Steppin' Outta The Box

Yep.We did something very un-Vanilla,yesterday.The impetous being, friends from West-by God-Virginia were visiting Florida and staying on St.Pete Beach.
Hey,we're adults.We can go out on a week night.We don't have a curfew-we'll make our own curfew,thank you very much.We're allowed.
So,we got in the Tacoma,fought rush-hour traffic through downtown Tampa,to meet up with an old friend(and meet a new one),have dinner,and watch the most glorious sunset!
Arriving on Pass-A-Grille,the first thing you see is the "Wedding-Cake Hotel",also known as The Don Ceasar.Or just The Don,as locals call it.
Turn left at The Don,drive down Gulf Boulevard a ways,until you find a street(any street) that takes you over to Gulf Way,turn left,and just enjoy the drive........
We just love Pass-A-Grille.It really is a quaint,little beach town.No condos.Just mom and pop motels,and cute beach houses.

I so want this chair!!!!

At the end of Gulf Way was our destination.The Hurricane! By the way,they have free parking behind the restaurant.(wink-wink at Kim and Connie.....). If you go,be sure to get the Crab-Stuffed Flounder with Lobster Sauce.Words can not describe how delicious it is.

From the third floor deck,there is the most incredible view of the Gulf of Mexico.

And the sunsets are breath taking!

Alas,the evening ended all too soon.They had to return to their hotel to get ready to leave,today,and we just kinda-sorta had to return to the real world.There was a moment when we thought about getting a room at one of the 50's Style motels(the kind with the old,rusty, metal rocking-style lawn chairs outside your room),and spending the night.But we are Vanilla,after all,so we dutifully drove back home.

Sometimes,though,you just gotta step outta the box!

Go Fly A Kite!!!

A SkyWatch Friday post...................

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Watery Wednesday

Low tide on Sanibel Island,Access #7.

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Happy Birthday,Dad!!!

The youngest of four children(two older brothers,and one sister),my dad was born on May 25,1919,on a farm,in Alberta,Canada.They soon moved to Hamilton,Ontario,where he grew up.In 1938,when Canada entered World War II,he enlisted in the Royal Canadian Air Force.,and served his country until 1942.

In October of 1941,he and my mother met.They were each dating other people,but my mother always said that when she saw him,she knew she was going to marry him.And in December of the following year,they were married!After he left the RCAF,they lived in Niagara Falls,New York;raised three pain-in-the-ass kids;and Dad worked for GTE Sylvania as the head of Systems Engineering.

In 1972,they retired to St.Petersburg,Florida..........

Who says retirement isn't fun?

After my mother passed away,in 1987,he continued to live there,on his own.Tending his vegetable garden and volunteering at his church.When the house and garden became too much for him,he agreed to move over to Tampa,to be closer to us.So,in 2007,he gave his 1972 Plymouth station wagon to my cousin(that car still looked brand new and ran like a charm-that's what having an engineer for an owner does for a car),sold his house(made a tidy little profit,too,as it was before the real estate market tanked),and moved closer to us.

Soooo,yesterday,I call him and ask,

"Would you like to come over for dinner and celebrate your birthday?"

"No,but I'll come for dinner.Is Jon grilling ribs?And is Erich going to be there?Jon's gonna watch NASCAR,isn't he?I don't want to miss the race."

You must understand that grilled spareribs is my dad's most favorite thing to eat,and he thinks Erich is the only person he can have an intelligent conversation with.....

So,over he came,and all was well,until the Rays lost in extra innings,NASCAR got rained out,and I made the bone-head move of not serving his favorite dessert,Coconut Cream Pie.

"What,no Coconut Cream Pie?"

But,Michael,the Elder,called from Pittsburgh,to wish Happy Birthday,and tell him he may be moving back to Florida.So,that made up for the aforementioned disasters.

So,Happy 90th Birthday,Dad!!! Enjoy the ride!!

Moon Setting Over Sanibel Island

The full moon going down,over Sanibel Island..................................


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Watery Wednesday......

The Rocks-----
Exposed at low tide.an area of Sanbiel Island known for fanstastic fishing and shelling.

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Scenic sunday,May 17

We thought we'd take you on a little stroll through the place we stayed at,during our most recent excursion to Sanibel Island.

As you are walking to your cottage your pass through and under and around the most beautiful tropical foliage.

And then,you arrive here..................................
Why we love it so much here....................

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Girls Rule!!!!!

Congratulations Rachel Alexandra!!!

