We departed Sanibel yesterday after six wonderful weeks. While there, the weather was exactly what we had been looking for:
In contrast to marking our travels by destinations, this part of our trip was marked by family and friends.
We spent a number of days at the beach with the Dilgers
Caught Sheepshead from the Blind Pass bridge
Kids and adults enjoyed good dinners and laughs (go ahead, laugh at the manly drinks the adult boys choose)
We were also lucky to have other visitors from Evansville spend time with us
After the Dilger crew departed, we had "Walking Tacos" back in Fort Myers with our Minnesota family
We saw manatee in almost every location around the island. Including one that swam under the kayak and another that swam within feet of Daddy while he was fishing near the beach. This one was part of a family that lived at the end of a canal
Grandad pulling in ladyfish in Ding Darling from the kayak
In Periwinkle Park, where Big Country was parked, there is an impressive set of birds, ringtail lemurs, and spider monkeys. There is a daily bird show.
Daddy tried to see the sunrise (while fishing of course) every morning. A couple mornings he was lucky to have company and watched it from the water.
The Cloran's arrived after a long drive from Indianapolis
There were multiple sand mansions built, but this was the best
We fished many-a-night from the Blind Pass bridge and by kayak during day
Michael and Daddy's big catch while out in the kayak
Family from Orlando came to visit and brought their new beautiful baby. It's one of those babies that smiles, coos, and never cries! (seriously!)
There was an overly friendly gator in the lake behind the Dilger's home. He was "fished" out and "relocated". He measured in just under 6'
Easter weekend another group of great friends from Evansville arrived. The boys spent 2.5 days kayak and wade fishing in Pine Island Sound with great success
The kids went on 2 Easter egg hunts and 1 Easter party
St. Isabel has a wonderful tradition of having a special blessing for the young children every Sunday. It was nice to be able to spend Easter with family and friends, and to be able to spend most of the Lent at St. Isabel.
For Easter Sunday brunch, Melissa and Shannon made a treat we'd brought from Louisiana - king cake. Hidden in the king cake is a baby symbolizing baby Jesus. The person who finds the baby is said to have good luck for the coming year. Anna was the lucky baby locator this year
Sanibel is a wonderful place and so easy to spend almost 6 weeks. We were lucky to be able to visit with so many friends and family while there. We are especially thankful for our Mimi and Grandad and the great memories we made with them
God bless to all!
