Annual visit to the Island that has captured my heart

We returned home on Wednesday.  Before I forget them, I need to list some things that I found memorable.  First, unfortunately, the negatives.

1.  I lost my CapOne credit card at the Publix supermarket where we bought groceries for the week ahead.  I must have set it down on the counter when I signed the little credit card machine, and forgotten to pick it up.  Fortunately, the desk clerk at the hotel gave me a phone no. for CapOne; I phoned and cancelled the card.  And just used the other card for the rest of the visit.

2.  When we rented the car, it turned out to be a black one with a black interior - - a bit hard to figure out how all the dashboard implements work when one cannot see in the darkness.  And there was no owner's manual to aid me.   So Joe decided he would drive, having more confidence.  Which worked well - - he could drive and I could navigate.



Why is this car dirty?  We had a rain shower on the first morning, followed by strong winds that blew sand all over our wet car.

3.  When we returned the car, I had to make sure the rental agency knew that the credit card had been replaced.  But the original estimate was missing.  Joe thought the rental agency's driver took it; I thought it was still in the glove compartment.  No matter.  I remember what the original estimate was, and the final cost was about $4 less.

4.  No really interesting shells this year.  There were lots and lots of the large bronze bi-valve shells that are brittle and frequently covered with barnacles.  There were also more dead crabs and more coconuts, fewer of the sea urchins that covered the area last year.

But those were far outweighed by the postives.



1.  Touring the Bailey Homestead Tract.  Well, really, it was not the whole 28 acres - that is still jungle - overgrown with vines and impenetrable without a machete.  But we learned something of the problems faced by Sanibel Captiva Conservation Foundation (SCCF) who bought the property to extend wildlife habitat and remove invasive exotic plants.  And we got to tour the old homestead.  SCCF intends to use the property as both a museum and interpretive center.  And the Native Plant Nursery will be moved to this site.  I have lots of photos of the house to post.

This is the house after the first set of changes - the porch and dormer window

SCCF has rebuilt the steps, new screens on the porch, painted that nice green, based on analysis of the old paint.

2.  Wednesday's sunrise was brilliant but cold with periodic brief sprinkles.  Very very windy.  The great surprise was when we turned away from looking southeast at the sunrise back toward the land.  A great rainbow arced over the island.   I have a great  photo of Joe with the fading rainbow.



The rainbow at dawn over the island.

3.  An osprey standing right at the shoreline as waves washed over its talons.  After a moment, it took off and flew low over the waves, occasionally dipping down so its talons were in the water- - not to grasp a fish, for the talons were not extended but were drooping backwards.

4.  For lunch one day I ordered a very good panini from Jerry's.  We took the food down to the beach for a little picnic.  Big mistake.  Gulls began to gather, then to squawk and beat their wings.  I tried to keep an eye on them but neglected to look over my shoulder.  A brazen creature swooped down and grabbed part of my sandwich out of my hand!!  Unfortunately for it, most of his loot broke up and fell into the sea.  That set off a minor squabble among several of the greedy critters.   But all he got was part of the bread, so I was left with an open-face sandwich.  The question:  Is it safe to eat?   I decided that the odds were favorable, and I finished the sandwich.

5. On Thursday morning we discovered a half-dozen or more crab traps along our stretch of the beach . . . likely ripped from the sea by Wednesday's storm.  One or two of the traps had some very nice looking blue crabs - - but all were dead, or at least not moving.  So we left them alone.  Strangely, they remained there through the day we left.  I assumed that the owners of the traps would be concerned, but then realized that they had no way of knowing where the traps went.

Three crab traps were tangled together.

6.  The Sanibel Library has computers available for public use, but only for 1 hour/day.  Joe discovered that the genealogy section has two PCs with no apparent time limit.  He finds a PC much easier to use than the laptops available in the Computer Section.  I thought it was great to not have a deadline.

