On the Beach

 

Late on Tuesday, I returned from a fabulous Thanksgiving vacation with relatives in Florida.  We were at a beach resort on Sanibel Island, which is on the gulf side near Ft Meyers.  It is also known as Shell Island, as the beaches there are covered with sea shells.  So much so that many people walk the beaches with their shoes on. 

Travel was fairly easy.  I went through 5 different airports and 5 flights all together, and had an empty seat next to me on all flights.  Everything was clean, and people wore masks as soon as they entered the airports.  I had no fear about catching anything! 

I met up with family on my father’s side.  Except for the same deal 2 years ago, I hadn’t had much interaction with them since 1995, so it was really nice to get reacquainted.  So we did a lot of walking on the beach, beach combing and bird watching.  Very laid back.  And of course, we had a 20 pound turkey that provided leftovers for days.  I did do something different.  We took a 12 mile bike ride on rental bikes the day after I arrived.  I hadn’t been on a bike since my Jr. High days, so that was an adventure.  We saw alligators in 2 different places on that ride, too. 

I hope all of you had a really nice Thanksgiving holiday.  In spite of the difficulties many are experiencing now, it is important to remember that there is always something to be thankful for.  Below are some photos of the trip.

Lots of shore birds.

An osprey with the nearly full moon.

A young man catching fish in a net to feed a hungry egret.

Our resort in the evening.

The beach covered with shells.

Lovely sunsets.

And finally, the new exhibit at the Shell Museum featuring a pretty big octopus!