the Great Calusa Blueway, one of the many areas once traveled by the Calusa Indians.  The water from the park enters the Orange River, which got its name because barges used to move oranges to Ft. Myers along the river.

Park walkway to the river

Nor sure why anyone would offer a manatee water...

Clearly, one of us was slacking in the paddling department...

It was a gorgeous day with sunny skies and a breeze.

Looking up river

Ahhh, life is very good!

It started out a little cool but I was able to remove my sweatshirt fairly quickly.

We were "warned" that because of the warm temperatures, there were not a lot of manatees in the river.  That was okay with us, we were enjoying being on the water.  We learned there are three types of manatees...West Indian, West African and Amazonian.  They are nicknamed Sea Cows and their closest relative is the elephant.

We paddled up the river for an hour or so while Tim schooled us on the different types of mangroves (black, red, white and buttonwood), the invasive Brazilian Pepper Tree which is choking out a lot of the native vegetation and the Leather Fern, which can be eaten raw or cooked.  Tim admitted he has never eaten it.  

Is there going to be a quiz?

They identified several birds, including the Green Heron

a Red Shouldered Hawk

a Red Headed Woodpecker

a Bald Eagle (everyone knows what that looks like) and a male Muscovy Duck.

 We even saw a Clydesdale.

Nice digs.

Mike told us a story about a couple of kayakers parked beneath a tree, looking up at some ducks, only to discover that they were parked right next to an alligator.

Ducks don't live in trees.

We headed back to the park to hang out and look for more manatees.

Hanging out

Now, manatees are somewhat shy and quite fast.  The bright sun makes it easier to spot them under the water but you have to be positioned in just the right spot to get a good photo.  Although I turned my camera on, off, on, off, on, off, this is the only picture I was able to take.

Seriously, this is a manatee nose

Mike took this photo as we returned to the dock.

We had a great time!

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;o)

 Today's out takes...

Nice hat

There's a paddle growing out of my ear

Smile, yes that means me

The View at Lunch 2/8/13

Charlotte Harbor Beach Park

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The View at Lunch 2/6/13

Gilchrist Park

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Wordless Wednesday 2/6/13

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