7.  The Sunday Farmers Market was now the City Hall parking area.  Lots of prepared food - - if we'd arrived on Saturday, this would have been the place to stock the refrigerator for the week.  Mac & cheese with lobster or shrimp.  Barbeque that smelled wonderful.   Apple or other strudel.  Quacamole made right before you, with chips.  Plus traditional vegetables and fruits (the strawberry I ate was as sweet as any I could remember).

Step up for mac & cheese with lobster, shrimp or sausage.

Honey and jam and relish

8.  I've saved the best for last:  Grouper Basket from Schnapper's Hots - - this is three filets of grouper fish, batter-dipped and fried, comes with fries and slaw, tartar sauce and lemon, and is hot and delicious. We bought this three times, with cold sweet lemonade.  Strangely, though, the place is best known for its hot dogs.  But the fish & chips is soooo good! 

But I cannot forget key lime pie, either

Halls cough drops

On my Netherlands visit I got sick.  Came home still sick.  To deter the periodic coughing spells, I bought a package of cough drops - Halls, honey menthol.  This icould also be called the "Pep Talk" brand.  My little lozenge's paper wrapper has several very positive imperatives, as follows:

"Seize the day."

"Buckle down and push forth!"

"Let's hera your battle cry."

"Be unstoppable."

Power through!"

Not all that bad especially if one is feeling listless and ill [not that I am; today is a very good day].

Sanibel again

The eve of our departure.  Sanibel Island is one of my favorite places.  Not so much because it's a warm place in a cold season.  And not so much because it is so familiar - this might be the 10th visit.  It's because the island takes account of the wildlife that live not only in the wildlife refuge (called the "Ding" Darling National Wildlife Refuge), but in the sea, in the bay, in the streams and ponds, and in the privately owned preserves on the island. 

White pelicans on a sandbar in Tarpon Bay

Ibises roosting in the wildlife refuge

The beaches are not cleaned or groomed so all of the shells and seaweed and odd debris that washes up are left on the beaches.  Occasionally that means stinky dead fish, but not often.  There are no stoplights or street lights on the island; the glow from streetlights would confuse young hatchling sea turtles.  It seems they hatch at night and immediately head for the area that is paler than their immediate surroundings:  the sea.   And, finally, the building code seems to be limited to tree-top height, i.e., 3 or 4 stories. 

This is red macro-algae on the beach.



January 10, 2011 - Last sunrise on the beach.

 Every year I have to learn all over again the names of the large sea birds and those who patrol the shallows looking for lunch.  And learn again the names of the little sea shells that litter the high-water line.  And get out of bed before sunrise to head down to the beach and watch the orange-red orb as it breaks above the horizon line down past Naples.  Once we were lucky enough to see the moon rise over Ft. Myers; I'd love to see that again.

Shellers on the untidy beach

And then there is the food - - my favorite is a fried grouper filet basket from Schnapper's.  Actually, grouper prepared in any and all manner is good.  Steamed gulf shrimp; oysters shucked and on the half shell with mignonette sauce.  Beautifully juicy oranges - several kinds.  And any breakfast at the Lighthouse Cafe.

Joe's enjoying grouper at Schnapper's outdoor patio.

We stay for only one week.  I wonder:  if we stayed for a month, would we get tired of it?  bored?  anxious to go home?  The cultural life there is not what we have here - although the Island Reporter newspaper writes reviews of plays and concerts and art exhibits.  We've never gotten involved with those because our stay is short; would we do otherwise if we stayed longer?  Remains to be seen.

US Botanic Garden Orchids

Perhaps it is for the holidays - or just to brighten up the short winter days.  Whatever the reason, the US Botanic Garden's orchid room is a treat to behold.  Here are some of the lovelies on display

Hiking with friends

I have a lot of friends in the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal Association, and within that association are a group who like to hike together.  There's the annual Douglas Hike in springtime, commemorating the famous 1954 hike by Supreme Ct. Justice William O. Douglas that persuaded newspaper editors to support keeping the old decrepit and abandoned C & O Canal intact rather than creating a parkway.  And an annual Heritage Hike in the autumn just to celebrate the historical heritage of the old canal.

