Ft. Meyers/Sanibel Island

The Big Dude builds a sandcastle on Captiva Island.

The big storm that covered southern Florida and kept us in Ft. Meyers for an extra couple of days was followed by severe winds that made cruising in our large “breadbox” dangerous. So, we found more things to do that we hadn’t originally planned.

A trip across the bridge from Ft. Meyers took us to Sanibel and Captiva Islands. Sanibel is supposed to be one of the best shelling beaches in the world. It also happens to be a popular destination spot with busloads of tourists so we didn’t hold out any hope of finding any nice shells. The beaches were packed which meant there would be no shells to be found so the Big Dude did the next best thing – make sand castles.

above: The Big Dude’s creation.

The water was a beautiful turquoise and warm enough to swim comfortably so the rest of us went for a swim and watched dolphins jump into the air as if they were performing in a show. A Great Blue Heron also meandered amongst the people on the beach and within a few feet of our chairs obviously used to the presence of people and possibly looking for handouts.

Back at the campground, we spent time in the pool and the Dudes got introduced to a new game – shuffleboard. The warm weather version of curling turned out to be great fun except that the Dudes strategy seemed to involve nothing more than knocking their opponents completely off the court. Boys will be boys.

We also lucked into a “concert in the park” opportunity with Rebekah Pulley and The Reluctant Prophets. They put on a good show and it was a nice way to spend our last unplanned evening in town.

right and below: Rebekah Pulley and The Reluctant Prophets.

Travel is wrought with uncertainty. Everything from changes in weather to mechanical failures to illness can suddenly change ALL of your plans. Over the past year, we have dealt with lots of unexpected issues. One thing that it has taught us is to expect the unexpected and subsequently make the best of ANY situation. We have all developed a lot of patience with sudden changes of plan and the Dudes have learned to embrace whatever comes next. I hope it is a skill they will carry into adulthood.

above: Kickin’ back and enjoyin’ the show. 

There is no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. John Ruskin