Sanibel Florida

Sanibel, Feb 19 – 22, 2014:  

Our dock (far left) at Sanibel Marina

Hi all! Our stay in Sanibel became a reunion of LAMO friends prompted by our arrival at Sanibel Marina. Knowing that Jack and Jan Alexander and Chuck and Linda Johns spend winter months on the island, Clay had contacted both couples soon after targeting Sanibel as one of our dockages. After pulling anchor at the Ding Darling anchorage Wednesday morning and motoring to the Sanibel Marina, we docked the SaSea Sally in our assigned space at the base of the deck of Grandma Dot's, a popular restaurant in the Sanibel Marina complex. Hunger would have set in immediately, but we had lunched 'at sea' awaiting our slip which had been 'loaned' to other boaters for lunch dates at Grandma's. 

Clay found it necessary to wash the deck free of the salt spray accumulation (a good idea!) while Sally did a short cardio on the fabulous walking/biking path for which Sanibel is known. Jack and Jan soon arrived for a boat tour, then reciprocated with an island tour as well as tour of their condo and the beach a short distance beyond. Wednesday eve found us seated at Doc Ford's, a popular dining spot on Sanibel where we dined on island fare. Ya gotta admire Jack and Jan's discipline...as Clay and Sal devoured a plateful each, Jack and Jan, following the HCG diet and losing plentiful poundage to date, dined sparsely on quarter-pound boiled shrimp and iceberg salads! High fives to both!

The necessity of clean clothes and freshly-laundered linens found Sal in Sanibel Marina's 'laundry room,' more appropriately designated, "What's a nice girl like me doing in a place like this?" Wedged between the outer walls of the bath house and Grandma Dot's restaurant, the washer and dryer boasted working parts accepting 4 quarters each (cheap!), exposure to outside elements (both sky above and almost-dirt floor below). But, happy that they worked, Sal went about her business and came away with job well done!

Chuck and Linda, Jack and Jan arrived shortly after Sal stashed the Tide, clean laundry and roll of quarters, for lunch at Grandma Dot's. Once again, island fare and a photo op on the stern deck of the SaSea Sally on which Sal had rearranged the line (rope to you non-boaters) to look artistically pleasing (Sus, mom would be proud!). Over lunch, the six of us shared updates on kids, grandkids, and memories of days gone by.

My notes from Thursday, Feb 20 say, 'Sal bike' which means I went biking while Clay did who knows what. I have no remembrance of the ride (musta been a delight...to be away from boating for awhile...maybe Clay was yet again de-salting the boat out of necessity...he probably shoulda been if he wasn't). But I do remember Jack and Jan reappearing late afternoon to help launch the dinghy and start the motor to make sure it would run. Jack to the rescue, as Sal was not a player in this problem-solution!

Beautiful Sanibel Beach

NOTE: Sal keeps a journal for times/dates/places PLUS a venting mechanism suggested by fellow FEMALE Loopers. Thanks, Brenda Johnson! Thus, the entry 'Sal bike' along with numerous other posts. Too, Sal relies on cell coverage for constant communication with sister Sus (love you!), which as I write this blog, currently anchored in Florida Everglades National Park's Little Shark (eek!) River on March 3, we DON'T HAVE. Do you readers have ANY CLUE as to what it feels like to be WITHOUT? Now in this tech age, 'without' means no tech...no cell, no computer/internet. But we do have satellite radio and TV. 

Jan and Jack's condo on Sanibel

Did I mention that this boat is Clay's bucket list  floating technology man-cave? I'm 'Default Sal,' along for the ride because he NEEDS a first mate and, duh, by default I be she (gender specific, I'm a heck of a deck hand...in fact, in my life after SaSea Sally, I'm gonna enter the rodeo [Amber Shafer, will you teach me to ride? because I have become QUITE adept at lasso'ing pilings!], and I'm gonna earn my next salary (as if this one pays) as a barge hand [Joe Ray Asquith, please steer me in the right direction!]. Another note as I type this on Monday, March 3, the no-see-'ems are KILLING ME....we are anchored out with the doors closed but windows open and no-see-em's infiltrating the screens...CALGON...anyone for camping? This is YOUR bag, no longer mine! 

Jan and Jack's neighbors, the turtles.

OK, now back to Sanibel...Friday morning Clay and I prepped our funky bikes for a ride around the island. Buried in the bowels of a local mobile home park called Periwinkle Park we found a treasure...a collection of birds, ducks and monkeys from around the world. Fascinating!

Having heard the forecast for storms later Friday afternoon, Jack and Jan made plans for a road trip to Fort Myers to see Kevin Costner's "3 Days to Kill." We accepted their invitation to tag along. Post movie, to Clay's delight, a shopping trip to Bass Pro enabled him to fill his wish list. Clueless as to what he purchased, I'm sure he was conscious of our boat's space limitation. Back to Sanibel, we visited a favorite restaurant of Jan's called Greenhouse Grill for a late dinner.

Speaking of wish lists, mine consisted solely of Nordic Track skier parts which arrived in Sanibel via FedEx mid-afternoon Friday. Thanks, Walter!!!! Next to get Mr. Fix-it to fix it!

A curious dauphin swimming along side the SaSea Sally

Saturday morning dawned with fog blanketing the area and plans for a 1:00 p.m. pick-up in Ft. Myers, Legacy Marina, by friends Mark and Becky Mather to attend a Looper picnic gathering hosted by fellow Looper's Karen and Dennis Baldger in nearby Cape Coral. Schedules are a boater's enemy! But, after checking weather cams in areas along our pathway, Clay stoked up the diesels, and we departed Sanibel Marina in "lifting fog" only 1/2-hour later than planned, bound for Legacy, a marina popular with Loopers in downtown Ft Myers.