A smaller group who are recently retired have decided to hike more often, and this year it's become almost a weekly tradition.  My email exchanges seem to show the first - or one of the first - planned hikes was to have been March 15, 2011 at Prince William Forest Park in Virginia.  For one reason or other I didn't participate in that.

I've listed hikes I participate in and those I missed.  These are not overwhelming hikes in spectacular or breathtaking places.  Mostly 4 to 7 miles, within an hour's drive of DC.

March 15 - - Prince William Forest Park - - missed it.
March 27  - - PawPaw Tunnel Hill Trail, MD - - missed this one
April 12  - - Merkle Wildlife Sanctuary, MD  - - ditto
April 19  - - Ford Mine and Gold Mine trails, Great Falls, MD
April 25  - - Great Falls, VA (along the river trail)
May 2  - - Greenbelt Park, perimeter trail, MD
     May 9 to 12 - - hike the AT from Lewis Mountain to [where??], staying in an apt. at Massanutten.
May 31  - - Carderock area, C & O Canal HNP, MD
June 4  - - Greenbriar State Park, MD - - missed that one
June 16  - - Seneca Greenway, MD
July 5  - - Black Hills Park, MD
July 11 - - Lake Needwood, MD
July 19  - - Difficult Run Trail, VA
July 26  - - Cabin John Trail to C & O Canal NHP towpath, MD
Aug. 3  - - Cedarville State Forest, MD - - missed this one
Aug. 9  - - Turkey Run Trail (downstream), VA
Aug. 15  - - Fort Washington National Park, perimeter trail MD
Aug. 23  - - Turkey Run & Potomac Heritage Trails (upstream - did not notice earthquake), VA
Sept. 6 - - Scott's Run Nature Preserve, VA
       [Sept 11 to 28 - - World Canals Conference, etc. in Netherlands - very little hiking]
Oct. 4  - - Sugarloaf Mountain, MD - - missed that one (sick)
Oct. 11  - - AT, Harpers Ferry to Loudoun Heights, VA - - missed that one (still sick)
Oct. 18  - - Rosaryville Perimeter Trail, MD
Oct. 25  - - Turkey Run Trail (again!), VA
Nov. 1  - - AT, Gathland to Weverton, MD
Nov. 8  - - Rock Creek Park (central), DC
Nov. 15  - - Bull Run Mountain, VA
Nov. 22  - - Rock Creek Park (northern), DC
Nov. 29  - - Lake Needwood, MD - - missed it
Dec. 6  - - Great Falls Park, VA
Dec. 13  - - Piscataway Park, many short trails, MD

For the rest of the year the group will be dealing with family members and so we will hike again in the New Year - - maybe even on New Year's Day??

Found poem at Safeway . . .

Sunday morning shopping at Safeway was finished.  In the parking lot, a cart had been left near my car, with a piece of 3-ring notebook paper lying there. 
To me it reads a little like a poem - - someone wants to make S'mores but realizes later that two ingredients have to be added - different pen.  Is that someone also going to make a large quantity of mac'n'cheese.  Coffee is clearly important. Is the parenthetical "(more)" for red potatoes suggestive of additional guests? and it's a different handwriting.

Last Stop: Amsterdam

Netherlands for the World Canals Conference in late September:   When the conference ended five friends and I moved on to Amsterdam.   Barbara had rented a 3-bedroom, 2-bath apartment for us - - not in the Centrum, but just South, a block from the Amstel train station.  Too bad our train did not stop there - - we had to go to the Central Station, take a tram to the rental agency for keys and directions, and then another tram to a stop that was about 8 blocks away.  Imagine this picture:  You're a Dutchman sitting at an outdoor cafe next to the Amstel River in the autumn sunlight and along come one man and five women lugging roller suitcases and speaking English.  Everyone, I swear, took note of us.  And it was a long walk over curbs and cobblestones.  My suitcase got a flat tire.  But we arrived at the apartment, settled in, made a grocery list, and planned where to go for dinner.

