One Good Thing…
It’s time for the weekly post of a feature I’ve chosen to title “One Good Thing.” Each weekend, I’ll post something about what has been good to—or for—me during the week.
It’s very easy to share what has been so very good during this past week as our Florida trip just keeps getting better.
Since my last post earlier this week, we have continued to log the miles—wonderful miles—and catch up with vey dear friends in Titusville and Naples, following our departure from Saint Augustine.
After leaving Saint Augustine Tuesday morning, we travelled A1A, following the coast and stopping for
lunch on the Daytona Beach Pier.
We were treated to splendid weather and tasty seafood and cold drinks, while we watched the beach walkers and others having fun in the sun and surf.
Upon reaching Titusville later that afternoon, and after the usual “updating” of our lives with Richard and Sandy, they drove us around the town, showing us how much had changed and how much hadn’t since our last visit. We lived there for a year in 1986-87.
We finished things off a while later with a visit to the new Playalinda MicroBrewery. The cold Bottomless Blonde Pale Ale certainly hit the spot, as we sat outside in the late-afternoon warmth and watched the traffic roll past.
Moving right along...
Wednesday we set off for another long jaunt southwest to Naples. Our original route on I-95 had to be altered not too far along as heavy traffic congestion–due to road work– brought us all to a standstill.
Refusing to accept that, at the first opportunity, we left the big highway and made our way through the interior of Florida, passing ranches, cattle farms, and various fishing and outdoor spots. Of course, it slowed our arrival in Naples a bit, but really not all that much.
Since this was an entirely new place for us, it was all foreign territory, but our friends, Bob and Martha, had provided excellent directions to their new condo off a wonderfully named street–Rattlesnake Hammock–so we made it without any problems. (I immediately became curious as to the history of that name!)
Quickly settling in after having another grand tour of the place, we made our way to the beautiful Naples waterfront for dinner. We weren’t disappointed in the seafood and the harbor side seating.
Needless to say, it was wonderful to stroll out on the Naples City Dock, under a warm night sky, and dream about all of the large and glorious boats moored there.
Off to see the 'glades...
Thursday morning we decided to drive over to the Everglades National Park and hop on board one of the large boats for a 90-minute cruise out to the Gulf.
Dolphins appeared frequently in the distance and even followed playfully in the wake of the boat’s twin Yamaha motors.
There were also countless ospreys in their nests, cormorants, terns, and pelicans thriving in this marvelous tract of nature.
Fort Myers and Sanibel...
And then it was time to make the short trip up to our daughter’s in Fort Myers where we spent the night. She had to work Friday, so Carolyn and I adventured once more and paid a visit to Sanibel
where one of her clients from her salon spends a good portion of the winter.
A couple of hours there and we were then off to the mainland once again to locate a place for lunch, which turned out to be the delightful Parrot Key Restaurant directly on a marina where charter fishing boats came and went.
On the way there, we passed a sign advertising an express boat to Key West. Oddly, my daughter and I had been talking about this the night before and thought that it would be fun to take the boat sometime. Over lunch, Carolyn and I said that we should look into it and “do it” the next day (Saturday)—if Laura was free to go along.
She was and agreed to join us. And our thinking was that what was a few more dollars spent to make this a wonderful part of our vacation!
And so we made our reservations and returned to Laura’s apartment to get things ready for our next-day excursion. We had to be there by 7 a.m., and would arrive in Key West three hours later. We would be back in Fort Myers by 10 p.m.
In my next post, I’ll have plenty to share about that part of our trip.
Down Many Roads... 