Ummmm-good!

A series of shots,taken on Sanibel Island,of an osprey enjoying breakfast.

Guess everything does taste better on a Ritz.........

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Sanibel Island-A Final Recap

Well,vacation is over.And,now,it's back to reality,which is highly over rated,in our opinion.
We had a great time,with great friends in a beautiful place.How do you top that?

So,now,it's time to clean out the memory card.

Your guide for today's tour ............

The marsh rabbit!

We got to see the Sanibel Thriller pass by.

JonJ's comment,"What the Hell is that?"

It's the Sanibel thriller!!!

Everywhere you look is another photo opportunity......
We've posted here,about our shells,and here,about SCCF.

Now,back to real life.........

WE DON'T LIKE REAL LIFE!!!!!!!

A Trip To Blind Pass,,and A Video!!

Today,we decided to take a drive to Blind Pass and see the dredging project everyone is talking about.Kinda confused one of us-----we're not mentioning any names here(ChrisC ),but the other one(JonJ) gets it.Go figure........

After the drive to Blind Pass,we decided to swing by Doc Ford's,for a sit-down at the bar(Doc Ford's has the best bar tenders,by the way!-shout out to him!),and lunch to go.Clam Chowder,Seafood Chowder,Fried Grouper Sandwiches,and rice and beans.Delish!!!!!!!More than enough for lunch AND dinner.Yummy......Eat your hearts out,people!

We also ran into to someone from ChrisC's hometown(Niagara Falls,NY) and had a great chit-chat with him.It always amazes us what a small world it really is.Here we are,on an island in the Gulf of Mexico,and run into someone from Western New YorkAnother,go figure........

It has been an absolutely gorgeous evening.Strong breezes from the south west.Clear skies.Low humidity.Beautiful!!!!!!!!

And,so,here's your video of sunset,this evening...........

This camera will only take 17 seconds of video,we guess.(next uip for us is the Flip-Mino HD).

Some Random Shots and A VIDEO!!!!!!

"Ain't love grand?"

"Hey,baby.Whatcha doin' later?"

"Wait a minute----didn't you say love was grand?"

Coquinas for Gina.......

Kittens Paws for Michael,the Elder..........

And we're saving the photos of the good stuff 'til later.You are just gonna have to wait for that!But it'll be well worth it,we assure you.......

Just a random shot of life,here,on Sanibel Island.....

And THE Video!!!!!!! Drum roll please.......

We're up to 12 seconds this time!!!!

Bird of Paradise

Photo taken on Sanibel Island,this morning.

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Would You Like An Olive With That Martini?

We had mentioned in a previous post how many live olives we saw the first night we were here.Tonite,at low tide,it was incredible!They were everywhere.
Last year,at this time,it was Alphabet Cones.This year,it's the Olive Shell's turn we guess.It started getting exhausting returning them to deeper water.Especially,after ChrisC saw a shark cruising by.(No,JonJ that was not a dolphin fin-that was a shark!Some people do know the difference between the fins.Remember,you taught me well!)
Anywho-we digress.....

For your viewing pleasure........

And for those of you who miss the sound and surf of Sanibel Island,here ya go.........It's only 8 seconds(still working on that video thingy.Sorry......)

And Another Day...........

After the wine and cheese party(did we mention free?),we ended yesterday with shelling low tide with friends..........


So,let's get on with it,shall we?...................





We'll start off by getting the foliage shots out of the way......We love the tropical foliage here,on Sanibel.Even though we only live 2+ hours away,it is an entirely different landscape.

Plumbago

Bush Daisy(our's are only about 2 feet tall.Here,they're over 10 feet!)

Plumeria(yep-today's token shot)

Hibiscus

Let's move on to the beach,shall we?Isn't that why we're here?

And our guide for last evening............. "Stay with me kids.This is gonna be a quick tour."

"It's a minus low tide,and I wanna show you kids what people refer to as The Rocks."

"Lovely,isn't it?Did you know that fishermen come from all over to fish,right here at this spot?"

"This is what you humans refer to as the Sanibel Stoop.We shore birds just run up and grab the shell and eat it.You humans bend over,pick it up,and stuff it in a bag.Whattaya do?Wait 'til you get home to eat 'em?"
"This is the slacker version of the Sanibel Stoop.Wonder if he's gonna bend over?Nope--didn't think so."

"Some kids can just not be taken out in public!Hey!You two-settle down!It's bird nesting season here."

Life is still good!