The next four days were spent exploring this very busy city, even though I'd finally succumbed to the respiratory infection that  my roommate (Typhoid Mary) had so generously shared with us all.  So my wits were dimmed and my body was weary. I was determined to see this city.  The photos weren't the greatest - many places and things were overlooked . . . so does that mean I'll have to rreturn? I think so.

Amsterdam's Botanic Garden is indoors and outdoors.  This room was dry, arid, and quickly exited.

The Butterfly House was very welcoming.  My Facebook page has a photo of me as landing pad for one of these.

I'd love to remember the names of these delicate creatures.

Don't they look like waiter's trays?

One of my favorite photos; there are only two figures, the way is narrow, the cobblestones are edged with bricks, there are two skinny trees at the end of the way. 

In Amsterdam, walkers, bikers, cars and canals all co-exist in apparent harmony.  This canal has the unwieldy name of Oudezijds Voorburgwal.

Memorial in the center of the Dam plaza.



It's impressive, not old, and has shops.  Formerly the post office built in the late 19th century, now a shopping center.



Very elaborate memorial for some long-forgotten naval officer in the Nieuwe Kirk.  Compare with Saskia's tombstone farther on.   For some reason, there was also an exhibit of wedding dresses here.

The sign on the fence was not truthful.  While renovation was complete, a small sign indicated the palace was closed for a week or two.

Tiny place, but very good mustard soup for lunch.



Goliath facing David in the Amsterdam History Museum.



Do you think they really are? 

Not quite a medieval gargoyle or grotesque.  But definitely interesting.

With the Singelgracht canal to my back, with traffic, fence, and construction facing me, it's difficult to see the Rijksmuseum's facade.

Big, beautiful, efficient, and crowded are the trams of Amsterdam.

Metro is new, runs underground, has unusual decor, and carried us to 4 blocks from our apartment.



translation:  Smurf Warning:  Smurf suspicious activity to go!



We were told that coffeeshops sell marijuana.  So I imagine the Funny People isn't for coffee.

Swans always add a note of tranquil elegance - even next to the "red light district".

Just a long tourist boat on the canal that passes near the Oude Kirk.

A very simple tombstone for the wife of Rembrandt in the Oude Kirk.

Amazingly ornate and magnificent baroque-period pipe organ in the Oude Kirk.



A touring group on yellow bikes cross the Dam - a large plaza in Amsterdam's Centrum.   The big building ahead is the royal palace.



What follow are many photos taken at Albert Cuyptmarkt - 2 blocks of a street dedicated to selling anything and everything - - I was mainly interested in food.
He's busy selling herring sandwiches with pickles, onions and lettuce.  I declined.

Sausages from everywhere European.



A forest of legs in many different leggings and tights.




Cheese, cheese, glorious cheese!



What is this man making, with his very hot grill and his clever batter dispenser?

Poffeltje!  Of course! 



The only Dutch clogs for sale were these - they're fleece, not wood!



Perhaps paying attention to labels in the market would  help with ordering dinner in a restaurant?  My Belgian cousin and I once puzzled over "ananas" in a Chinese restaurant - he knew what it is but not the English word. 



Fresh, cold fruit smoothies just in time for lunch




The Rijkmuseum was being renovated; the front covered with fencing and scaffolding, but the back, facing a large greensward called Museumplein, was lovely.




Now where would you expect to see cafe booths shaped like giant coffee cups?  At an airport, perhaps?  Yes - this is a Schiphol - to someone suffering from a heavy head cold, it was hallucinogenic.

I love travelling and seeing new places, eating new foods, meeting the challenges of a foreign language.  But not when I'm sick.  In Amsterdam there was no hotel concierge to direct me to a pharmacy; no green neon crosses as in France to tell me where I could find one; and nothing in Linda's guidebook.  I was dependent on a friend who shared her decongestant pills.  Never have I been so happy to see my husband, to be in my home, and to know how to call for aid.  The lesson :  Be better prepared for illness such as Typhoid Mary gave me.