22nd March 2014

Another day another beach it’s a tough job but someone's got to do it. Today we found ourselves on Captiva Island where the native wildlife is extremely friendly.

Linda meets big bird

Barbeque boat and refreshments

Ibis fly by

Hungry bird "it's behind you"

Lunch at the Greenflash restaurant named after the sunset phenomenon http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_flash

The Green Flash Restaurant

North Captiva Island

19th March

On the road Northwest of Fort Myers is the tiny island called Matlacha, a place most people drive through to get to somewhere else. It is an old Florida fishing village home to many brightly coloured art galleries, island boutiques, seafood restaurants and traditional Floridian cottages that haven't been developed or gentrified; an unpretentious place with a real heart.

The Olde Fish house Marina restaurant

with swamp music from the 'Fiddle Crab Band' and PoBoy blackened shrimp hoagies for lunch

Strange roadside shops

Pink painted palm out front

Local fisherman

A 'Heinz 57 varieties' rust rat still running with a Chevy chassis and a Cadillac 450cu" engine

Hippie creek

Great Blue Heron on the quay

16th March 2014

Sanibel Island revisited.

The lighthouse at the eastern tip of Sanibel Island was the guiding light for ships entering Punta Rassa Harbour in San Carlos Bay.  In the 1800’s cattle were driven here from the ranges in central Florida and shipped to Cuba from Punta Rassa.

Sanibel Lighthouse

Storm leftovers

Osprey guarding chicks

Osprey on the wing with fish dinner

This undeveloped section of the coast is yet another extraordinary wildlife habitat with an abundance of fish.

Snowy egret

Sunset back at the ranch

17th March

Today we paid a visit to the winter home of the men who changed the course of American history. Thomas Edison, Henry Ford and the occasional guest, Harvey Firestone. Between them they set up a research centre to grow rubber that wasn’t dependent on rubber from foreign lands. The rest is history.

Ford, Edison & Firestone ca 1932

The ultimate man's shed

Early juke box

I'm not changing that light bulb

Mr Ford's 1932 flathead V8

The engine that America fell in love with

Edison's camper van

These guys loved to explore the Everglades and called themselves the Vagabonds

and were the original tin can tourists.

15th March 2014

5th Avenue Naples turned a leprechaun shade of green to celebrate St Patricks day, marching bands, kilts, bagpipes and riverdance tribute movers all made for a carnival atmos extraordinaire.

American Leprechauns

Linda and a jolly green giant

Locals getting into the mood

The fetching green beads were de rigeur for the day

Away from the noise and mahem at Naples historic pier

Naples des' res'

12th March 2014

Our last day in the primordial slime before we head west to the land of the pop up toaster.

Strangler fig tree

Unknown swamp tree

Red mangroves

Creature from the black lagoon

13th March 2014

We headed west on the Tamiami Trail (Highway 41) towards Naples on the Gulf coast where the land has been reclaimed and manicured into a cityscape of ‘Gucci-Prada’ shops. We  then headed on up the coast road to Fort Myers Beach.

Fort Myers Beach, party town destination for student spring break, it’s all bars bikinis and the tee shirt.

Our final destination, Sanibel Harbour, is our home for the next couple of weeks courtesy of  Peter and Annette Farley, wow what a place.

Part of our wildlife habitat for the next 2 weeks

Farley girls enjoying the sunset

Sanibel seashell searcher on Sanibel Beach

Sanibel seashells

Dolphin surprise afternoon swim by the residence

11th March 2014

We overheard someone say “If this place was more laid back it would be in a coma”. That really does sum up the Keys. The backbone of this playground chain of islands is the US 1 Highway, a classic road trip which flows at a sedentary rate with its gangs of Harley riders, mainly bearded old men with lobster tans living the dream, along with the ubiquitous monster pick-up  trucks hauling house sized caravans and sports fishing boats, even the fish here seem to be larging it with 'size matters' but theirs is more about length than width. It’s goodbye Conch Republic.

And hello Everglades National Park for a walk on the wild side at the most inappropriately named Shark Valley.

Mind where you walk

OMG how scary is that

These gators are up close and personal, no fences between us and them and they are everywhere. This is a small sample of the most varied and concentrated wildlife we have ever seen, too much to document.

Large heron in flight

Anhinga

Here's looking at you sweetheart